Death anniversary sparks donor plea
Widow Karen Westcott is urging people to join the organ donor register
A year ago, Karen Westcott was looking forward to Christmas with her husband Les and daughter Danielle.
But all that was shattered when Les suffered a heart attack at the wheel as he was driving near their home in Farringdon, while Karen was in the passenger seat.
Just hours later, still in shock from the sudden death of her partner of 15 years, Karen had to decide whether she should donate his organs to someone waiting to be given the gift of life. Read what decision Karen made.
Psychologically Speaking: Until death do us part
The Jerusalem Post has an interesting comment on a reader's concern about organ donation and Jewish Law that basically says organ donation is permitted but that donors should talk to their families about their wishes. Read the full article.
Against all odds: coworkers match for kidney transplant
The Douglas Times in Nevada reports on how kidney transplant recipient Judy Williams found a living donor just one floor above her at her place of work. Read this heartwarming story.
'Kidney donation after cardiac death may expand donor pool'
From The Hindu.
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina: New research at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center suggests that transplanting kidneys from donors who died after cardiac arrest – which used to be considered taboo – offers a promising approach to increase the donor pool, according to Eurekalert, the news service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
A study found similar short-term results between kidneys donated after cardiac death (DCD) and kidneys donated after brain death, according to senior researcher Robert Stratta, M.D., a professor of surgery. The results were reported today at the annual meeting of the Southern Surgical Association in Hot Springs, Va.
“Despite greater initial resource utilization, comparable short-term results can be achieved with kidneys donated after cardiac death,” said Stratta. “This alternative provides an important means of increasing the donor pool.”
Originally, all transplanted organs came either from donors who died after cardiac death (so-called non-heartbeating donors) or from living donors. That changed in the 1970s because of new laws defining death as a lack of brain activity. In addition to brain death becoming the standard definition of death for organ donation, DCD organs were no longer used because of the possibility of damage to the kidneys when they were deprived of blood and oxygen. Read the full article.
“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Sign Your Donor Card & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”
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