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4X4 · 04-02-2019, 10:05 PM

It's actually a bit of a pain in the ass to be a donor. At least, my encounter was a bit ridiculous. It's not something I had spent much time thinking about until someone close to me died a couple years ago because she could not get a transplant in time.

I had to renew my driver's license a couple of months later and the clerk asked me if I wanted to be a donor. As far as I recall, I signed something at a registry 15+ years ago to be a donor, but I guess I'm either crazy, or it changed. Anyway, I said I wanted to, and she asked for my AHC card. Well now, who has their AHC card? I've got my AHC # stored in my phone, but not the actual card, but that was not enough for her. Needed the card, which you have to send a request to AHC for, and then they mail it. So in other words, I could not get put on the donor list that day at the registry because I didn't have my AHC card.

So I got up to leave and told her I'd just come back after I have the AHC card because this was pretty important to me, as someone had recently died, and at that point she "bent the rules", made up a temporary card, and went ahead and renewed my DL with the donor indicator.

Pretty dumb process to go through to say that if I die, take what's useful to other people. I mean, really, I have to dig up my AHC card and then take it to the registry and update my DL to declare being a donor? It really should be a question that gets asked at any clinic or hospital. You go in for any reason, the doctor or nurse sees that you're not registered as a donor, and then asks you if you would like to be, and bingo, you're a donor. Better yet, Nova Scotia has the right idea. You have to opt out if you have some f-ed up reason why you need to take your organs with you to rot in the ground, when they could be helping your friend or neighbour or some person you've never met that might be just some person who has a young child that adores him and depends on him. Or maybe it's the child that needs the organ. I just can't comprehend how someone would say no to organ donation, and because of that, being an opt out would make more sense to me. I bet that 90% of people would be a-ok with organ donation, they just haven't jumped through the hoops (and haven't been asked).

04-02-2019, 10:05 PM	#35
4X4 One of the Nine Join Date: Dec 2004 Exp:	It's actually a bit of a pain in the ass to be a donor. At least, my encounter was a bit ridiculous. It's not something I had spent much time thinking about until someone close to me died a couple years ago because she could not get a transplant in time. I had to renew my driver's license a couple of months later and the clerk asked me if I wanted to be a donor. As far as I recall, I signed something at a registry 15+ years ago to be a donor, but I guess I'm either crazy, or it changed. Anyway, I said I wanted to, and she asked for my AHC card. Well now, who has their AHC card? I've got my AHC # stored in my phone, but not the actual card, but that was not enough for her. Needed the card, which you have to send a request to AHC for, and then they mail it. So in other words, I could not get put on the donor list that day at the registry because I didn't have my AHC card. So I got up to leave and told her I'd just come back after I have the AHC card because this was pretty important to me, as someone had recently died, and at that point she "bent the rules", made up a temporary card, and went ahead and renewed my DL with the donor indicator. Pretty dumb process to go through to say that if I die, take what's useful to other people. I mean, really, I have to dig up my AHC card and then take it to the registry and update my DL to declare being a donor? It really should be a question that gets asked at any clinic or hospital. You go in for any reason, the doctor or nurse sees that you're not registered as a donor, and then asks you if you would like to be, and bingo, you're a donor. Better yet, Nova Scotia has the right idea. You have to opt out if you have some f-ed up reason why you need to take your organs with you to rot in the ground, when they could be helping your friend or neighbour or some person you've never met that might be just some person who has a young child that adores him and depends on him. Or maybe it's the child that needs the organ. I just can't comprehend how someone would say no to organ donation, and because of that, being an opt out would make more sense to me. I bet that 90% of people would be a-ok with organ donation, they just haven't jumped through the hoops (and haven't been asked).