Every now and again, people surprise me. (Organ donation and the New York Times
Today, I saw an article in the New York Times about kidney transplantation and organ donation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/health/lives-forever-linked-through-kidney-transplant-chain-124.html?hp
I can't possibly do it justice, but the story follows a linked chain of kidney donors and transplant recipients matched through a program which hooks up patient-directed donors with compatible recipients, so that patients who have a friend or relative willing to donate a kidney will get a kidney, even if the donor isn't a match for that specific patient.
Transplants are powerful stories because there is something so incredibly human and powerful about taking part of yourself and literally putting it into another person to save a life. This article multiplies that by thirty, and also adds the story of the founder of the company who developed the idea of complex linked chain donations. At the same time, there is something about the human psyche that often inhibits otherwise generous and decent people from making that gift, in life or in death.
Ultimately, my experience is that most people are motivated to register for organ, marrow, or blood donation by a personal connection, i.e. a sick relative or friend. I hope the NYT piece will help a lot of people who might not have that personal connection understand the value of organ donation. I have so much respect for each of those donors. They are regular people, but also extraordinary. You don't have to be superhuman to do something great.
I'm happy to send a copy of the article to anyone who doesn't have access.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/health/lives-forever-linked-through-kidney-transplant-chain-124.html?hp
I can't possibly do it justice, but the story follows a linked chain of kidney donors and transplant recipients matched through a program which hooks up patient-directed donors with compatible recipients, so that patients who have a friend or relative willing to donate a kidney will get a kidney, even if the donor isn't a match for that specific patient.
Transplants are powerful stories because there is something so incredibly human and powerful about taking part of yourself and literally putting it into another person to save a life. This article multiplies that by thirty, and also adds the story of the founder of the company who developed the idea of complex linked chain donations. At the same time, there is something about the human psyche that often inhibits otherwise generous and decent people from making that gift, in life or in death.
Ultimately, my experience is that most people are motivated to register for organ, marrow, or blood donation by a personal connection, i.e. a sick relative or friend. I hope the NYT piece will help a lot of people who might not have that personal connection understand the value of organ donation. I have so much respect for each of those donors. They are regular people, but also extraordinary. You don't have to be superhuman to do something great.
I'm happy to send a copy of the article to anyone who doesn't have access.