Spreekbeurt: Organ Donations
Organ donation
Organ and tissue donation and transplantation is proven to extend and enhance lives. Medical advances continue to make transplantation safer and more effective. Unfortunately, organ and tissue donation has not increased at the same rapid pace. Although approximately 55 people each day receive life-enhancing organ transplants, another 10 people die each day on the national list waiting for a donated organ. In September, 1997, more than 55,000 people were on the list, which grows by about 500 every month. Most Americans approve of organ donation, but too few give this gift of life to others. An increase in the number of persons willing to donate is urgently needed.
To become an organ donor, there are two simple steps which will make a lifesaving difference:
Step One: Share Your Life. Make the decision to become an organ and tissue donor.
Step Two: Share Your Decision. Sharing your decision to be an organ and tissue donor is as important as making the decision itself. At the time of your death, your family will be asked about donation. Sharing your decision with your family now will prevent confusion or uncertainty about your wishes later. Carrying out your wish to save other lives can bring your family members great comfort in their time of grief.
Everyone should consider themselves a potential organ donor. A person?s medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissues can be donated. Organs which can be donated include the heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver, and intestines. Tissues which can be donated include eyes, skin, bone, heart valves, tendons, and vessels. There are no set age limits on organ donation. At the time of death, the potential donor?s organs are evaluated to determine their suitability for donation. Therefore, people of any age wishing to become organ and tissue donors should complete a donor card and inform their family that they wish to donate.
Organ and tissue donation neither disfigures the body nor changes the way it looks in a casket. Donation costs nothing to the donor?s family or estate, and organ and tissue recovery takes place only after all efforts to save your life have been exhausted and death has been legally declared. The doctors working to save your life are entirely separate from the medical team involved in recovering organs and tissues.
A national system ensures the fair distribution of organs in the United States. The patients who receive organs and tissues will be identified based upon such factors as blood type, length of time on the waiting list, severity of illness and other medical criteria. Factors such as race, gender, age, income, or celebrity status are not considered when determining who receives an organ. Buying and selling organs is against the law.
Organ and tissue donation and transplantation is proven to extend and enhance lives. Medical advances continue to make transplantation safer and more effective. Unfortunately, organ and tissue donation has not increased at the same rapid pace. Although approximately 55 people each day receive life-enhancing organ transplants, another 10 people die each day on the national list waiting for a donated organ. In September, 1997, more than 55,000 people were on the list, which grows by about 500 every month. Most Americans approve of organ donation, but too few give this gift of life to others. An increase in the number of persons willing to donate is urgently needed.
To become an organ donor, there are two simple steps which will make a lifesaving difference:
Step One: Share Your Life. Make the decision to become an organ and tissue donor.
Step Two: Share Your Decision. Sharing your decision to be an organ and tissue donor is as important as making the decision itself. At the time of your death, your family will be asked about donation. Sharing your decision with your family now will prevent confusion or uncertainty about your wishes later. Carrying out your wish to save other lives can bring your family members great comfort in their time of grief.
Everyone should consider themselves a potential organ donor. A person?s medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissues can be donated. Organs which can be donated include the heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver, and intestines. Tissues which can be donated include eyes, skin, bone, heart valves, tendons, and vessels. There are no set age limits on organ donation. At the time of death, the potential donor?s organs are evaluated to determine their suitability for donation. Therefore, people of any age wishing to become organ and tissue donors should complete a donor card and inform their family that they wish to donate.
Organ and tissue donation neither disfigures the body nor changes the way it looks in a casket. Donation costs nothing to the donor?s family or estate, and organ and tissue recovery takes place only after all efforts to save your life have been exhausted and death has been legally declared. The doctors working to save your life are entirely separate from the medical team involved in recovering organs and tissues.
A national system ensures the fair distribution of organs in the United States. The patients who receive organs and tissues will be identified based upon such factors as blood type, length of time on the waiting list, severity of illness and other medical criteria. Factors such as race, gender, age, income, or celebrity status are not considered when determining who receives an organ. Buying and selling organs is against the law.