CAMPUS views
Organ
donation is an important decision to make
Dear editor,
As college students, we think about homework, classes,
food and what we are going to do each night, but rarely do we think
about death. Just the mention of the word makes people cringe. However,
death is inevitable, but it does not have to be a time filled with
sadness. In fact, we will have the opportunity to help others selflessly.
How, you may ask? When you become an organ and tissue
donor you are giving a young child the opportunity to play his favorite
sports with his friends, or a blind man sight so he may see the
sunrise for the first time.
April 15-21 is "National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness
Week." I ask that you take some time out of your day and consider
becoming an organ and tissue donor. The reason is simple; 16 people
a day die awaiting a transplant and another name is added to that
list every 16 minutes. You can help resolve this national health
issue.
First, learn the facts about donation, then make an
educated decision. If you decide to become an organ and tissue donor,
you can sign a donor card or indicate your decision by having a
caduceus symbol placed on your drivers license. Most importantly,
you must discuss your wishes with your family.
You alone can save and enhance the lives of over 200
people. Become an organ and tissue donor and you will be giving
someone the most precious gift of all, the gift of life.
- Brandy Barkey,
Point Pleasant senior
Professor
thanks donor who saved husband's life
In the spirit of National Organ Donor Awareness Week,
I felt it would be an appropriate time to express my personal gratitude
to one very special donor family as well as encourage others to
follow their example.
On June 28, 1999, at 8:35 a.m. our phone rang. After
eight years of illnesses, a year of phlebotomy treatments, nine
months of waiting, wearing beepers 24 hours a day and greatly restricting
activities, our prayers had been answered. It was the University
of Pitts-burgh Medical Center calling to let us know a liver had
been donated for my husband. Our bags were already packed, and we
proceeded to race to Tri-State Airport to catch the last two seats
on a 9:35 a.m. flight. Later that day, I sat in a waiting room over
12 hours while a team of surgeons provided my husband with the gift
of life. Yet, none of it would have been possible without the selfless
generosity of one grieving family with the foresight to appreciate
the benefits of allowing their loved one to live on through someone
else.
Born with a genetic iron-overload disease, hemachromatosis,
my husband's chances were bleak. However, after receiving his new
organ, he returned to work just 12 weeks after his surgery. Now,
life has taken on a whole new meaning. There aren't even words suitable
enough to express our gratitude, but this second chance has given
us the opportunity to convey our experience in the hope that it
might encourage others to do the same.
Thousands of people die needlessly every year due to
a lack of suitable organs. Many of those waiting are children who
haven't even had a chance to experience life. It is a tragedy when
anyone dies, but it's even worse if you know there might have been
a significant chance for full recovery. Unlike other diseases, patients
waiting for transplants teeter on the edge of life and death for
months or years. During the tenuous waiting period, families are
not permitted to travel out of pager range. They must be ready with
bags packed on the chance they may receive "the call." But many
are not as lucky as we were. While waiting in the ICU, I was struck
by the many families who hadn't been as fortunate. Often patients
develop complicating infections while on the waiting list, which
automatically disqualifies them for transplants. Sometimes there
is just a narrow window of opportunity, and if no organ is available,
there is no longer a second chance.
So, I urge you, please forget any problems you may have
with organ donation, and see the greater picture. When you fill
out a donor card, think of the beautiful child whose life you might
be saving. Who knows, you never know when some generous person might
save the life of your loved one. And when you see people donning
green ribbons this week, realize that they symbolize the life given
to others by one selfless soul. The color is in honor of Nicholas
Green, the young boy who was fatally shot in Italy while on vacation.
His parents donated his organs to seven Italian citizens who will
never forget him. So this April, remember the "Ryan Effect," and
sign your donor card today.
Sincerely,
- Sharon Wills Brescoach,
assistant professor, SOJMC
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