Organ donation is an essential part of end of life planning. Thinking about your final chapter may be confronting, we know. However, creating a statement regarding your organ donation wishes is very important. And that applies both to people who want to donate organs, and those who would rather not. But first let’s have a look at the different types of donations.
What is organ donation?
Organ donation is a gift of life. It’s something that gives a person a second chance to life.
Specifically, it makes it possible for people who have suffered from an accident or medical condition to receive organs. This way they may be able to live a full life again. Being a donor means you will donate your organs after your death to someone who needs them. They may be able to thrive in school, work, or their favorite activities again.
It’s important to know that organ donation doesn’t mean you’ll die right away. It just means that doctors will try to keep you alive until they can give your organs away to someone else. We call this “brain death” and occurs when the brain stops working properly due to lack of oxygen or injury.
What is tissue donation?
Tissue donation is another way to give the gift of life we mentioned before. It involves donating tissue from your body after you have passed away. For example, tissue donation can refer to skin, corneas, bones, tendons, ligaments, etc. This process can help people in many ways:
- It helps those with diabetes or other eye conditions that cause blindness.
- Additionally it can be of use to someone who has had an accident and needs a skin graft for their burns.
- It can also help someone who has cancer or another disease that requires bone marrow transplantation.
- Finally, it can be important to someone who has a bone fracture or dislocation that requires surgery to fix it.
What is body donation?
Body donation is the most comprehensive, perhaps, way of giving back to the world. And if you’re curious about how it works, we’re here to help!
When you donate your body to science, you allow researchers and students to learn more about the human body. They can study how organs work, how the brain functions during different situations, and more. For instance, medical students studying anatomy or pathology may use your body. It’s a rare but great way to give back to society.
How does organ donation work?
If you’re considering organ donation, it’s important to know what will happen after your death. First, a team of doctors and nurses will evaluate your body. They are trained to determine if you’re eligible to donate your organs.
That doesn’t mean that you have to be terminally ill or on the brink of death. Instead, you just need to meet specific criteria, like age and health status. You might also be asked about whether or not you have any medical conditions that could complicate the surgery. Examples of this are diabetes and high blood pressure.
Once the evaluation is complete, doctors will remove your organs from your body and transplant them into someone else’s body who needs them. For example:
- Kidneys may go to patients with kidney failure who are waiting for an organ transplant.
- Your lungs can be useful for patients with lung disease.
- A liver transplantation is a common surgery when it comes to organ donation.
- Finally, corneas can be used for people with corneal or related eye problems.
Myend’s Donor Statement
We believe that organ donation is a noble act, and we want to do our part to help others.
That’s why we’ve decided to make it easier for you to share your organ donor registry status. Even if you haven’t shared these details with your family and friends, you can let us know. Note that Myend is not a legally binding organ donation registry. Instead we offer easy-to-make documents where you can include your existing Organ Donation registry number.
We do not have access to your statement as we respect all rules of confidentiality and privacy. Additionally, only family members (of your choice) get access to these details after you pass away.
Why should you fill in your donor statement?
Having yet another point of access to your organ donation details can be particularly convincing for family members that may struggle with the idea that you are a donor. After all, some religious or cultural beliefs may find organ donation a challenging thing to accept.
You should also fill in your donor statement even if you are not currently an organ or tissue donor. It won’t be legally binding, but it will let your chosen loved ones know what your wishes are. That sense of clarity will help them immensely, in case they are wondering whether they should donate your organs. That may not apply to all states or regions, though. Therefore, make sure you and/or your family and friends have a look at your local laws and legislation.
Myend’s Donor Mission
Our mission at Myend.com is to help people make the best possible decisions about their health, life, death and beyond. That’s why we created this end of life service: to help you understand organ donation and make an informed decision about whether or not you want to be an organ donor.
You can find our donation statement by locating the left panel on app.myend.com and then clicking on Directives and finally Donor.
Keep in mind that you need a premium Myend account to fully make use of this service. You can also download (see above) our end of life planning checklist completely free of charge.
Final Thoughts
Organ and tissue donation is truly one of the most wonderful gifts you can make during your life. It’s a chance to save lives and leave your mark on the world.
At Myend, we believe that organ donation is a beautiful, life-changing thing. We know that your organs and tissue can be a gift to someone else who needs them. After all, no matter what, your family will still love you just as much when they’re gone.
Sign up today to create your own end of life plan in clear, simple and fast steps.
