More Canadians die awaiting organ transplants than are murdered

[Reggie Dunlop]

Globe and Mail

Put that way, that's simply astounding.

For an issue that hasn't affected me in a personal way, it certainly has got me thinking.

Edit: Deaths approaching homicide rate.

[HOZ]

Shocking.....

Something smells of beauracracy here. And it is the root of the problem.

[FFR]

Soooo what do you expect the government to do...Kill more people so that their organs can be used? Do you think there is an unlimited supply of organs just lying around and the governement is keeping them hidden just for fun?

[Frank the Tank]

This is a subject I have posted about twice before on this board. Signing your card and letting your wishes be known are very important if you want to donate your organs.

My cousin had a kidney transplant about a month ago. She was fine for a couple of weeks but developed a massive infection which eventually lead to her death. 38 years old. 3 kids. But, without the kidney transplant she would have had no life at all, spending her day on dialysis, so even though the end result was bad, the transplant was her only shot at a normal life with her kids.

[SeeGeeWhy]

I think there are probably three things to consider when trying to come up witha solution for a problem like this.

1) Organ supply could be short - not enough willing donors
2) Hospital resources are insufficient - a probable scenario, but also an easy scapegoat
3) General health of the population is poor, increasing demand - let's face it most people treat their bodies like **** and then expect the system to come down and rescue them in times of need. I'd like to think Canadians are fairly personally responsible from day to day, but not when it comes to health of the individual.

[Frank the Tank]

Just wanted to add that I think they are passing legislation to make it easier for doctors to harvest organs if the donors intentions are not clear. A smart move I think, but obviously my opinion is a bit more emotional than most.

[ernie]

The biggest problem is simply people not making wishes known that they want to donate organs and people who simply don't want to. Personally, I'd rather the default was to donate organs and having to sign something saying you don't want to do it rather than the way it is now.

[Bobblehead]

Wow

The universal standard of measurement by country is the number of donors per million people - where bigger means more donors. Canada's number is 13. In Spain it is 34, Belgium 24, United States 22, France 20, Norway 19 and Italy 18. Our failure is the result of an insufficient number of deceased donors who have signed their donor cards, or families who have not voluntarily offered organs, or have said no when asked for them, or were never asked.

I know donations were low, but 13/million!

So if our population is around 35 million, that means there were 455 donors last year?

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by ernie

Personally, I'd rather the default was to donate organs and having to sign something saying you don't want to do it rather than the way it is now.

As much as I believe in donating my organs when I die; it still should be my choice. Nothing has more religeous implications than death, and if somebody believes they have to be whole, then so be it.

Myself, I'm hoping the one final act of St. Peter saying "Yeah, he did do all that crap, but in the end he gave up his organs" will get me my wings and harp.

Most important message is to sign your card and let your next of kin know your intentions. A time of grief is not a good time to make a quick decision like that, and it often has to be quick so the organs can be taken before they die as well.

[ernie]

Originally Posted by ken0042

As much as I believe in donating my organs when I die; it still should be my choice. Nothing has more religeous implications than death, and if somebody believes they have to be whole, then so be it.

Myself, I'm hoping the one final act of St. Peter saying "Yeah, he did do all that crap, but in the end he gave up his organs" will get me my wings and harp.

Most important message is to sign your card and let your next of kin know your intentions. A time of grief is not a good time to make a quick decision like that, and it often has to be quick so the organs can be taken before they die as well.

It's becoming a problem. If you have religious reasons not to do so then you make that known and sign a card saying so. An opt-out system instead of opt-in. I'm not saying it's mandatory.

[FireFly]

I notice the article doesn't mention the age of those who died. As horrible as it is, a 65 year old on the waiting list will probably get their organ after the 25 year old with the same need. It does increase the likelihood that person will die while waiting. Not to say we shouldn't be concerned about those statistics, because we should be. However, you need to look at these things from all perspectives. The 65 year old may not really have much of a chance to begin with in regards to getting through surgery etc.

Also, it's not just about supply vs demand. The donor has to match a lot of things up with the recipient and thats hard to do. So while someone may have been on the list longer, if no one comes up with a match, others will get theirs first.

All that said, if everyone did sign their cards, these issues would be smaller. However, they would still be there.

[Flashpoint]

I think all of you should start murdering more people. Get those murder stats up.

Plus - more organs for transplant!

[Bobblehead]

So it's not like an episode of "House MD" where the doctor can pull a few strings and transplant an organ in 3 hours?

[metallicat]

Has anyone ever heard of "presumed consent"? It's a system in which you have to opt OUT of organ donation, rather than the current system of opting into it. If you die and you did not opt out, your body will be harvested if needed. I think this goes on in some European countries, but the NDP in Ontario I believe is trying to bring in into Canada. I'm not sure if I agree with going that far, but it's an interesting concept. The numbers of people needing organs is staggering.

[mykalberta]

The problem is that Transplants are not just going to people in accidents but smokers, alcoholics, obese, etc.

I have a problem when an accident victim cant get one, when someone who has/had a chronic drinking/smoking/eating problem needs one, I dont shed a single tear (is that the worlds smallest violen playing?)

That is the reason I havent nor will ever sign a donor card because I would want mine to someone who deserves life, not somone who has squandered it.

I apologize in advance if this offends anyone but sometimes the truth hurts.

MYK

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

So it's not like an episode of "House MD" where the doctor can pull a few strings and transplant an organ in 3 hours?

I asked a friend of mine that exact question, and if the person is in desparate need and meets all the transplant requirements than it can be done so long as the organ is in the city.

Those who need one who "did" it to themselves in US arent considered to be top priority. He said it works a little different in Canada but overall the same. He said something, I couldnt verify it but donors dont have to sign conscent forms, the next of kin can ok it, and organs can be purchased, not by an individual but by a hospital.

It sounds fishy to me but maybe that might be the reason the US has a higher percentage of available organs.

MYK

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

The problem is that Transplants are not just going to people in accidents but smokers, alcoholics, obese, etc.

I have a problem when an accident victim cant get one, when someone who has/had a chronic drinking/smoking/eating problem needs one, I dont shed a single tear (is that the worlds smallest violen playing?)

That is the reason I havent nor will ever sign a donor card because I would want mine to someone who deserves life, not somone who has squandered it.

I apologize in advance if this offends anyone but sometimes the truth hurts.

MYK

They don't consider people with chronic problems like you list for organ transplants. It would be a "band-aid" solution so they wouldn't waste a viable organ on a short-term fix. Its actually quite an extensive list of requirements to get on the transplant list.

Just sign your damn card.

[Clarkey]

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

This is a subject I have posted about twice before on this board. Signing your card and letting your wishes be known are very important if you want to donate your organs.

My cousin had a kidney transplant about a month ago. She was fine for a couple of weeks but developed a massive infection which eventually lead to her death. 38 years old. 3 kids. But, without the kidney transplant she would have had no life at all, spending her day on dialysis, so even though the end result was bad, the transplant was her only shot at a normal life with her kids.

Sorry to hear about that, didn't you make a post about this a while back? Your mother was going to donate a kidney?

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by Clarkey

Sorry to hear about that, didn't you make a post about this a while back? Your mother was going to donate a kidney?

Yup. My mom made it to the final stage of testing and failed. I guess her kidneys don't function at 100% so they wouldn't take one. Same with my Aunt. Turns out a donor came up anyhow, but obviously it didn't work out. Tough times for the Tank household lately.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

The problem is that Transplants are not just going to people in accidents but smokers, alcoholics, obese, etc.

I have a problem when an accident victim cant get one, when someone who has/had a chronic drinking/smoking/eating problem needs one, I dont shed a single tear (is that the worlds smallest violen playing?)

That is the reason I havent nor will ever sign a donor card because I would want mine to someone who deserves life, not somone who has squandered it.

I apologize in advance if this offends anyone but sometimes the truth hurts.

MYK

I know this is a sensitive issue, but I must admit that I actually laughed out loud when I read this response.

Are you joking?