Alyssa GregoryGreg Freeman, Washington University alum, former editor of Student Life, and most recently a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was the kind of person that all WU students should aspire to be. After graduating from WU, Freeman decided to stay in St. Louis instead of heading to other bigger cities. He contributed to local charities, and he wrote passionately and persuasively on politics and countless other social issues. His most championed cause, promoting organ donation, is one that Student Life endorses whole-heartedly.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, each day about 63 people receive an organ transplant, but another 16 people on the waiting list die because not enough organs are available. This is because many people with healthy organs do not donate after they pass away.
Some of these people chose not to donate their organs. Others signed the back of their driver’s license but failed to discuss it with their family, who later overruled the decision. Still others never bothered to take any steps toward organ donation, even though they may have wished it had they thought about it.
This newspaper wishes that everyone would donate their organs after their death. Understandably, some individuals have religious convictions that prevent them from donating. However, the Post-Dispatch points out that almost every religion in America today supports organ donation and considers it an act of charity. There are very few cases in America today where one’s religion actually teaches against donating organs after death.
Some people may become queasy at the prospect of losing their organs. Hopefully this thought is balanced by the knowledge that someone else’s life may be saved by the very organs you may be holding onto after your death. In fact, several of your organs may be transplanted to several different individuals, sometimes as many as 50.
Others may worry that overzealous transplant doctors will come after their organs before they have died. This simply is not true. An organ cannot be removed until the donor has been declared legally dead, and no doctor wants you dying on her shift. Doctors make every attempt to save their patients. They do not deliberate over whether they want their patient’s organs enough to prematurely remove them.
Occasionally another option exists as well. Some organs can be transplanted without harming the donor. The body needs only one kidney for proper functioning. Bone marrow can be transplanted with relatively little risk to the donor.
Additionally, the process of organ removal does not alter the appearance of the body. At an open-casket viewing, one cannot distinguish between someone who chose to give their organs and someone who chose to keep them.
Despite this, 16 people still die every day while waiting for an organ.
Those who wish to donate their organs are often not fully informed about the process. For example, signing the back of your driver’s license is not enough to ensure that your organs will be donated as you wish. Family members are always consulted prior to organ donation, and they have the option of overriding the decision. This is why it is extremely important that everyone who plans on donating discuss this choice with their family. Including your wishes in your will is not good enough either. By the time your will is read, it will be too late to give your organs.
There are very few good reasons to keep your organs after your death, and there are many good reasons to donate them. Still, Student Life understands that not everyone will want to give this gift. If your organs are not donated, it should be because you consciously made the decision to keep them. Too many healthy organs are lost because people did not take the proper steps to ensure their donation. It is absolutely important to discuss your intention to donate with your family. Otherwise, someone on the waiting list will lose their life as well.
In about the length of time it will take you to read through this newspaper, one person on the transplant waiting list will pass away while waiting for a matching organ. The death of Greg Freeman is a great loss to the St. Louis and WU community. Hopefully, by promoting his biggest cause, others will be given the chance to live.