Blisstree » organ donor

6 Factors Affecting Organ Donor Consent

Marijke Durning, RN — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:30:17 +0000

Since such a large number of people don’t sign organ donation cards or place themselves on a registry, healthcare personnel find themselves in the position of having to ask shocked and grieving families about their wishes.

This is a difficult task for people who aren’t trained or well-prepared for the role.

According to a press release issued by the BMJ ,

A recent audit of 341 deaths in intensive care units in the UK revealed that 41% of relatives of potential donors denied consent. In an interview study a third of relatives who had refused donation said that they would not refuse again, whereas only a few of people who had given consent regretted their decision.

The authors of the study review looked at 20 were looking to see if they could find specific factors that affected how a family responded to the question of organ donation after brain death. What was discovered wasn’t surprising: relatives who had more time to accept the information of the death before being approached about organ donation were more likely to agree to it. Being asked at the same time as receiving the bad news was not an successful way to get consent in most cases.

As known and done in many places, the person doing the asking also shouldn’t be the one who has broken the news or has cared for the patient who has died. This should be the role of a procurement or transplant coordinator, although the medical staff may be on hand to answer questions.

The researchers zeroed in on 6 factors that affected the organ donation response:

How much information and the quality of information the relatives received
How the relatives felt about the level of care their loved one received
Their understanding of what brain stem death is
Where the request is made (private location versus busy hallway or at the bedside)
How experienced or qualified the person making the request was
How much time they had to make their decision

What do you think?

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Image: Newscom

Post from: Blisstree

6 Factors Affecting Organ Donor Consent

“Heroes are people who give life”

Marijke Durning, RN — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:20:42 +0000

When I decided to write a series on organ donation and organ transplants, I put out a call for people to contact me. I was overwhelmed by the number of responses I received and the stories that many of the people had to tell.

One woman, Susan May, wrote and offered to share her story about her son Nick, and the heart transplant he received when he was a baby.

Here is her story:

Nick was born with a three chambered heart. He had his first surgery at five days old, another at three and a half months, another at one year old and received a heart transplant two weeks before he turned two. He has just celebrated his 20th birthday.

My husband and I met in college. We married and wanted a large family. My husband works in management in the production industry and I’m a homemaker. Nick is the youngest of our four children. If he had been born three weeks earlier my husband and I would have had four children under the age of four. We had no idea Nick had a bad heart until after his birth.

Just before Nick turned two we were told that the doctors thought Nick had a better chance of living with a transplant than having another surgery. We were surprise by the suggestion because we had always thought of a transplant as a back up plan. The longest an adult had lived with a transplant at that time was twenty years. Not long if you are talking about a two year old having one. We had hoped that Nick could live with his own heart until he was much older, then maybe get a transplant. Nick’s brothers and sister were too small to understand what was wrong but knew that their parents were concern about their baby brother.

We made a decision early in Nick’s life not to treat Nick any differently than we did our other children. We wanted him to have a great quality of life for however long we had him. Quality of Life isn’t living in a bubble, it is experiencing life and becoming a part of society. Nick went to school just like our other kids. He graduated from high school and is now attending college.

As a family we have traveled to 49 of the 50 states,13 countries in Europe and spent a week in Ottawa, Canada. Nick water skis, snow skis, plays tennis, wrestled in middle school and wants to be a sport manager for a football team.

Each year on Nick’s transplant anniversary we talk about what happen on that date, and I say a prayer for Nick’s donor family. As happy as that day is for us it is equality sad for them. We appreciate more than words can say them giving us Nick through donating their child’s organs. If they hadn’t Nick wouldn’t be alive today.

“Organ donation saves lives like mine,” Nick says when asked about his transplant. “Donate Life”

People are looking for heros. They think of sports figures, doctors, policeman but my heroes are people who through their pain think of others and give the gift of life by donating organs. There is no greater gift outside of Jesus’s gift of salvation.

You can find out more about Nick’s story by reading Nick’s New Heart or checking out www.susanCmay.com . Added at 3PM, EDST – Susan has just told me that if you go look at her site, the first person from now who mentions that they got to her site through here will win a copy of her book.

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Nick’s story is not all that unusual these days, but it’s not common enough. Thousands of people are on waiting lists for organs, many of them die waiting. No matter what happens in the future with Nick, that gift of life given to him so many years ago has allowed him to grow into the young man he has become. You just can’t put a price tag on something like that.

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Images: Newscom and iStock

Post from: Blisstree

“Heroes are people who give life”

Family works hard promoting organ awareness

Marijke Durning, RN — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:30:18 +0000

I’d like you to meet Alexis and the legacy she left behind when she left this world at the age of 16 years old. She’ll never be forgotten because of her gift of life to others, and the hard work her family does in order to provide help to the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA).

This was sent to me by Mandy Porta, who is married to Alexis’ brother:

Image from Alexis' Angel Sale.com

A Child Lost Motivates a Family to Promote Organ Donor Awareness

It’s that time of year again when the Porta family is busily working to promote the gift of life in memory of Alexis Cole Porta. This is done through Alexis’ Angel Sale, a benefit sale held annually the Saturday after Easter.

Featured Craft for this year's sale.

This year’s sale will be held April 18 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the home of Rhonda and Colin Porta, 14340 Villar Road, Gonzales, Louisiana 70737.

Alexis’ family and friends work during the year making crafts, collecting garage sale items and growing plants, all of which are sold at the sale along with jambalaya dinners. All proceeds go to the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) to help promote organ donor awareness. A blood drive is also held at the sale to allow everyone the opportunity to become a blood donor.

Alexis

Alexis Porta was an organ donor whose heart, two kidneys, pancreas, liver, corneas and large bones have given a new life to over seven people. She was pronounced brain dead at the age of 16 on June 19, 2001 from a massive rupture of a cerebral aneurysm. After being told by doctors that Alexis had only hours to live, her mom and dad asked if they could donate her organs. It was on this day that the family first heard of LOPA. The hospital staff and LOPA team were remarkable. Their care, compassion and support helped the family through their worst nightmare.

While Alexis’ parents had never discussed organ donation with Alexis, they knew that as much as she loved life and loved people, she would have wanted to give the gift of life to others.

From the time she was a small child, Alexis enjoyed living her life to the fullest. She played the piano, took dancing lessons, danced on her school’s dance team and participated in softball, basketball and track. She belonged to various school clubs and was an honor student. She especially loved hanging out with her friends, cousins and three older brothers. She was very outgoing, upbeat and could be quite comical.

One of Alexis’ most admirable traits was her positive attitude. Her smile could light up a room. She always looked for the best in everyone and every situation. Her last day was spent working at her aunt’s dentist office, attending play practice at the community theater and enjoying the evening with a group of friends.

Since Alexis’ death, her mom has found comfort and healing by doing volunteer work for Aneurysm Outreach, The Compassionate Friends and her church’s grief support group. However, LOPA has been the organization dearest to Alexis’ family. The family feels blessed to have had contact with three of Alexis’ recipients.

The Porta family decided that the best way to celebrate Alexis’ life was to promote the gift of life. They choose the Saturday after Easter for the benefit sale because April is not only Organ Donor Awareness Month but also the month of Alexis’ birthday.

The most rewarding outcome of Alexis’ Angel Sale for the family has been connecting with recipients, their families and donor families and learning that some of these donations were inspired by Alexis’ story. What a wonderful way to keep Alexis’ spirit and memory alive!

More details about the Alexis’ Angel Sale can be found at http://www.alexisangelsale.com .

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Click here to read more in this organ donation series.

Images: Alexis’ Angel

Post from: Blisstree

Family works hard promoting organ awareness

Organ donation after brain death

Marijke Durning, RN — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:07:41 +0000

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

Post from: Blisstree

Organ donation after brain death

Help My Hurt lost one of its own today – RIP Tricia

Marijke Durning, RN — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:10:23 +0000

It’s hard for some people to understand how you can develop a deep friendship with someone you’ve never met. With today’s technology, communicating by computer and by phone, it is quite easy to do that.

Through my love of greyhounds and my participation on the GreyTalk forum, I got to know Tricia Olson-Giles, of West Tennessee. We began chatting more when my greyhound Oscar passed away and we exchanged several messages when she found out that we both were interested in palliative care. I encouraged her to write and talk about her work as a hospice volunteer coordinator – a job that she gave up recently to follow her passion as a photographer.

When I took over Help My Hurt, I asked Trish if she would write about her battles with fibromyalgia and she agreed to do a Company’s calling interview, which was posted on February 11.

Trish passed away today. She had experienced some other health issues but had been doing well recently. She had undergone Botox treatment for her fibromyalgia pain and was excited about the results. She had plans to write up her experiences for Help My Hurt so you could benefit from her experiences. When I offered her a regular platform in which she could write about living with pain, she was so excited and thanked *me* when I was thanking her.

I am so sad to say that she died today of a brain aneurysm. This vital woman, only in her thirties, with so many plans and so much love to give to both humans and the four-legged creatures, has left us.

True to the way Trish lived her life, giving to others, she is an organ donor. May the people who receive your organs live their lives to the fullest and know in their heart that they received the best gift you could ever have given.

Rest in peace Trish. Please say hi to Oscar if you see him wherever you are. We miss you terribly already.

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Post from: Blisstree

Help My Hurt lost one of its own today – RIP Tricia