How organ donations can change lives
From BBC News - The government is considering a radical overhaul of organ donation procedures, including a system whereby people would have to opt out if they did not want their organs used after their death.
Below, people whose lives have been affected by organ donation give their stories.
Jade Stoner's organs helped save the lives of four people
Debbie Stoner's life was shattered when her seven-year-old daughter, Jade, died after a road accident just outside her home.
She told BBC News: "Jade was playing outside and, for some reason, decided to cross the road. A car knocked her off her bike and it was a horrible, tragic accident," she says.
"We went to the hospital and they did checks on her but she was brain dead. My mum Barbara suggested donating Jade's organs so that her legacy could live on. I thought it was a great idea but my husband was initially against it.
"He said he wanted Jade to be left in peace - he said he didn't want her to be "hacked into pieces" but I talked to him and persuaded him to change his mind.
"Jade was all soul but when she died, all that was left was a shell. We didn't want her life to be in vain.
"She was the loveliest girl and was caring and giving and this was certainly the right decision.
"She has saved the lives of four people and we are immensely proud of her. Jade's heart was donated to a 10-month-old baby girl, while her liver was given to a 17-month-old baby boy.
"We have set up a website in Jade's name and when people read about her story, they have told us they feel inspired to become donors."
Read the full article for more stories about people whose lives have been affected by organ donation.
Spain's donor system attracts praise
From BBC News -
The Spanish organ donor system is a remarkable story of human generosity in the face of grief
A liver donation changed Spanish singer Tito Mora's life
The bereaved families and transplant patients never meet, the link between them is the transplant co-ordinators in every Spanish hospital who make the anonymous donation possible.In Tito Mora they have a walking advertisement.
He is an old fashioned crooner with a career that has lasted four decades and stretched from Madrid to Broadway.
His flat is full of memorabilia and records. Tito Mora was one of the early patients to benefit from the co-ordinator system gradually put in place in Spain in the 1990s.
Several of his immediate family died of liver disease, but Tito Mora had a successful transplant 16 years ago.
Since then he has been able to lead a normal life, taking just two anti-rejection pills a day. Tito Mora has returned to performing, recording one song "Vivo por Ti" to help persuade more families to agree to organ donation.
"You can look at me and I'm alive - I was reborn 16 years ago after my liver transplant operation and thanks to that donor I'm alive. Read the rest of Tito's story and the stories of other Spaniards whose lives have been affected by organ donation.
“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Sign Your Donor Card & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”
Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network
Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov
Your generosity can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance another 50 through tissue donation
No comments:
Post a Comment