Would you donate your organs?

I used to think that I would never be an organ donor. I've since changed my mind. When you talk with people about their remains practically on a day-to-day basis, it really desensitizes you to it. My viewpoints have changed dramatically as a result. I used to worry about keeping my body whole, not being cremated, not being buried, and of course climate (that's always important), etc... After hearing all of my clients talk about it day in and day out, I just think of it as nothing more than residue. Burn me, bury me, take my organs...whatever. LOL I've had clients ask me to put provisions in their wills requiring that they be cremated and mixed with fertilizer, cremated and thrown over a tomato patch, etc... I just have an aversion to eating tomatoes as of late. Clean your vegetables people... LOL :D
 
I dont like the thought of having someones body part inside my body. To me it is a sort of cannabalism. If someone wants my body parts they are gonna have to cannabalise my body.

I wouldn't mind plastic or a synthetic body part though. An alloy replacement for my bones is quite desireable maybe something like ZDP189 only a little more flexable.
 
Hell, yah!...Part me out like an old, tired car, then burn what's left of this old body of mine.:thumbup:.
 
I'm signed up for organ donation, although at my age I'm kind of a used car - you take your chances with high mileage parts. Cremation is already prepaid. My son in the army made my urn according to my instructions. It will be a traveling trophy between the families of my two sons. Loser has to keep it for a year. Hard to see at this angle but it reads "This is a serious Problem".:D

urnth4.jpg
 
No. I have no control as to whom they would go to. What if it was someone I would despise if I met them?
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You're not going to meet them, so who cares?

Hell, yah!...Part me out like an old, tired car,
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Same here. You're all welcome to anything that still works.

Autopsies and organ donation are both painless so I don't waste time worrying about either one.
 
Geraldo said:
You're not going to meet them, so who cares?
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When someone flips you off in traffic for example, is the first thing that comes to your mind, "that's OK. you can still have my organs when I am dead."?

The only people I would do it for is immediate family members. I would also do it for pets (cats, dogs), but the DNA doesn't match.
 
Yes.
For me this was always a no-brainer. I'm not using them, so of course I want someone else to use them. These are good organs!
I'm genuinely surprised at how many people don't want their bodies to go on doing some good after their deaths. :confused:
 
SalN said:
When someone flips you off in traffic for example, is the first thing that comes to your mind, "that's OK. you can still have my organs when I am dead."?

The only people I would do it for is immediate family members. I would also do it for pets (cats, dogs), but the DNA doesn't match.
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Nobody's asking you to kill yourself. It's just a matter of having your organs put to use when you can't use them anymore.
 
johnniet said:
Yes.
For me this was always a no-brainer. I'm not using them, so of course I want someone else to use them. These are good organs!
I'm genuinely surprised at how many people don't want their bodies to go on doing some good after their deaths. :confused:
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I guess that those who are not organ donors have never spoke with parents who were waiting for a donated organ that would save the life of their very ill child. I have.:(.
 
I just had my license renewed and signed up to be an organ donor.

I was at ends for a while on whether I should sign up or not due to conflicting personal philosophy/beliefs. On one hand, I believe that the world is overpopulated as-is, and wouldn't I be contributing to the problem by possibly saving someone's life (or lives) by having my organs donated when I die? And on the other hand, I'm non-religious and don't care what the hell happens to my body when I give up the ghost (I always joke with my folks that they should just bury me in the middle of nowhere and use an orange traffic cone instead of a headstone to keep funeral costs at a minimum).

Even though I'm young & Full of Angst and have never been in a situation where I needed a critical organ transplant to keep me alive, I can empathize with a family or loved one that is put in that situation. It's soul-crushing for anyone to sit by idly while a loved one suffers, and if I can alleviate that for a family somewhere after I die, then that's okay with me.

"Why not?"
 
DevilMan said:
I am... sometimes... and I'm not sometimes... Everytime I get a new license I usually switch.. I ride motorcycles... ALOT just got my first CAR/TRUCK last year. Have 6 Motorcycles. So most people call riders "Organ Donors" anyway.... It's my not so big sticking it to the man!!! to them by not putting that sticker on my license. Know what I mean???

I also am of the belief that there are some out there that I can help. Or could help. If I could donate something like part of a liver to help someone while I'm alive I'd be more inclined in a way.

But I look at $ signs. I'll explain....

I'm riding a motorcycle... Stop at a stop light.... Get rear ended by some dumb guy in a cage.... get messed up pretty badly but MAY live through it all with minimal residual issues.... So 2 weeks later a "miracle" happens and I'm good to go. ( I do heal quickly ) I think everyone here can follow. Anyway so I have some massive bills to pay.... Treatment, ER, Ambulance ride... lets say... 100K in bills.

Now lets get me back to the stop light.... and get hit... get messed up same way... They look at me and say... Hey we can SELL HIM!!!!! Pull that kidney, he don't need that heart, how about that eyeball.... Oh I just love grey eyes!!! Nope don't look like he's gonna pull out of it the docs say... THANX FOR THE CHANCE!!!!!

Okay so now they pulled em all... hmmmmm how much they sell for??? Lets see Kidney 50K.... OH but we have to install it.... that will be another 200K PLUS follow ups... hmmm another 75K over 5 years... Now where's that retina I stole.... I MEAN that that guy.... what was his name??? Oh it don't matter.... that guy "DONATED" where'd I leave it??? Hmmmm wonder what these go for??? I think....25K... Sounds good.. BUT WAIT!!!! Gotta install it properly... 75K Please.... Don't forget the follow ups the anti biotics, the blah blah blah blah stuff that goes along with it...

Lets see... which is more profitable??? hmmmmm Better yet.... Who exactly has to pay for my funeral??? Has to cover MY bills I left??? OH YEAH!!!! My family has to pick up the tab for me now eh??? Wonder how much of the money from my organs they would see???? Nah... I'll keep mine thanks though!!!!

Wanna see something creepy.... Go to a hospital and sit outside with a counter and ask how many of the doctors and nurses that come in during the day are organ donors.... Then ask to see the back of their license or their donor card to verify it..... That should give you an idea.

Sorry for the morbidity.... but anymore I feel this world is less to do with LIVING and more about $$$$$.


Oh and to address your question Dr. G.... Yeah it would help if I or my Family had a say in who received what. Basically if my brother looked at me and said "he's toast and he ain't gonna make it" then it'd be a bit better..... I SEE NO REASON why someone over 50 years old should be allowed a transplant when someone 20 years old is in line. Sorry bout it, but which would really make sense???? And if the 50 year old would not step aside and let the 20 year old have the organ.... then why even donate it??? Because that in itself is being selfish about things. Wouldn't you want the person who could benefit the MOST out of your organs to get them???? Not just the person who cold benefit the HOSPITAL/DOCTORS the most. And with me it'd be a no brainer really if it was a family member that needed something.... Like if (I don't have kids or wife or anything so its hypothetical) IF we were on a family outing and something happened and my kids got hurt and I could save them by using one of my organs... then yeah no worries....

Or like Bob W said.... let my family sell the parts....

OrganDonorAuction.com
FS: 1 Kidney Like New 30 Year old NON Drinker O+ blood type, winning bidder to pay all hospital bills, funeral bills, current debts owed, and all removal and installation fees. Shipping within CONUS will be $500.00 via "Get em while their HOT!!!!" For a landing location nearest you please check www.getemwhiletheirhotordie.com. This organ is for sell locally as well, and the seller has the right to end auction early in event of local sell. Thanx for looking and happy bidding.

Basically there are tooo many variables in the equation for me to say YES or NO to the question. Case by case basis...

DM
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I see what you are saying, but what if during that motorcycle accident, YOU damaged a kidney, then how would you feel about organ donation?:) Not trying to be a smart @$$, just trying to turn things around.
 
I absolutely would donate my organs! I have no reason to keep them if I'm dead. This isn't ancient Egypt; we don't need too keep our hearts in canopic jars in preparation for the afterlife.

And unless we need to remove brains through the side of the head or somesuch nowadays, donating an organ is not going to ruin your pretty open-casket funeral. Even if it did, I'd rest much easier I helped someone truly in need, even if it was a lifetime smoker(who I generally revile) who needed my lungs.

I wonder what the statistics are, but I imagine if more people simply checked the appropriate boxes at the DMV to change their organ donor status, many people(particularly children, who really deserve it) would be so much better off. And until we really push ahead with stem cells and other advanced medical science, organ donation fills a fine need.
 
It was announced today that one of the members of my church is heading off to Los Angeles to prepare to receive a lung transplant.

He has never smoked. He had no occupational exposure to anything. Yet he developed some lung tumors some years ago.

Smoking and occupational substance exposure account for the vast majority, but not all, lung cancer. But, even so, it was necessary to determine if his tumors were cancerous or not.

The biopsy found that they were not cancerous at all. Unfortunately, the biopsy process infected his lungs with a serious form of staph which left him with a small fraction of the lung function that a normal man has. He carries an oxygen tank around now and is unable to do anything that requires any effort.

Hopefully, a lung donor will be found for him so that he can have back some quality of life.
 
I am a no-nonsense follow the money sort; just what kind of obscene profits are there in donated organs? Just because there is a kid in need of a transplant, a donor who is willing to help, doesn't mean there isn't an intermediary who isn't willing to take possession of your donation and then extort the kids familiy for everything they are worth. The last I checked organ transplants are not cheap.

The approximate price range for a heart transplant in the United States is between $110,000 and $287,000.

read here:
http://www.kidney.org/atoz/atozItem.cfm?id=158

additional reading:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1514702

"The law allows for "reasonable payments to all who participate in the organ donation process (U.S. Congress 1984). The ambiguity of this term provides an opportunity for organ procurement organizations (OPOs) to artificially inflate prices. Currently, they receive approximately $25,000 for retrieving just the kidneys from a cadaver."

Interesting read here on the economics of body parts:
http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj17n2-3.html

It is nice that people sign up to donate organs - but, the distance between "nice" and "sucker" is often short; and it is the rest of the process which deserves much more attention. No matter how many organs you and yours donate - you and your kids will still be left to die unless you are lucky enough to carry a massive health insurance plan. I suggest sell your organ doner signature (currently illegal) and use the large premium to help pay for your insurance coverage.

n2s
 
I don't think that people who choose not to donate their organs deserve to be ridiculed about it. In my experience, I've found that many people have great difficulty contemplating their mortality much less the harvesting of their organs. It's a very difficult topic for some. Some people become quite attached to their body parts. :D LOL As I see it, if it's acceptable for people to worry about the disposition of silly things like basic household furnishings after they pass, then it's perfectly reasonable for them to have strong feelings about what happens to their heart, lungs, or liver as well.
 
Donate...no. Maybe if the surviving family members got a small chunk of what the doctor is getting paid I would see it all differently. The recipient is paying the standard outrageous medical bills while the doctor gets his nice cushy six figure salary.

(Insert argument here in angry quoted response);)

The comedian Chris Rock made a good argument saying, "What if in the future we can be brought back to life?" We would be missing some important parts. Also doesn't anyone remember the cheesy movie called "Body Parts"?:D
 
This is silly. What are you going to do with your kidneys after you die? They can take any thing they want from me, I'm getting cremated anyway.

i am including a bit of wisdom from john prine:

Woke up this morning
Put on my slippers
Walked in the kitchen and died
And oh what a feeling!
When my soul
Went thru the ceiling
And on up into heaven I did ride
When I got there they did say
John, it happened this way
You slipped upon the floor
And hit your head
And all the angels say
Just before you passed away
These were the very last words
That you said:

Chorus:
Please don't bury me
Down in that cold cold ground
No, I'd druther have "em" cut me up
And pass me all around
Throw my brain in a hurricane
And the blind can have my eyes
And the deaf can take both of my ears
If they don't mind the size
Give my stomach to Milwaukee
If they run out of beer
Put my socks in a cedar box
Just get "em" out of here
Venus de Milo can have my arms
Look out! I've got your nose
Sell my heart to the junkman
And give my love to Rose

Repeat Chorus

Give my feet to the footloose
Careless, fancy free
Give my knees to the needy
Don't pull that stuff on me
Hand me down my walking cane
It's a sin to tell a lie
Send my mouth way down south
And kiss my ass goodbye
 
I wil not donate my body parts for philosophical reasons. However, I am looking into donating my body for forensic research, specifically rate of decay studies.
 
I am an organ donor. I believe it is like running up to a burning car and trying to pull someone to safety... only there is no risk to me. If I ran up to to a car, and there was someone in it I didn't particulary like, I would still pull them out. Pretty much the only exception would be someone I saw as a definite threat to myself or my family. For those of you choose at this time not to donate, I have a question. If you needed an organ would you accept one from someone else or would you choose to suffer and die (to die for your principle). How about if it were your wife (spouse) or your child who needed the transplant? Would you refuse the gift of life for them? You don't know when you choose to donate an organ whose life you will save or make better, but you will be saving lives and making other lives better. If that is all you ever do, then have you not had a life to be proud of?
 
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