My Take on Organ and Tissue Donation

My name is Natalie Clark and I am a pharmacy major at Ohio Northern University. When I was in the 10th grade, I was having a typical day of school, dinner with my family, and a softball game. My 19 year old brother, Ian, had gone to college classes that morning, had dinner with the family as well, and went to a business meeting in the evening. On his way home, his car hydroplaned while merging onto the highway and when his car touched down, it shot into the oncoming traffic under a semi truck. His head trauma was so severe that he was unconscious before the jaws of life were used to cut him out and Care-Flight flew him to the hospital. Multiple tests were performed before he was officially declared brain dead. This type of death allows the heart to continue beating and the organs to obtain oxygen if the patient is put on a ventilator and only occurs in about 1% of the population. Because of the circumstances, Ian was a candidate for organ and tissue donation. My parents were the ones who brought it up to the nurses and doctors because Ian had registered to be an organ donor at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles when he got his driver's permit at age 15 1/2. They signed paperwork and we were allowed to say goodbye to my unconscious brother.
Ian's organs saved five people's lives, his corneas restored the sight in two people, and 78 tissues and bones were recovered that enhanced the lives of almost four dozen others. Protocol requires names to be kept anonymous, but if both donor family and organ recipients agree, they are allowed to get each other's information. We heard back from both of the people who got Ian's kidneys. Over the past seven years, my family has become quite close to both recipient's and their families. Ian's left kidney went to a 58 year old man named Dale who lives in Ohio and is married with two kids and two grandkids. He enjoys motorcycles and took me on my first motorcycle ride. Whenever he writes to my parents, he signs the letter from, "The Boys." Ian's right kidney went to a 34 year old woman named Angie who lives in West Virginia. Her previous husband left her when she was sick before her transplant, and she remarried last fall. My mom was part of Angie's wedding ceremony and was able to light one of the unity candles along with the other mothers. She sends my parents Mother's Day cards and Father's Day cards and is so thankful for the priceless gift she received.
This gift of life is obvious to the organ recipients. What is less obvious is the fact that passing on life is a gift to the surviving donor family, too. It is the only positive aspect of such a life changing and devistating situaton. I know that it has truly helped me and my family. My parents volunteer their time at health fairs and give speaches to get people to sign up to be organ and tissue donors. My mom also sits on the Ohio board as an organ donor family representative.
I urge everyone to speak to their families about their feelings on organ donation so that if something unexpected might happen, your wishes to be an organ and tissue donor can be carried out. Even if you are unsure if you can be an organ donor, it doesn't hurt to register online and let medical professionals decide at your time of death whether or not organs and/or tissues can be donated. It is one of the most precious gifts that you can give to anyone!

Natalie Clark
Ohio Northern University
Raabe College of Pharmacy

We Did It...

This last week ONU's Do It Now College Challenge team has been recovering from our closing event. Our campaign has ended, but we are still accepting new donor registrants until our presentation for R/P Marketing Public Relations and Donate Life Ohio representatives in Columbus on May 13th.
Our final event was April 19th on the ONU campus. The rain moved us inside that morning, but we made the best of it and supporters came out for free food and giveaways as well as a raffle and corn hole tournament.
Our total is up to 93% of our goal and we are still looking for a few more people to sign-up to be organ and tissue donors.
Wanna Do It....
...Do It Now!
www.doitnowohio.org/onu

An Athlete's Story: Erik Compton

There are many different characteristics of a personality that make a champion. For Erik Compton, it’s perseverance. For Jannine and Isaac, two donors who have saved Erik’s life, that characteristic is selflessness. Both Jannine and Issac were young adults who signed up to be organ donors before their lives were cut short.
It is because of their willingness to become donors that Erik, a PGA pro-golfer who just made the cut for the Honda Classic, is able to continue playing golf and raising his two month old daughter, Petra. He is able to continue loving his wife, Barbara, and he treasures each new day because it truly is a gift. Erik lives not only because of his own personal strength and endurance, but also because two individuals made one incredible decision. They didn’t hesitate. They registered to be donors.

Wanna do it?
www.doitnowohio.org/onu

You can find out more about Erik Compton in this week’s Sports Illustrated: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1154479/1/index.htm

Written by Evan Roberts

Myths, Misconceptions & the Reality of Organ Donation

With our closing event coming up soon, Lauren Fitting, a speaker for Lifeline of Ohio came to talk about the myths that drive people away, to help boost interest in becoming an organ or tissue donor. Over 100,000 people are on the waiting list and myths such as ‘A patient won’t get proper medical treatment’ or ‘Only the rich get transplants’ are driving potential donors away.

These myths are FALSE!

Doctors are here to save lives and the hospitals do not even know whether people are organ donors or not at the time of treatment.  Transplants are not based on economic status, either, but rather how compatible someone is with the donor. By becoming an organ donor you can save up to eight lives! You will become the hero to eight people by giving them a second chance at life.

The opportunity to do voluntary donation, which is donating organs like kidneys, liver and tissue through surgery while the donor is living, was also part of her presentation. A cool fact Lauren brought up about live donation was that a liver can actually regenerate itself. Now how cool is that?!

Wanna Do It?

Don’t let the myths scare you away, sign up to be an organ and tissue donor today!

Do It Now!

www.doitnowohio.org/onu

Written by Kelsey Giesler

Closing Events

Join us for our closing events!

If you haven't signed up to be an organ and tissue donor there is still time!

Check out our Facebook page for more information.

Wanna Do It...

                  ...Do It Now!

The Recipient's Journey

A friend text me the other day to say her uncle, after five years of being on the national donor waiting list, had finally gotten the call to receive his new heart.
Five Years.

This made me think of what five years meant to me. If you haven’t been convinced that you could one day help someone by becoming an organ donor today, think of what five years means to you. Now think that my friends’ uncle has been sick most of his life and has lived over 40 years knowing one day he would need to depend on a stranger’s kindness. When the fight begins for those who are critically ill, most are given many medical opportunities before they are added to The National Waiting List as a last resort. It is a long and trying journey for a recipient.

First, the patient’s physician must give a referral and contact a transplant hospital. Patients and their doctors discuss which of the 200+ transplant hospitals in the United States fits their needs; including insurance, location, finances and even support group availability. An evaluation appointment is then scheduled to determine if the patient is a good candidate for a transplant.

During the evaluation at the patient’s selected hospital the transplant team agrees whether or not the patient is a good transplant candidate, they will add the patient to the national waiting list. The transplant hospital notifies the patient within 10 days to inform the patient of the date of listing. And then the the real journey - the wait - begins.

The surgery took over 10 hours and now my friends’ uncle is recovering because of a stranger’s generous act. What will the next five years mean for him?

Wanna Do It…
...Do It Now!

www.doitnowohio.org/onu


Written by Madison Bender

Source: http://www.transplantliving.org/beforethetransplant/list/list.aspx

My fear of Eyes

I am an organ donor. “Take everything but my eyes,” I have always told my mother and sister. My eyes are mine.
You are not the only one, this idea makes no sense to anyone. But to me it doesn’t have to, I just know I want my eyes left with me. I have begun to think this campaign is my opportunity to learn more and maybe figure out why I have such uneasiness with this scenario.
The eye donning process starts with a call to the eye bank from the hospital with a possible donor, much like in other organ and tissue donation processes. With eyes however, the next of kin consent and recovery surgery must take place within 12 hours of death. After the family’s consent and a thorough medical-social history, the donor’s eligibility process begins. In this process the eye bank pays close attention to the cause of death, any medications the donor may have been on and if there was any blood loss due to the risks these could cause a recipient.
If the donor’s eyes are cleared, meaning there aren’t any medical problems, an eye bank technician performs a physical inspection of the donor. This process screens for signs of infectious disease and a sample of blood is also drawn to be tested for HIV I and II, Hepatitis B and C and Syphilis.
Finally, after this examination and approval the corneas can be surgically recovered. After removing the cornea, it must be kept in a storage container, which keeps the tissue viable and sterile. Technicians evaluate the cornea again to make certain that it meets the criteria for transplantation. Next, the eye bank's medical director reviews the records for the donor and makes a final eligibility determination. After authorization, the cornea is then sealed and packed in a container of wet ice ensuring it remains between two to eight degrees and does not freeze, this it is transported.
So is there a reason for me to be completely unnerved by this process? Not really. My body would no longer be functioning in this world so I wouldn't actually have any fears at that time and this type of donation has a huge effect on a recipient's life. 

Just close your eyes for five minutes.

Wanna Do It...
                        ...Do It Now!

www.doitnowohio.org/onu 

Written by Madison Bender

Source: http://www.restoresight.org/donation/