Organ donation after death: thoughts and experiences?

Listen up, folks,
I don't know where you all stand on this,
BUT I AM ALL IN—when it comes to organ donation after death, or even if I know my time is coming... I honestly cannot wrap my head around people being so SELFISH that they oppose it...
I mean, what’s the point of holding onto organs you won't need anymore? They're just going to rot right alongside you in the ground...
Meanwhile, they could actually save someone's life!!!
...I'm fully behind this and I support anyone who feels the same. I'm not trying to judge anyone, but it just seems selfish... If it means I can be cut open and give everything I have, then so be it. It’s not like it matters to me anymore...
AS LONG AS IT SAVES JUST ONE LIFE...
My donor card is always on me. Cheers, everyone.

Let me know what you think about all this.

👍 👍

I’m all for it. I even made it explicit in my will: "If I ever pass away, feel free to harvest all my organs." 😉

Most people struggle to face their own mortality, which is a prerequisite for signing an organ donor card. Others likely harbor the suspicion that doctors might hasten their end just to get to the goods. Then there are those who want to leave this world exactly as they entered it: whole and intact. Regardless, none of that changes the grim reality that far too many people die waiting for a transplant.

stormylynx14 said:Most people probably assume that if they pass away, doctors will just finish them off to get at their organs.

I don't think that; I know it isn't true. I’ve had conversations with professionals in the field—I won't name names or specific hospitals here—about how being an organ donor is a noble thing to do and how great it is to register ahead of time...
I completely changed my mind after having those talks.

Wait, seriously? They actually do that here in the States? That sounds absolutely chilling... If you don't mind, I'd love to hear more about how that works.

It’s not just an issue here in the States. In some parts of the world, these organ trafficking networks are actually much better organized; wherever there's demand, they manage to manufacture a supply to match...

I first heard about this from my own family doctor. Later, through my professional work, I had direct contact with people involved in tissue typing—which is a mandatory step for any transplant. They were the ones who told me straight up: never agree to be typed unless you absolutely have to for your own medical needs. The logic is that once your data is sitting in those registries, if you ever end up hospitalized while someone else (ideally someone with deep pockets) happens to be a perfect match, things can "accidentally" go sideways very quickly...

People don't talk about this kind of thing in public, obviously, but the people close to me—my family and my inner circle of colleagues—felt it was my responsibility to warn me.

Unfortunately, just like everything else in life, people always find a way to take a noble idea and completely ruin it.😢

In a perfect world, I’d probably feel okay with the idea that if I were freshly deceased, my organs could go wherever they were needed most...

Man, I’ve been feeling pretty anxious about my HLA results lately... honestly, thank goodness there isn't some theory floating around that would require me to get typed. I usually try to dodge doctors whenever I can, regardless! 😁

Casey Palmer5 said:Honestly, I’m pretty anxious about my HLA results... thank God there isn't some theory that they might type me without permission. I tend to run for the hills whenever a doctor tries to get too close anyway! 😁

If you just want to mess around, you could always head to a private clinic and ask for tumor markers or maybe something for ankylosing spondylitis—you know, the usual cheery stuff. 😁 It's not technically HLA/MHC, but you'll still learn plenty about your own DNA. 🙂

Otherwise, in places where the medical institutions are better funded, it's entirely possible they could type you while they're drawing blood for a completely different test, and you wouldn't even realize it happened. It makes you wonder: are we all already sitting in some sort of database somewhere? 😲 Total Twilight Zone territory...

(I'm joking, or at least I hope I am... I've heard rumors that this actually happens, which leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but I don't know if it's a widespread reality. I really hope it isn't.)

I read somewhere recently—please don't come for me if I've got this wrong—that every single one of us is essentially a potential organ donor
Apparently, under certain US laws (I can't recall the specific statute), medical professionals are authorized to harvest organs from deceased patients for transplantation
So, technically speaking, the only way to opt out is to explicitly state that you DO NOT want your organs used for transplant. That’s supposedly the only way to ensure they don't end up inside someone else once you're gone (though, honestly, how much certainty can we actually find in that system?)
Personally, I have no issue with the idea of my organs being used to help someone in need... once I'm dead, I won't exactly be putting them to use, and it might just save a life.

Mark Watson12 said:I think I read somewhere—and please don't come for me if I've got this wrong—that every single one of us is a potential organ donor by default.
Basically, there’s some law or regulation that gives doctors the green light to harvest organs from deceased patients for transplants.
So, from what I gather, the only way to actually opt out is to explicitly state that you DON'T want your organs used. That’s supposedly the only way to ensure they don't end up being transplanted into someone else.
Personally, I don't have any problem with it. If my organs can help someone out after I'm gone, why not? I won't be needing them where I'm going, and it could save a life.

Yeah, I think you're onto something there... I actually remember back when I was dealing with blood typing, they basically sent me to a lawyer to draft a formal document—like a will or a power of attorney—just to declare my opposition and authorize a few people to sign off on my behalf. Honestly, I completely blanked on the whole thing at the time, but looking back, I definitely remember them telling me I needed to go through those legal steps to make it official.🙄

darkbison81 said:It’s not just here in the US. In some other countries, those networks (organ trafficking) are way more organized. Wherever there's demand, they find—or create—the supply...

I first heard this from my family doctor. Then, through my job, I had professional contact with people involved in tissue typing (which is a mandatory step for transplants). And they were the ones who told me: never, ever agree to be typed! (Unless it's actually necessary for my own health). Because once you're in the registry, if you're sick enough to be hospitalized and someone comes along—ideally someone wealthy—who happens to be a match, something "accidental" could happen to you...

People don't talk about this stuff in public, but the people close to me (family and friends/colleagues) felt I needed to be warned.

Unfortunately, just like everything else, people always find a way to completely ruin noble ideas.😢

Otherwise, if we lived in an ideal world, I’d think that if I just died, I should be able to donate my organs to whoever wants them...

😲 😲
God... I've heard stories like that before, but I didn't pay them any mind. I just thought it was empty chatter from bitter people...
Maybe I was just being too naive for too long...
My God... my God... 👎 😢
If even half of that is true... darkbison81 is right, people always find a way to perfectly screw up noble intentions...😢 😢
I honestly have no words... I just can't believe people can be so... so... disgusting.
😢 😢

darkbison81 said:First, I heard it from my family doctor. Then, through work, I got close to people who handle tissue typing—which is a mandatory step for transplants. And they told me straight up: never get typed! Unless you actually need it for your own medical issues. Because once you're in those registries, if you end up hospitalized, someone else (ideally someone with deep pockets) might be a perfect match, and things could "accidentally" go sideways...

Are you for real?

I mean, I was asking because I thought you had to sign some paperwork to let them know you're okay with donating if there's an accident. But now.... 😲 😢

Getting a donor card isn't even the hard part... you just fill out the paperwork and carry it around like your driver's license.
But man... I honestly still can't wrap my head around what kind of messed up world we're living in right now. 😢
It's seriously... disgusting. 👎

darkbison81 said:just for kicks, you could always hit up a private lab to get checked for tumor markers or something for ankylosing spondylitis, or some other cheery stuff😁 it’s not quite HLA/MHC, but you still learn a thing or two about your DNA🙂

darkbison81, you definitely have a bit of a dark sense of humor, don't you😁? I can't stand getting blood drawn, let alone having them hunt for HLA B27 or—even worse—tumor markers (maybe even something like prostate markers, how lovely?)? ...Man, you really don't know my legendary fear of needles😁

darkbison81 said:By the way, in places where institutions are better funded, they might actually type you during a routine blood draw (for any other test) without you even realizing it. It makes you wonder... are we all already listed in some kind of registry somewhere?😲 total twilight zone territory...

I'm pretty sure they haven't typed me😁 The last time I had blood taken was six years ago at a lab that definitely wouldn't pull stunts like that. So, now I have yet another reason to avoid those little vampires😁

Anyway, in the US, doctors can basically take whatever they want once you've signed those consent forms... And unless you provide explicit proof that you're against it (which probably requires a notarized written statement), they won't stop the explantation process. A few years back, there was this whole scandal where organs were harvested from a young woman without parental consent under some pretty shady circumstances.

darkbison81, did you end up getting typed or not when they sent you to the lawyers?

If I actually wanted to learn something about my own DNA, I'd just send samples to that English guy to find out which one of Eve's seven daughters I am🙂 And who knows, since I'm studying anthropology, they do all sorts of things with DNA in New York City too... maybe we'll eventually get a chance to find out something about ourselves🙂

The world has gone totally insane. But hey, we gotta fix this mess somehow.

Look, darkbison81, listen to your story and you’ll see exactly why I wouldn't even dream of signing up to donate my organs. I'm not about to gamble my own life just to save someone else's. Period.

Btw, I actually started looking into all that crap myself back when I was thinking about signing that donor card, right when...

...well, damn it... even if I am a donor cardholder... I can't help feeling a bit shaken after everything that's gone down...
😢
They say ignorance is bliss, right?

....but honestly, I’d much rather know the truth than go through life like some naive kid looking at everything through rose-colored glasses🙄 😢

I mean, sure, I'm naive enough in some ways that it's almost ridiculous... like a child who trusts everyone blindly, thinking that just because they don't have bad intentions, nobody else does either🙄 😢

I still have no clue what to do next

I'm actually curious—where were you guys supposed to go to sign up? Is it true they really typecast everyone who signs immediately? That sounds like such an expensive and pointless way to do things... and who even handles that process here in the States?

Because from what I've heard, just having a standard donor card doesn't actually mean anything; you aren't officially registered anywhere.

So, here in the States, they have this whole system where you can get a little heart icon printed right on your driver’s license, which basically serves as a formal signal that you’ve opted in to be an organ donor after you pass away. Honestly, looking back, I’m actually starting to regret agreeing to it—I guess I wasn't properly comforted or given enough reassurance about the whole thing when I signed up. Once I get settled here, I’m definitely changing my status. You don't even need a formal document; you can always just tell your loved ones directly that if anything ever happens, you want your organs to be donated. I’ve always been a huge advocate for this because I have a close friend who was literally saved by a liver transplant, so I’ve always been all for donation, and I donate blood regularly too, since I truly believe that’s one of the most noble things a person can do. It’s just such a shame that our society has become such a dark, cynical place lately.😠

silentpanther15 said:Are you actually being serious right now?

I took that warning quite seriously. I didn't just pull it out of thin air; I heard it from two completely independent sources who actually work in that industry—one from the medical side and one from the tech sector.

Gary Sanchez said:but seriously... I still can't wrap my head around what kind of messed up world we're actually living in right now. 😢
I mean, honestly... it's just revolting. 👎

Welcome to the club. 😢

Casey Palmer5 said:1. darkbison81, you've got a bit of a dark sense of humor, don't you? 😁 ?

2. By the way, in the US, doctors can basically harvest whatever they want once you've been under anesthesia... Unless your next of kin explicitly proves you were against it (I assume you'd need a written statement notarized by a public notary), then they aren't allowed to explant anything. I remember a scandal a few years back where organs were harvested from a young woman without parental consent under some pretty shady circumstances.

3. darkbison81, did you actually get typed when they sent you to see those lawyers?

1. Of course 🙂 I'm not going to have some sunshine-and-rainbows kind of humor 😁
(It's nothing, really—we were all pretty terrible back in college...)

2. Yeah, I was told the same thing...

3. They sent me to lawyers and notaries (it's all the same to me) because of point number two. I've never voluntarily been typed (there hasn't been any reason for me to be yet), but once I mentioned where all my blood samples were stored—you know, at state institutions, clinics, hospitals—for various tests (like when I had mono, they drew a lot of blood over a couple of months), a woman looked at me and said it wouldn't be a bad idea to protect myself. There's a chance someone could perform a typing and enter it into the system (that's what they suspect happens, though they aren't certain). In private labs, it's assumed they don't do it because some small analysis lab doesn't have the budget to run systematic typing. It’s expensive.