Say Yes, Save a Life
Tyrel Jensen
Nothing is more rewarding than having the opportunity to
save a life, and doing it.
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Table of Contents
Title page ...................................................................................................................................................... 1
Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Table of Figures ..................................................................................................................................... 3
First successful kidney transplant ............................................................................................................... 4
Waiting list statistics ................................................................................................................................. 5
Donation - Myth vs. Facts ..................................................................................................................... 6
Education is the Key .................................................................................................................................... 7
Making "Yes" the Default .......................................................................................................................... 8
Alternate solutions/Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 9
Bibliography................................................................................................................................................ 10
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Table of Figures
Figure 1 - Richard and Ronald Herrick .......................................................................................................... 4
Figure 2 - Waiting list & Donor Registry
Comparison Graph .................................................................... 5
Figure 3 - Education is Essential .................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 4 - Grateful Recipient ......................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 5 - Donor Medallion ........................................................................................................................... 9
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Tyrel Jensen
Mark Baggely
CIS 1020-038
5 December 2011
Say yes, save a life
In a world full of medical advances, it is amazing what can be done to help people
recover from traumatic illnesses and even reverse the affects of some deadly diseases. Advances
in medicine have even made it possible for many to combat and survive cancer. As well as those
treatments already mentioned, there is one particular life saving method that is especially
impressive. In the case that someone’s kidneys are failing, doctors may take the healthy kidney
of a willing donor and transplant it in the place of the failing organ. This is the miracle of the
organ transplant.
The first successful kidney transplant was
done on December 23, 1954. Twenty three year
old Richard Herrick had been discharged from the
Coast Guard for medical complications, the major
symptom being kidney failure. With a family full
of hope and optimism, the Herrick’s allowed what
was then a risky procedure to be done. Richard’s
Figure 1 - Richard and Ronald Herrick
twin brother, Ronald, offered to donate one of his kidneys to Richard so that he could survive his
kidney disease. Dr. Joseph B. Murray at what is now Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston
transplanted one of Ronald’s healthy kidneys into his brother Richard successfully. Richard
went on to live an additional eight years before his other kidney infected his new one and he
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passed away (Altman). Fifty years proceeding that we now have better anti-rejection drugs,
cleaner hospitals, and more efficient procedures that increase the average life expectancy of
organ transplant recipients even more.
Unfortunately, the life saving miracle of an organ transplant is not readily available for
all those who are in need. Simply knowing the medical procedures and having the surgical tools
ready does not mean that someone who is need of an organ transplant will get one any time soon.
At this very moment there are over 100,000 people in the United States alone who are
waiting for a life saving organ to be made available
("Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network"). The
longer they wait, the more likely that their physical
condition will not be able to withstand the rigors of
surgery. Imagine if 100,000 people had been bitten by
rattle-snakes, and we put them all on a list to wait for the
antidote. The anxiety must be similar to what it feels like
Figure 2 - Waiting list & Donor Registry
Comparison Graph
waiting on the organ transplant list, knowing that your very
life is on a timeline.
Being on the waiting list is not just a matter of developing patience; it’s a matter of life
and death. There is no guarantee that you will ever receive the life saving organ that you need
because there are so many on the list, waiting. Because of the lack of organ donors, over 7,000
people die every year in the United States while waiting for an appropriate donor ("Organ
Procurement and Transplantation Network"). These tragic statistics could be changed
dramatically if there were just a few more people who were well enough informed to make the
decision to help save lives through organ donation. With just a little more awareness and a few
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more willing hearts (no pun intended), a great impact could be made. Just one organ donor can
save up to nine lives ("Utah Donor Registry").
Many people choose not to be put on the donor registry or say “no” on their driver’s
license because they have misconceptions about organ donation, or they simply have not taken
the time to even consider it an option. In order for people to truly make a good decision they
need to know the facts. This is essential so that individuals can be informed of the truth about
organ donation and make an educated and well thought out decision. Because the only really
wrong decision is to not decide at all.
It is absolutely imperative that people know the truth from the myths about organ
donation. It would be truly sad if somebody chose to not be an organ donor because of a belief
they had about it that was not true. The cost of a life is well worth working past a few
misconceptions. One example of a myth is: If I register as a donor, the hospital staff won’t try
as hard to save my life. This is false, for several reasons. An answer provided the Mayo Clinic
staff says it quite well, “Fact: When you go to the hospital for treatment, doctors focus on saving
your life — not somebody else's. You'll be seen by a doctor whose specialty most closely
matches your particular emergency. The doctor in charge of your care has nothing to do with
transplantation” (Mayo Clinic staff). Others rule out organ donation supposing that their
religious beliefs are somehow in conflict with the idea. However, most major religions,
including Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, and most branches of Judaism recognize organ
donation as a selfless act of charity. If one is uncertain then they should either ask a member of
their clergy or visit OrganDonor.gov which has a complete list, by denomination, of religious
beliefs pertaining to organ donation.
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There are many other myth/fact comparisons to be shared as part of educating potential
donor candidates. But the important thing is that this education is happening. If you asked a
teenager how they feel about organ donation, how would they respond? Would they say yes?
No? Would they know enough to really respond either way? These are good questions to ask,
but the answer is most likely going to be one of uncertainty.
One solution to this could be to include information on organ donation as part of the
curriculum for all Driver’s-Ed classes. I know that there are some schools that do provide some
information, but most of the time it is
very brief if they even share any at all.
What I am proposing is that there be at
least a few days of class time spent on it,
as well as having it as part of the exam.
More than anything there needs to be an
emphasis on teaching the students to talk
about organ donation with their family
outside of the school setting. One of the
Figure 3 - Education is Essential
biggest problems with organ donation is if the family is unsure about the wishes of the deceased
person. Even if they put “yes” on their driver’s license, the decision to donate or not is still
ultimately left up to the closest living relatives. For this purpose it must be something that is
discussed by family in the home.
One way to be sure that these discussions about organ donation take place in the home
would be to change the default status of donation to “yes” for all those who have not said
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otherwise. This would mean that anyone who passed away that then met the criteria to be an
organ donor would automatically be treated as such. This does not take away anyone’s right to
choose, but there is a good chance that it would cause more people to take the time to think about
both option and make a more
thoughtful decision. Also, over
time the status of being willing
to be an organ donor would
possibly be seen in a more
favorable light simply because it
is something that is altogether
more common because of the
automatic status granted to all
who are eligible. We should
make those who choose to say
“no” the exception to organ
Figure 4 - Grateful Recipient
donation instead of those who
choose to say “yes”.
One of the big problems of finding potential donor candidates is that only about 2% of
deaths meet brain death criteria and have the potential to become organ donors ("Utah Donor
Registry"). In order for someone to be an organ donor they must be completely dead with
absolutely no chance for recovery, but still have an organ or organs that are in proper functioning
condition that may be donated. This is why it so necessary for there to be more people who are
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registered as a donor, because only such a small percentage are even able to donate, whether they
are willing to or not.
One way to find donors who would be guaranteed to meet the brain death criteria would
be to allow death-row inmates to volunteer as organ donors. In a manner that is much less
barbaric than the firing squad or the electric chair, inmates would be put to sleep painlessly by
anesthesia. Then, after they have been pronounced dead, their organs could be used to save the
lives of up to nine people who have been put on death-row for the innocent - the organ transplant
waiting list.
Overall, the outlook is positive for the future of organ donation. With raised awareness
through education and the implementation of programs such as those mentioned above,
thousands of people who may have otherwise lost their lives will have a second chance at living;
a second chance for a family to keep their mother or father, or a second chance for a parent to
keep their daughter or son. All it will take is a few more people to choose to say yes.
Say yes, save a life.
Figure 5 - Donor Medallion
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Bibliography
Altman, Lawrence K. "The Utimate Gift: 50 Years of Organ Transplants." New York Times
(2004): n. pag. Web. 20 Apr 2011.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/21/health/21orga.html?_r=1>.
U.S. Government. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. , 2011. Web. 26 Apr 2011.
<http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/latestData/advancedData.asp>.
"Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Facts Donation and Transplantation Stats." Utah Donor
Registry (2008): n. pag. Web. 20 Apr 2011. <http://www.yesutah.org/content/about/faq>.
Mayo Clinic staff, . "Organ donation: Don't let these myths confuse you Unsure about donating
organs for transplant? Don't let misinformation keep you from saving lives. ." Consumer
Health (2010): n. pag. Web. 20 Apr 2011. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organdonation/FL00077>.
Leonard, Wendy. "Marathon organ transplant session increases awareness for organ donation."
Ksl.com (2011): n. pag. Web. 20 Apr 2011.
<http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=14851370>.
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