I was rather pissed when I learned that the parents of the girl who died after two failed heart-lung transplants refused to donate her organs when her ventilator was turned off. (Link via Dave.) Apparently, the organs, although they didn’t work for her, were still healthy, and as a 17-year-old, the rest of her organs were most likely in perfect working order as well.
I could rant about my opinion of this family, smuggling themselves past the borders to get this operation that they didn’t pay for (while every day, 17 Americans die waiting for a transplant), but instead, I will direct my loyal fans to join me in signing up for LifeSharers, a non-profit network of organ/tissue donors. It’s fucking brilliant — you promise to donate your organs, and it automatically puts you a lil higher on the list when or if you yourself may need a transplant someday — if an organ will be donated by a LifeSharers member, and you’re in the member network, it’s like you shoot to the front of the line to see if you and the organs are a match. I’ve always believed that organ donation is a win-win situation anyway (although my family argues that doctors will work less hard to save you if you’re dying, so they can “steal” your organs), but finally, pledging organs can benefit us during our healthy days.
For those waiting for an incentive to become an organ donor, this is as good as it’s going to get, and it ain’t bad. All you do is print out your membership card and send the pre-written letter to your doctor and family. I don’t get on political causes, but social causes like this, especially when the solutions are so obvious yet so overlooked, are well worth the investment. 🙂
