Second Chance
Organ donation has been a part of this world since the beginning of time, many tales have been told that body parts were taken from one person or animal and was put into another body (Organ & Tissue Transplants). The first half of the twentieth century, doctors placed animal organs into human beings (Organ and Tissue Transplants). It wasn’t until doctors in Russia by the name of Dr. U. Voronoy, in the year of 1936, performed the first human-to-human kidney transplant (Organ & Tissue Trans). Although, the surgery by Dr. U. Voronoy was successful, the patient died after only two days with the new kidney. After many unsuccessful trials the with the transplantation of kidneys, it wasn't until Ronald Herrick wanted to donate one healthy kidney to his identical twin. The operation was performed on December 23, 1954 at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Joseph Murray and the surgical team transplant lead to the identical twin, Richard to many healthy years with his new kidney. After Dr. Murray's success with transplantation many organs soon after were tried to be transplanted. The United States would have lost a significant amount of lives without pushing through the unsuccessful trials.
In America today, there is a serious organ shortage. At least eighteen people die each day waiting for their lifesaving organs. A wise man once said, "Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise a baby's face or love in the eyes of a women. Give my heart to a person whose heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain. Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk. Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow to that someday...
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...nors. Many patients are waiting on the transplant list trying to find ways around the list in order to live a happy life.
The waiting list plays a key role if people get an organ transplant or not, more then 150,000 are waiting for solid organ transplants in the United States (Organ and Tissue Transplant). The waiting list is for critically ill patients with no alternative treatment besides getting a new organ. "On average 78 people in the United States get a transplant each day" (Transplant). Doctors only can put a patient on the waiting list or move a patient up or down the waiting list. The waiting list can not be influenced with money to help move the patient closer to the top of the waiting list. Without patients finding living organ donors or deceased organs donors, many will die waiting for a new organ that could eventually save their life.
Thesis: I will explain the history of organ transplants, starting with ancient ideas before modern science until the 21st century.
After her diagnosis of chronic kidney failure in 2004, psychiatrist Sally Satel lingered in the uncertainty of transplant lists for an entire year, until she finally fell into luck, and received her long-awaited kidney. “Death’s Waiting List”, published on the 5th of May 2006, was the aftermath of Satel’s dreadful experience. The article presents a crucial argument against the current transplant list systems and offers alternative solutions that may or may not be of practicality and reason. Satel’s text handles such a topic at a time where organ availability has never been more demanded, due to the continuous deterioration of the public health. With novel epidemics surfacing everyday, endless carcinogens closing in on our everyday lives, leaving no organ uninflected, and to that, many are suffering, and many more are in desperate request for a new organ, for a renewed chance. Overall, “Death’s Waiting List” follows a slightly bias line of reasoning, with several underlying presumptions that are not necessarily well substantiated.
In “Death’s Waiting List”, Sally Satel presents a strong and compelling argument for the implementation of changes to the organ donation system. The author addresses a shortage of organ donations due to the current donation system in the United States, which puts stipulations on the conditions surrounding the donation. She provides ideas to positively affect the system and increase organ donations.
In 1954, the first organ transplant was conducted successfully in the United States. (Clemmons, 2009) Nowadays, the technology of organ transplant has greatly advanced and operations are carried out every day around the world. According to current system, organ sales are strictly prohibited in the United States. (Clemmons, 2009) However, the donor waiting list in the United States has doubled in the last decade and the average waiting time for a kidney is also increasing. (Clemmons, 2009) In the year 2007, over 70,000 patients were on the waiting list for a kidney and nearly 4500 of them died during the waiting period. In contrast to the increasing demand for kidney, organ donation has been in a decrease. (Wolfe, Merion, Roys, & Port, 2009) Even the government puts in great effot to increase donation incentives, the gap between supply and demand of organs still widens. In addition, the technology of therapeutic cloning is still not mature and many obstacles are met by scientists. (Clemmons, 2009) Hence, it is clear that a government regulated kidney market with clear legislation and quality control is the best solution to solve the kidney shortage problem since it improves the lives of both vendors and patients.
10. Youngner, S., and Fox, R. 1996. Organ Transplantation Meanings and Realities. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.
The human body; it starts off as a single cell, and grows into a complex machine made of seventy eight distinct organs, two hundred and six bones, and millions of nerves that all communicate with each other to regulate body processes and keep the machine alive and healthy. This seemingly perfect system undergoes countless attacks every day, and manages to recover from most, although occasionally, it can not. Diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis and Coronary Artery Disease, or abnormalities and defects such as biliary atresia, can all disrupt the function of human organs (“Transplant Australia”, n.d ). Thankfully, through radical advancements in modern medicine, organ transplants are a safe and highly viable option to restore the human body’s perfect harmony. No matter the reason for organ failure, once it occurs, the patient’s journey to receiving a new organ begins. Through the matching of organs, the process and the complications that come with it, the ethical issues, and trials of new advancements, the journey is a long one.
Have you ever had the experience of a long wait that seems like it was going to take forever? Or how about when you went to the amusement park that you have been so anxiously waiting for, finally to got inline just to peer over your shoulder to see that dreaded 3 hour waiting sign? Well hundreds of thousands of men,women and children feel that same pressure each and every day just in a greater sense of urgency than waiting in that line at the amusement park. Organ failure is an ever growing problem in America around about 20 people die each day from this leading to thousands of deaths each year, with the number of donors dwindling each year.
Now imagine if it were you, that needed a liver, heart, or other organ transplant. You want to live to see so much more in life, but you did not get on the list in time and there is a shortage in organ donors. You must say good bye to life, your loved ones and every thing else. This is not a good thing to imagine, yet people die everyday with this feeling.
Each and every day there are as many as 79 people receiving organ donations that will change their life, but on the other hand there are many people who die from failed organs while they are waiting for transplants that never happen for them (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2016). People find out that one, or even several of their organs are failing and they are put on a list to receive a transplant with no intended time frame or guarantee. Organ transplants are an essential tool when it comes to saving someone’s life from a failing organ; the history of organ transplants, organ donation, and the preceding factors of organ failure all play a very important role in organ transplant in the United States.
Organ transplantation is one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine. But this achievement tragically out of reach for many thousands of people whose lives might be saved. There just are not enough organs for everybody. About 75,000 Americans are on the waiting list for kidney transplants. But in
It is clear that a large demand for organs exists. People in need of organ donations are transferred to an orderly list. Ordinarily, U.S. institutions have an unprofitable system which provides organs through a list of individuals with the highest needs; however, these organs may never come. A list is
Organ Transplants: A Brief History (21 February, 2012) Retrieved from History in the Headlines Website: http://www.history.com/news/organ-transplants-a-brief-history
One of the most important and prevalent issues in healthcare discussed nowadays is the concern of the organ donation shortage. As the topic of organ donation shortages continues to be a growing problem, the government and many hospitals are also increasingly trying to find ways to improve the number of organ donations. In the United States alone, at least 6000 patients die each year while on waiting lists for new organs (Petersen & Lippert-Rasmussen, 2011). Although thousands of transplant candidates die from end-stage diseases of vital organs while waiting for a suitable organ, only a fraction of eligible organ donors actually donate. Hence, the stark discrepancy in transplantable organ supply and demand is one of the reasons that exacerbate this organ donation shortage (Parker, Winslade, & Paine, 2002). In the past, many people sought the supply of transplantable organs from cadaver donors. However, when many ethical issues arose about how to determine whether someone is truly dead by either cardiopulmonary or neurological conditions (Tong, 2007), many healthcare professionals and transplant candidates switched their focus on obtaining transplantable organs from living donors instead. As a result, in 2001, the number of living donors surpassed the number of cadaver donors for the first time (Tong, 2007).
The Importance of Organ Donation Each day approximately 6,300 people die and what makes this haunting is that presently there are 83,513 people waiting for organs to be donated, yet each day 17 people die because they do not receive a transplant (http://www.donatelife.net/facts_stats.html). These statistics show that people who are waiting for organ transplants have a good chance at being saved and get what they need. The sad truth is though, because of the lack of people willing to donate organs, many people will continue to wait for organs to save their lives. ? Waiting lists of patients for organ transplants become longer as the need for transplantable organs increases? (Sheehy 1).
Organ Transplants are one of the greatest achievements in modem medicine. However, they depend entirely on the generosity of donors and their families. Surely every compassionate person should jump at the chance, to donate their gift of life when they die! We should all be united in realising the massive positive effect a simple donor organ can have on a community! Then conclusively, looking at it from this angle, every human alive would feel it his or her unquestionable duty to donate their organs when they die?