B23: Give a Gift of Life; Be an Organ Donor!

At the time of writing, I am cocooned in Dublin due to Covid-19.  I’m conscious that this is affecting people in very many ways; not least that Organ Donor Awareness Week 2020 (28th March – 4th April 2020) had to be postponed. 

More than ever, this crisis gets me thinking of all those who struggle with their health all of the time.......  particularly those waiting for an organ transplant.  Organ donation is something that I strongly encourage.  Now, I know that for many the idea of blood and body parts makes you squeamish.  But try to get past that to think of the second chance of life you might be giving to another human being.
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The main motivation for me championing organ donation is that I’ve seen at first hand in my own 

family the absolute gift that an organ  donation brings.  One of my family members got a heart transplant several years ago in Harefield Hospital near London in the UK. The Harefield heart and lung transplantation unit, is the UK’s largest and most experienced centre for heart and lung transplants. The unit has performed almost 3,000 transplant operations since Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub carried out the first heart transplant at Harefield in 1980. Harefield Hospital has the best long-term survival rates in the UK for patients who have had a heart or lung transplant. 

​The team at the Harefield gave my family member a new lease of life thanks to the generosity of the donor. He went on to give his youngest daughter away at her wedding, see the birth of his grandchildren; as well as travelling the world with his wife.  A chef by profession, I got to eat his tasty food once again when I visited his home in Cardiff in the early 2000s ….more than a decade after his transplant.

​I’m also reminded of a close friend who told me that as a child her family always said prayers for “the donor and his family”.  It was only as she grew older that she understood what this meant….her Dad had received a corneal transplant as a young man from a donor that had saved his sight.  Thus allowing him to rear his family of three daughters.

So, what do I mean when I say Organ donation?
​Well, in Ireland, organ donation takes healthy tissues and organs from one person so that they can be transplanted into another person, replacing organs that are not healthy.  Organs which are suitable for transplant commonly include the heart, kidneys, lungs, liver and pancreas.  Tissue including bone and corneas can also be donated.
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Certain organs, such as a kidney, can be donated by a living donor who can live a healthy lifestyle without the organ. To become a living donor, you must give informed consent. Indeed my home town of Carrick-on-Suir had the first case in Ireland where a wife donated a kidney to her husband.  Click here to read about their story.

​However, most organs are only transplanted after the death of the donor.  Current Irish legislation means you opt in but legislation is currently in train that means you would have to opt out.  The latter outlined here should hopefully result in an increase in available organs.

Designed by Zero-G, the 2019 stamp features an hourglass timer to represent the precious nature of time and the gift of life passing from one person to another through organ donation.

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​Some other things to note about organ donation in Ireland:

• Having a medical condition does not necessarily prevent you from becoming a donor (an individual decision will be made by a healthcare professional at the time of your death).  In my own case, I had multiple organ failure in 2017 ….but I still carry my donor card anyway.
• The transplant team is separate from the medical team that treats you if you are ill.
• Organs are only removed when 2 doctors, working independently, have certified that the person is dead following a series of strict tests.  So, don’t worry that you might wake up from a coma minus some vital organs!
• It is important to know that the removal of organs is carried out with the same care and respect as any other operation.
• Organ donation does not disfigure the body (corpse) or change the way it looks nor does it cause any delay to funeral arrangements.

Organ donors and consent
You can give your consent to organ donation after death by carrying an organ donor card or have your consent noted on your driving licence. In Ireland, organ donor cards are available from the Irish Donor Network (see below), through the Irish Kidney Association, and in doctors' surgeries and pharmacies.

I’ve carried a donor card all of my adult life and when my Mam passed in 2014, I was still carrying the one where she had signed it as my next-of-kin.  I treasure it now for that very reason 💖.

Organ Donor Cards can be obtained by phoning the Irish Kidney Association on 01 6205306 or Free text the word DONOR to 50050. You can also visit the website www.ika.ie/get-a-donor-card.  One of the easiest ways is now to download a free ‘digital organ donor card’ APP to your phone.  I have done this and it results in an App button which you can keep on the home page of your mobile phone which looks like this.

As you can see the App also allows you notify your next-of-kin that you have downloaded the App and that you wish to donate your organs on your death….thus starting that conversation with your next-of-kin well in advance.  So, why not download today!

Your consent indicates your willingness to have your organs used for transplant. It does not necessarily mean that they will be used. There are various medical criteria and other conditions that must be met. To ensure safe transplantation, the death must take place in a hospital. Your next-of-kin should know of your wish to be an organ donor but they are not bound to abide by your wishes and currently in Ireland their consent is always required.
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In all cases currently, the medical team requests the next-of-kin to donate the organs of a deceased person. In practice, the consent of the next-of-kin is accepted as valid and a refusal by the next-of-kin is not contested.

The Irish Donor Network
The Irish Donor Network is a group of individuals and patient associations directly concerned with organ transplantation, donor families and medical co-ordinators involved in organ and tissue transplantation. Those involved in the Network are:

• Donor families
•  Hospital Transplant Co-ordinators
• The Irish Kidney Association
• The Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association
• The Cystic Fibrosis Association
• The Irish Lung Fibrosis Association
• Alpha One (Anti Trypsin) Foundation
• Liver Transplant Unit in St.Vincent's Hospital  
• Children’s Liver Disease Ireland
• Heart Children Ireland
• National Bone Bank
• Irish Eye Bank

Whole body donation for medical research
Medical research is a vital way in which the health profession can learn more about anatomy, research and treating illness.

In Ireland, if you want to donate your body for medical research, you should contact 1 of the 5 medical research schools located in the colleges listed below. Each medical school has its own procedures for entering into an agreement with you.
·       University College Dublin
·       Trinity College Dublin
·       The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
·       University College Cork
·       National University of Ireland, Galway
You should also make sure that your next-of-kin are aware of your wishes. You can do this by telling them and/or stating that you wish to donate your body for medical research in your will. The law is unclear on this but it would seem that your next-of-kin, or whoever is responsible for the cremation or interment of your body, are not necessarily obliged to go along with your wishes.

How to help during Covid-19 crisis
As I said at the start of this blog, the annual Organ Donor Awareness had to be postponed this year.  Donations in general are down…..so if you have any spare cash in these challenging times I’d encourage you to support the work of the Irish Kidney Association (just one of the donor bodies above).   You can Freetext KIDNEY to 50300 to donate €4. Texts cost €4, Irish Kidney Association will receive a minimum of €3.60. Service Provider: LIKECHARITY. Helpline: 076 6805278. You can also donate through the Irish Kidney Association’s website https://ika.ie/make-a-contribution/.

Bucket List Items Partly Ticked Off in the above Blog post
Number 41 - Giving Back - Get An Organ Donor Card

Other Blog Posts
Blog 7 - Alice Springs, Australia
​Blog 8 - Adelaide, Australia
Blog 9 - Melbourne, Australia
Blog 10 - Cairns, Australia
Blog 11 - Sydney, Australia
Blog 16 - Books 8 of 80 to read now!

Do you carrry an organ donor card?  Do you know anyone who had a transplant?   

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