Final Reflection...

Hi, my name is Japhet Olivera and I was doing research on organ donation. The main reason I choose this topic was because I am a awaiting bone marrow donor for my mother. In the beginning of this project my teacher Mr.Malley told us (his students) to pick something that we want to know about and learn about. Basically something we can benefit from and I immediately thought of this process I'm going through and figured I should learn about this. As I began my research I only had three or four main questions of the topic. I wonder if organ donation was fair. Can doctors be bribed, are they other alternatives to people in need of organs, Also can people that are rich bypass the list with money? Most importantly what do people do that need a organ transplant but can't afford it? But as I researched more,I began to come up with many more question.

For instance, the more facts and information I found then the more curious I was of the topic. The research gave me information of not only bone marrow transplants,but of organ donation in general. For example, I have found information on the declaration that's on the back of you Identification card (license, Permit, and so on). I also discovered a interesting chart with statistics on patients awaiting organ transplants. I also found statistics on costs of the procedure and on the cost of the actual organ itself. Here is a chart that I found on current candidates that are awaiting an organ.

Waiting list candidates 99,226 as of 05/12/2008 Transplants January - February 2008 4,471 as of 05/09/2008 Donors January - February 2008 2,286 as of 05/09/2008

Based on Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) data Throughout my research I never thought that there would be so many concerns of organ donation. I found 10 main concerns/myths that people have about organ donation. These concerns turn people away from even thinking about it. I will post these concerns so you can take a look at them, and hopefully it will answer a question that you may have and possibly change your perspective of things. Myth No. 1. If I agree to donate my organs, my doctor or the emergency room staff won't work as hard to save my life. They'll remove my organs as soon as possible to save somebody else. Reality. When you go to the hospital for treatment, doctors focus on saving your life — not somebody else's. You'll be seen by a doctor whose specialty most closely matches your particular emergency. The doctor in charge of your care has nothing to do with transplantation. Myth No. 2. Maybe I won't really be dead when they sign my death certificate. It'll be too late for me if they've taken my organs for transplantation. I might have otherwise recovered. Reality. Although it's a popular topic in the tabloids, in reality, people don't start to wiggle a toe after they're declared dead. In fact, people who have agreed to organ donation are given more tests to determine that they are truly dead than are those who haven't agreed to organ donation. Myth No. 3. Organ donation is against my religion. Reality. Organ donation is consistent with the beliefs of most religions. This includes Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam and most branches of Judaism. If you're unsure of or uncomfortable with your faith's position on donation, ask a member of your clergy. Another option is to check the federal Web site OrganDonor.gov, which provides religious views on organ donation and transplantation by denomination. Myth No. 4. I'm under age 18. I'm too young to make this decision. Reality. That's true, in a legal sense. But your parents can authorize this decision. You can express to your parents your wish to donate, and your parents can give their consent knowing that it's what you wanted. Children, too, are in need of organ transplants, and they usually need organs smaller than those an adult can provide. Myth No. 5. I want my loved one to have an open-casket funeral. That can't happen if his or her organs or tissues have been donated. Reality. Organ and tissue donation doesn't interfere with having an open-casket funeral. The donor's body is clothed for burial, so there are no visible signs of organ or tissue donation. For eye donation, an artificial eye is inserted, the lids are closed, and no one can tell any difference. For bone donation, a rod is inserted where bone is removed. With skin donation, a very thin layer of skin similar to a sunburn peel is taken from the donor's back. Because the donor is clothed and lying on his or her back in the casket, no one can see any difference. Myth No. 6. I'm too old to donate. Nobody would want my organs. Reality. There's no defined cutoff age for donating organs. Organs have been successfully transplanted from donors in their 70s and 80s. The decision to use your organs is based on strict medical criteria, not age. Don't disqualify yourself prematurely. Let the doctors decide at your time of death whether your organs and tissues are suitable for transplantation. Myth No. 7. I'm not in the greatest health, and my eyesight is poor. Nobody would want my organs or tissues. Reality. Very few medical conditions automatically disqualify you from donating organs. The decision to use an organ is based on strict medical criteria. It may turn out that certain organs are not suitable for transplantation, but other organs and tissues may be fine. Don't disqualify yourself prematurely. Only medical professionals at the time of your death can determine whether your organs are suitable for transplantation. Myth No. 8. I would like to donate one of my kidneys now, rather than wait until my death. But I hear you can't do that unless you're a close family member of someone in need. Reality. While that used to be the case, it isn't any longer. Whether it's a distant family member, friend or complete stranger you want to help, you can donate a kidney through certain transplant centers. If you decide to become a living donor, you will undergo extensive questioning to ensure that you are aware of the risks and make sure you're giving away your kidney out of pure goodwill and not in return for financial gain. You will also undergo testing to determine that your kidneys are in good shape and that you can live a healthy life with just one kidney. You can also donate blood or bone marrow during your lifetime. Contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross for details on where you can donate or sign up. Myth No. 9. Rich, famous and powerful people always seem to move to the front of the line when they need a donor organ. There's no way to ensure that my organs will go to those who've waited the longest or are the neediest. Reality. The rich and famous aren't given priority when it comes to allocating organs. It may seem that way because of the amount of publicity generated when celebrities receive a transplant, but they are treated no differently from anyone else. In fact, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the organization responsible for maintaining the national organ transplant network, subjects all celebrity transplants to an internal audit to make sure the organ allocation was appropriate. Myth No. 10. My family will be charged if I donate my organs. Reality. The organ donor's family is never charged for donating. The family is charged for the cost of all final efforts to save your life, and those costs are sometimes misinterpreted as costs related to organ donation. Costs for organ removal go to the transplant recipient.(Clinic, Mayo) Further more, I would like to talk about what I feel is most Interesting about my topic. I Believe that what I am going to tell you will be more shocking to you than any facts that I have discused with you so far. Did you know that there has been many cases that the actual "Organ" itself is more expensive than the actual operation? I mean I couldn't believe it. So I said to myself "How is that fair?'' I mean why is it that the organ/tissue that is (Donated) meaning given for FREE, be taken and priced? Correct me if I'm wrong but there is something wrong with that. I do not that that free tissue and organs donated all over the world should be priced,no matter how many are needed and how rare the specific organ/tissue is. Please feel free to tell me your thoughts and opinions. Lastly, beside the fact there are cases that organs/tissues can be more expensive than the actual operation itself. Can you believe that "It helps To be Rich" yes, that is a term very much bought up by many individuals. There was an article in the "TIME" magazine discussing organ/tissue candidates that have more money than others, in other words (Rich People) have an better possibility at receiving a transplant no matter what position they are on the list. Now that is not fair at all. And although this may be some authors opinion, I have reason to believe that it is very true. I feel that i can visualize it in my mind. I also feel that this specific issue should be investigated. Why is it that the poor people that need transplants have a lower chance compared to Rich people? this seriously needs to get justified because I don't think that its fair when we can have poor people donate and be a good u.s. citizen but when the favor needs to be returned, nothing happens. Further more,I would like to add to this paragraph that yes people do have health insurance, but sometimes all costs to certain procedures are not covered. and sadly to say I can back that statement up because my mother is a kimo patient and yes she was covered but the treatments that she was taking were so expensive that the insurance company kicked her off due to the result that Roswell exceeded the funds to her plan. It broke my heart to find that out 2 days ago on June 8Th,2008. My mind officially went blank and my mother tried to calm me down and sooth me with her calm words "every things going to be ok". I like to believe so but sometimes you cant ignore the truth. What hurt me most wasn't only that the insurance got cut off but , she told me that she was showing positive effects on the treatment. Meaning she was getting better. But now she gets cut off? But what can I say or do?...I think positive and thank god that shes still here with me. Its better than not having here at all right? I know god has a plan for everything and he knows what he is doing. In conclusion, There are many interesting things i found out about organ donation that I would never know if I didn't research it like I did. And although I found out many things that I didn't agree with, I would be an organ donor to help save someones life. Lastly, I would like to say that this was by far the best learning experience that I had in my teacher class so far through out my 4 years being in high school. I would like to thank my English teacher for appointing us this task for the end of the year.