Monday, August 10, 2009

Giving the Gift of Life

By Virginia Bandy
Ada Herald Editor

Monday, August 10, 2009


Not many people are comfortable discussing the subject of death, especially their own. However, it can be easier on your family if certain decisions are made ahead of time. Making your wishes known can help a grieving family make it through a difficult period.

Of course, planning for your funeral is a priority, but even before the funeral, people need to make another decision. Whether or not to "Donate Life" with their tissues and/or organs.

The need for donations is large, as the national waiting list is over 102,000 people. In comparison, last year there were only 30,000 transplants performed. Many people die while waiting to receive help.

Even the numbers in Ohio are staggering. 3,000 people in Ohio are waiting for transplants, and one Ohioan dies every other day while on the waiting list. Currently, there is one person on the waiting list from Hardin County.

Lifeline of Ohio, a non-profit organ procurement organization, serves Hardin County as well as 36 other counties in central and southeast Ohio. Lifeline's purpose is to promote the donation of organs and tissues for transplantation, as well as educating the public on the process.

Lifeline of Ohio works closely with 64 hospitals in Ohio, and two transplant centers (Ohio State University Hospital and Children's Hospital) in the transplantation process.

When a person dies at a hospital, Lifeline of Ohio receives a phone call and it is determined if that person is eligible to donate organs or tissues. It is only after that medical determination that the Ohio Donor Registry is checked to see if that person has directed the donation of their organs. If the deceased has not registered as a donor, but is a viable candidate for donation, then Lifeline of Ohio will approach the family and ask for consent to be given.

There is a short time frame involved with organ and tissue donation; only 24 hours long. And the cause of death determines what can be donated. Only one percent of deaths are what is termed "Brain Death." These are people whose life is being sustained by artificial means, usually a ventilator. Those who succumb to brain death are the only ones who can donate organs, because the circulation of blood and oxygen continues after death to allow time for surgical recovery of organs. Transplants usually have to be performed in close proximity to where the death occurred, since the organs cannot be outside of a body very long. For example, the heart will only be viable for 4-6 hours outside of a body.

Organ donors can save up to eight lives, with the recovery of the heart, two lungs, two kidneys, liver, pancreas and small bowel.

The majority of deaths are called "Cardiac Death" where circulation has stopped to the organs. But these donors are able to provide several tissues for donation (corneas, bone, skin, veins and heart valves), thus saving up to 50 lives.

One single donor has the potential of giving the "Gift of Life" to 58 people.

Another mission of Lifeline of Ohio includes education of the public and dispelling myths about organ donation. Rachel Lewis, Community Outreach Coordinator, explained that Hollywood has not depicted organ donation accurately on TV, which adds to people's fears.

Emergency room personnel do not know whether or not you are an organ donor when they are working to save your life. They do not know if an eight-year-old kidney patient is up on the fifth floor, or a 56-year-old heart patient is in a hospital across the county. It is a myth that ER doctors will not save your life in order to procure your organs and tissues.

Another myth with organ donation is that you cannot have an open casket at your funeral. Lewis explained that the procurement process is like any other surgery, where the body is treated with utmost respect.

Another myth concerns religion. Some people worry that their denomination won't approve of organ donation. Lewis said that religions do support donation as "the ultimate act of charity."

The biggest concern of Lifeline of Ohio is to improve the numbers on the Ohio Donor Registry, and they are committed to educating the public, by speaking to schools and civic organizations around the state.

A survey done in Hardin County from June of 2005 to July of 2009 indicated that 47 percent of the county residents are registered as donors. This is just slightly below the Ohio average of 51 percent, but Lifeline of Ohio would like to see those numbers increase.

Donors can register online at any time, not just every four years when their driver's license is renewed. Visit www.lifelineofohio.org or call 1-800-525-5667 for more information.