quote:

ORIGINAL: handlewithcare
I buried my 10 year old daughter three weeks ago.  She lost her battle with leukemia.  She had undergone a Bone Marrow Transplant and was cancer free for two years.  The leukemia returned.  Her original donor's marrow could not be used again. The race was on for another donor.  We finally found one but her little body was too tired to fight any longer.

I am still shocked that people are so ignorant about organ donation.  Most people that I have spoke with are not aware of the Bone Marrow Transplant process.  People die every single day because we fail to help.  We are too selfish.  We do not want to have someone cut us open or stick a needle in us. 

So, I applaud the show.  I am glad that someone has the guts to take a stand, to speak up.  One person is waking up milions!

quote:

ORIGINAL: selfbnd411

This is one reason I'm not and will never be a donor:

Police probe death in organ donation case
Authorities investigate allegations that a Kaiser surgeon in San Luis Obispo hastened a possible donor's demise.
By Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, Times Staff Writers
February 28, 2007
...
According to San Luis Obispo police, Navarro was near death after being found unresponsive at Casa de Vida, a long-term care facility. He was taken to nearby Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and placed on life support. When it became clear he would not live, his family agreed to allow his organs to be harvested, and transplant surgeons were summoned Feb. 3, 2006.

State law specifies that transplant doctors cannot direct the treatment of potential organ donors before they are declared dead. This restriction is designed, in large part, to assuage concerns that organ retrieval might take priority over patient care.

In this case, however, Roozrokh entered the operating room at Sierra Vista and was directing the administration of drugs to Navarro, the sources said.

When the patient didn't die, Roozrokh allegedly told nurses: "Let's just give him some more candy," according to a person who was briefed on what took place but spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigations.
...

That is the silliest thing I have heard in a long time and a terrible excuse.

quote:

ORIGINAL: LuckyAlbatross

this is just so exploitative.

quote:

ORIGINAL: maybemaybenot

I find the concept of this show appalling. Having three ill people basically publically humiliating, begging and trying to beat the other out of the one kidney up for grabs. On some psychological level I understand the potential recipients motivation to do this < desparation>, but I have no understanding of why a dying woman would want to exploit threee other dying people. It's like some sick Far Side spoof.

handlewithcare: So very sorry that you lost your child. There is no greater loss a human being can endure, IMO. I agree with you, that there needs to be greater awareness and education, but I do not agree that this is sending any positive message to people. When you have sick and dying people begging on a television show to recieve an organ, it cheapens the whole concept, IMO. And the public votes on who should get the organ ? It reminds me of the Roman Colliseum and the thumbs up or thumbs down when the Christians were being thrown to the lions.

I, like many others here, am an organ donor. They can have anything of mine that a living person can use. I am very vocal about the importance of organ donation to friends and family, and have discussed it with patients many times. It's funny tho, I have kidney disease, and there may come a day I will be told I need a transplant. I made a decision very early into this that I would not accept an organ. I really have no idea why I don't want one. But the idea of it squicks me out and I just don't think I would do it. But one never knows until they are faced with the situation.