Organ donation after brain death
March 19, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
With the tragic news of a young 45-year-old woman dying of head trauma makes me think, once again, about organ transplantation. Actress Natasha Richardson, 
that woman, is famous for her acting career, but in her tragedy, she could do a lot and be famous for helping and saving many lives if she is an organ donor.
I haven’t read any news about if she is an organ donor – and quite honestly – I don’t know if I’d believe anything after the disgraceful way several websites behaved regarding “she’s dead, no she’s not, oops, may be she is…”
Who can be helped?
Donating your organs (kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, pancreas and intestines) can help save 8 lives. Donating corneas can help 2 people see. Heart valves can help even more people.
Some people don’t stop there, and donate tendons, bone and more, to help even more people.
Talk about it
Talking about organ donation is NOT morbid. I know people don’t like to talk about death, but it is an inevitable part of life. We all will die at one point. Talking about what we want done after is not any worse than talking about anything else.
Sign your donor card
Whether you live in an area where signing your driver’s license to state your intentions or you have a special card, sign in. Without that signature, the healthcare personnel can’t know your wishes.
Talk to your family
Your wishes can be over-ruled by your family. It’s been done. And if it’s done, then your wishes have been ignored. You need to speak with your family to help them understand your wishes and to ensure that they’ll respect them.
Learn more
If you’re unsure about what you want to do, the best thing to do is to do your research. Be careful of the sites you go to if you’re looking on the Internet. Look for sites that end in .edu (for universities), .org (for organizations), or .gov (government) for example. Those are usually trustworthy sources.
Hopefully Ms Richardson’s sad death will not only help raise awareness for helmet use (that’s another post!), but help move forward the issue of organ donation.
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Image: INF
