"Sooo...if you stopped dialysis, how long would it take you to die?" Katie asked me over juice and Bourbons yesterday. It sounds like a morbid topic of conversation for a sunny Thursday afternoon, but fortunately it is not something I am squeamish about. Unfortunately, for 5 renal failure patients a day, this disease proves fatal, but the extreme potential of kidney failure is something I came to terms with a long time ago; yes, I might die from kidney failure, but you might get hit by a bus tomorrow. And then maybe I'd get your kidney.
Katie's blunt question came as part of a larger discussion we were having about the general societal attitude towards donation. The fact that only around 25% of the population are currently willing to donate their organs suggests that most people have a very negative perception of the process - if only this were true. Whilst there are those who do have a strong moral, physical or religious objection to donating (and have a clear and rational argument to back it up...obviously), the problem is that the majority of people have just not thought about the issue properly. Their initial response is one of discomfort and this is enough for most to simply file it under "Another Day" and never re-visit it. Then there are others who have at least thought about it and decided no, right off the bat, for no discernible reason other than they just don't like the idea of their organs being removed. "I came into the world with these organs and I want to leave with them," is an explanation I once heard. "They're mine," was another.
I cannot decide whether I should be angry or not. Emotionally, it is natural to feel irritated by those who look you in the eye and tell you they would never donate their organs because in doing so, they are essentially saying they don't care whether I - and the thousands like me - get better or not, and taken to its extreme conclusion, it is a death sentence. Yet when I consider it rationally, do I have any justification to be angry? It is a fundamental right to have jurisdiction over the fate of your own body; whether it helps me or not, everybody has, and indeed SHOULD have, the power to make their own decision. For me to wave the flag for organ donation is essentially self-serving and surely would be seen as so. I can't help but wonder, if I had never suffered from kidney failure, would I ever have thought to sign the register? With no direct experience of the disease, would I too have been apathetic?
The argument lends itself to a comparison with cancer. Almost everyone has been affected by cancer in some way, whether you yourself have suffered from it, a family member, a friend or a neighbour; you can hardly open a newspaper without coming across some reference to it. The prolific nature of cancer makes it quite right that we all go out of our way to try and help progress towards a cure and, as a result, the larger cancer charities are amongst the most supported and well-funded in the country. However, whilst throwing change into buckets and training for fun-runs is no doubt useful, unless we all begin moonlighting as research scientists, a cure for cancer is still some way off. Organ donation is not quite a cure, but it is a pretty incredible treatment. More than that, it is viable. It is tangible; here and now, something that can be actually done rather than just hope glimmering in the distance. I can't help but wonder whether if it was discovered that cancer could somehow be cured by organ transplantation, most people would join the register tomorrow.
Rationally, why not donate? You don't need your organs once you've snuffed it, but almost 8,000 other people in this country desperately do. Unfortunately, it is not a simple as that and it probably shouldn't be. As someone waiting for a kidney, I would never try and persuade somebody to register, but I am incredibly grateful to those who have.
And for those of you sick mother-fuckers who need to quell your lustful macabre tendencies: the answer is about 2 weeks.
Katie's blunt question came as part of a larger discussion we were having about the general societal attitude towards donation. The fact that only around 25% of the population are currently willing to donate their organs suggests that most people have a very negative perception of the process - if only this were true. Whilst there are those who do have a strong moral, physical or religious objection to donating (and have a clear and rational argument to back it up...obviously), the problem is that the majority of people have just not thought about the issue properly. Their initial response is one of discomfort and this is enough for most to simply file it under "Another Day" and never re-visit it. Then there are others who have at least thought about it and decided no, right off the bat, for no discernible reason other than they just don't like the idea of their organs being removed. "I came into the world with these organs and I want to leave with them," is an explanation I once heard. "They're mine," was another.
I cannot decide whether I should be angry or not. Emotionally, it is natural to feel irritated by those who look you in the eye and tell you they would never donate their organs because in doing so, they are essentially saying they don't care whether I - and the thousands like me - get better or not, and taken to its extreme conclusion, it is a death sentence. Yet when I consider it rationally, do I have any justification to be angry? It is a fundamental right to have jurisdiction over the fate of your own body; whether it helps me or not, everybody has, and indeed SHOULD have, the power to make their own decision. For me to wave the flag for organ donation is essentially self-serving and surely would be seen as so. I can't help but wonder, if I had never suffered from kidney failure, would I ever have thought to sign the register? With no direct experience of the disease, would I too have been apathetic?
The argument lends itself to a comparison with cancer. Almost everyone has been affected by cancer in some way, whether you yourself have suffered from it, a family member, a friend or a neighbour; you can hardly open a newspaper without coming across some reference to it. The prolific nature of cancer makes it quite right that we all go out of our way to try and help progress towards a cure and, as a result, the larger cancer charities are amongst the most supported and well-funded in the country. However, whilst throwing change into buckets and training for fun-runs is no doubt useful, unless we all begin moonlighting as research scientists, a cure for cancer is still some way off. Organ donation is not quite a cure, but it is a pretty incredible treatment. More than that, it is viable. It is tangible; here and now, something that can be actually done rather than just hope glimmering in the distance. I can't help but wonder whether if it was discovered that cancer could somehow be cured by organ transplantation, most people would join the register tomorrow.
Rationally, why not donate? You don't need your organs once you've snuffed it, but almost 8,000 other people in this country desperately do. Unfortunately, it is not a simple as that and it probably shouldn't be. As someone waiting for a kidney, I would never try and persuade somebody to register, but I am incredibly grateful to those who have.
And for those of you sick mother-fuckers who need to quell your lustful macabre tendencies: the answer is about 2 weeks.
The weirdest thing happened the other day, I registered for a new doctor's surgery and they asked if I wanted to donate my organs, without thinking I ticked 'Yes, any and all of them' and felt that was an obvious answer, and I even put a smiley face on it (a bit sick perhaps now I think about it...woops) because I am so excited about the thought of helping someone else when I no longer need those bits and bobs... it was only when my friend commented 'oh gosh really? i'm not sure I could have part of me in someone else's body it's a bit gross' -- it's an odd one because I am so 100% sure that it's the right thing to do I struggle to understand why someone wouldnt do it when they were no longer with us. My response to her answer was a little sigh and shake of the head as she obviously hadn't thought about it much... it made me a little angry (which to your point isnt really fair) especially her feeling grossed out as if someone and take them from you without washing it or something!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, loving the blog...keep it up!
xx