by Yu-Lin Liao “A son, a brother, a friend, a student, a teammate, a roommate, a citizen…one day in the future a sleeper forever.” Cookie T described himself in this way on his blog profile. But his future came much sooner than he expected. John, “Cookie” Tsai, an alumnus of NTU, freshly graduated with both electrical engineering and physics degrees, left this world without any warning or reason one night in January, 2006. But he didn’t exactly leave. His corneas were donated for transplant and then his whole body was donated to the NTU Hospital for the purpose of medical research. He had a colorful personality and was passionate about life. How well loved he was is shown in his blog. Even today, two years after his death, people are still visiting and leaving messages there. Thus he has continued to breathe in this world without a physical presence. Cookie T didn’t have a chance to sign the organ donation card when he was alive, but after his death his parents generously donated their son because he was such a caring and loving person and had vowed to help strangers in need. His donation helped light up a soul and furthered the advancement of medicine. There are about 9000 people waiting for a person like Cookie T right now in Taiwan. They are waiting desperately for a heart, a kidney, a lung, a pancreas, and most of all, a miracle. One day you and I could just as easily be in the same position. But people who are willing to donate their organ tissues after their deaths are still very few. The concept of organ donation is still unfamiliar in Taiwan and most people have some hesitation about it. But it is actually not complicated or scary. What is organ donation? There are two types of organ donation, living and dead. Living donations can only happen between close families in Taiwan and there are many restrictions. Donation after death is conducted in two ways, organ donation for transplant or whole body donation for medical research. What can be donated? Organs like the heart, lungs, and kidneys, and tissues like skin, corneas … almost every part of our bodies can be donated. The transplant team will evaluate the donor’s health and then decide which organs and tissues can be grafted. A donor’s organs can help save up to six lives and other tissues can benefit even more people. What will happen when I die if I am a donor? Detailed and careful medical evaluation will be conducted by doctors and medical examiners to define brain death or cardio death. After the declaration of death, the transplant team will start the organ recovery procedure. Because most of the vital organs can survive 4-6 hours after leaving the body, these organs will be allocated to the nearest matching recipients. Other tissues such as corneas and bones can be preserved in tissue banks for later use. After the organs and tissues are grafted, the medical team will stitch up every incision and restore the appearance of the body. Then the body will be returned to the family. Will my decision to donate my organs affect the quality of my medical care? When your life is in danger, the medical team will put your life first and try their best to save you. Only when they have exhausted every possible means to save you will they start to consider the possibility of organ donation. There will be a series of careful evaluations conducted by doctors, physicians, and medical examiners before the declaration of brain death or cardio death. The quality of your medical care will never be compromised because you are an organ donor. Who will get my organs? Donors and recipients go through meticulous matching processes before a transplant can be conducted. The Organ Procurement Association and the government have a set of laws and protocols to make sure the donated organs go to the right places. The information about recipients and donors is confidential in order to protect the people involved from any unwanted trouble or attention. Will my family get money if I donate my organs? According to law, the family of a donor cannot charge money for the donation and selling organs is absolutely forbidden. But they will get a funeral subsidy of NT 50,000 if the family is a cornea donor, NT 100,000 if a multiple-organ donor. The key obstacle to organ donation, however, is an old Chinese saying: “We dare not damage our body for it is given to us by our parents.” We want to preserve our bodies out of respect for our parents. But just imagine if your parents were in desperate need of an organ transplant and nobody would give them a hand. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Our body no longer belongs to us after we take our last breath. Give it to someone in need to help complete the circle of life; this is very respectful not only to our parents but also to our other ancestors. Some religions believe that we should preserve our body for another life, but whatever reason is preventing you from becoming an organ donor, just consider this, you can save and change lives without even moving a finger! We can never know for sure about another life or the situation after death, but we can still make a miracle happen! We can do it by just a few clicks of the mouse, a change of mind, and a willing heart. You can sign up online to become an organ donor at http://www.organ.org.tw/ and find out more about organ donation. Spread the word and let your heart keep beating long after you are gone! a
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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