Organ & Tissue Transplants: Giving the ultimate gift
By Lynne Bell
A few weeks ago, Kelly wrote a compelling story about the plight of Saskatchewan's Charlotte L'Oste-Brown-one of the thousands of Canadians who is waiting for for an organ and/or tissue transplant.
To recap, just over a decade ago, L'Oste-Brown was a successful businesswoman and busy mom of two daughters. She was active as a community volunteer in her hometown of Hazenmore, Sask., until she was forced to slow down when her breathing became increasingly laboured, with no obvious explanation.
She was eventually diagnosed with polymyositis-a disease which attacks the body's connective tissue and causes muscle imflammation and degeneration. In L'Oste-Brown's case, the polymyositis triggered pulmonary fibrosis, which thickened the tissue between the air sacs of her lungs. This thickening caused irreversible damage to her lungs and has left her dependent on an oxygen tank for “24 hours a day.” She has also relocated to Regina from Hazenmore due to medical necessity.
Since her diagnosis in 2003, L'Oste's condition has worsened and even though she was placed at the top of the transplant list for lungs on December 1, 2015, relief is not necessarily in sight.
She told Kelly that in the case of a lung transplant, the organ cannot be “trimmed” to fit the recipent's body. Instead, the donor's lung must be the exact chest size and blood type as the recipient. In effect, it must be the perfect match.
While she waits, L'Oste-Brown has embraced a new challenge-that of both raising awareness of organ/tissue donation and campaigning to make Saskatchewan an “opt-out” province when it comes to organ/tissue donation. That is, an opt-out registry in the province would mean that everyone in Saskatchewan would be added to an organ donor list with he option of contacting the registry to have their name taken off the list.
L'Oste-Brown explained it to Kelly this way: “People don't know when an accident will happen, so waiting to sign their donor card- to put that sticker on their health card- might not happen even if they had intended to; for people waiting for a donation, we don't always have tomorrow.”
“People are never too old to donate organs,” she added. “There is no age limit and older people are absolutely able to donate, people with cancer can donate, smokers can still donate; they actually have a machine that can clean a smoker's lung up to 78 percent and that's better than the alternative. I can function at 78 percent. But the best decision is, if you want to be an organ donor, just become an organ donor and let the doctor decide at the time what can be used. Someone might have a failing heart, but maybe their kidneys are in good shape.”
Of the approximately 4,500 Canadians were awaiting an organ transplant in 2014, 278 died without ever having received a call that a match had been found for them.
Organ donation and tissue transplants are really the ultimate gift-and until L'Oste-Brown succeeds with her mission to make Saskatchewan an opt-out province, the onus is on each one of us to discuss organ donation with our families, sign our donor cards and put those stickers on our health cards.
L'Oste-Brown's motto is: “If you become an organ donor, you can save eight lives and change 70.”
It's something we should all consider.
Being an organ donor
By Kelly Running
I don’t remember why, but when I became a licenced driver and my first organ donation mail came – the little sticker for your licence and the card you have to fill out – I did so immediately and asked my mom to act as my witness.
The best I can remember is that the decision just made sense to me… if I die, but something I had could save someone else, then take it. It never crossed my mind that someone would treat saving my life any differently if I were an organ donor or not, which is apparently a common reason why people don’t sign up to be organ donors. That thought honestly never crossed my mind and it still doesn’t have an effect on me because I feel as though a doctor would do their everything to keep you alive. They wouldn’t do a subpar job just because you’re an organ donor and they could take a kidney from you to save someone else. It just doesn’t seem like something that would happen to me.
When I thought about organ donation, I thought about being in a motor vehicle collision, while paramedics are unable to resuscitate me, either they know in that instance that I’m an organ donor and after doing everything they can for me, can commence the process of moving me along to be an organ donor. Organs aren’t good forever, there’s ways to keep them active for a short amount of time to be a viable transplant, but there are certain instances where organs are viable or not for donation.
And if I die in a way that allows for organ donation, well… take whatever you need and then cremate the rest of me.
I think there needs to be a better registry, one that is accessible by paramedics at the scene as opposed to searching a wallet for a card that isn’t always carried. I know for myself, I often take my necessary cards… so debit and licence while leaving the rest behind because I can’t be bothered by a large wallet. So that means my health card with that sticker on it sits in my wallet and so does that little organ donor card that’s supposed to be carried with your licence.
So, why not make a registry online that can be accessed and have SGI add an organ donor “yes” or “no” somewhere on the front. There’s lots of room on the card, just a matter of fitting it in underneath your address or on the back somewhere. It wouldn’t take much.
Additionally, on an iPhone anyways, there’s an app called “Health,” which has a place for “Medical ID.” There you can place emergency contacts as well as state whether you’re an organ donor or not. This can then be accessed through checking the app or if your phone is locked by clicking “Emergency” then “Medical ID” in the bottom left corner.
I also don’t believe that family should be able to overrule your wishes. After all it’s your body, so you should be able to decide what you want to do with it after your soul makes its exit. So, yes your family should know your wishes, but they shouldn’t be able to change what your decision was when you were alive.
Ultimately, whether you’re good with being an organ donor or you don’t want to, it’s your decision and shouldn’t be anyone else’s. This is why a registry is important, why it’s important to make your family aware of your wishes, and why you should make a decision today before it’s too late.
