Waiting lists are growing, and more and more people are waiting for a life-changing organ. Today we are going to see what organ donation consists of, who can donate and how to do it.
Organ donation is very important today. Many people wait impatiently for that kidney they so badly need to stay alive. Others need a corneal or bone marrow transplant. Organ donation saves many lives.
Donating our organs is not very different from donating blood. A part of us we give it up so that others can benefit from it. However, there are still certain beliefs about organ donation that still very few people are willing to do so.
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Organ Donation: Do you have to die to donate?
As we well know, it is not necessary to die to donate certain organs. For example, we can live without one kidney, so we can donate the other and lead a completely normal life. The same is true of the bone marrow. Although it is a somewhat painful procedure, we can donate it while we are alive. However, there are other organs for which it is an indispensable condition to die. For example, if we donate the heart. Despite this, many people refuse to donate their organs even after death.
This problem sometimes has to do with religious beliefs. Opening the body when one is dead is not something that many people want. In fact, autopsies sometimes pose a big problem for the family who refuse to allow the deceased person’s body to be tainted.
However, organ donation is extremely important. This completely altruistic gesture helps thousands of people improve their quality of life. But the fact that there are few people who are willing to donate, even when they die, swells the waiting lists that do not stop growing in number.
Who can be a donor?
Not everyone can be a donor even if we have a strong desire to be one. Next, we are going to see which people can be donors and which cannot be:
- If the donor is under 18 years of age, they can donate their organs as long as they have the authorization of their mother, father or legal guardian. In the event of your death, you can communicate your wishes to your family members or leave a legal document.
- Anyone over 18 can donate as long as their organs are in good condition. For example, if we want to donate a liver, it must be in good condition.
- Anyone who dies in an intensive care unit can be a donor. Otherwise, if the death occurs at home, many organs cannot be preserved for later transplantation.
- If we donate in life, we can be donors as long as the other person is compatible with us and after the tests carried out there is a very low risk that the donated organ will be rejected.
People can choose what they want to donate and what they don’t. In the event that a person gives you’re okay for all organs to be donated, this is what will be done. There is a lot of scarcity so they always try to take advantage of the maximum possible organs.
How to become a donor?
To be an organ donor, we can leave it in writing in our will or make our wish known to our family members. However, the best way to do it is as follows. The best way to become an organ donor is to apply for the donor card. This card does not have legal value, but it expresses and records our desire to donate our organs.
However, although we may have this card, it is necessary that our relatives or close people who are going to take charge of our body after death know our decision to donate organs. This is very important not to keep it a secret, as they can refuse to have our organs removed once we have died.
Organ donation can save more than one life after death, not just one person. This is something very valuable, the last act of generosity that we can do and that will help people we do not know, but who will greatly appreciate this valuable altruistic act.
Organ Donation: Final Comments
Have you ever thought about donating your organs? Do you already have your donor card? We can all find ourselves in the position of needing an organ to be able to continue living or improve our quality of life and be on an infinite waiting list where hope decreases as the months and years go by. If you can, don’t hesitate, donate.