Re: Directed donors

[Guest guest]

Deana,

I think that is wonderful you would like to be a directed donor. I am a lung

recipient of over 6 years, due to CF and my sister is 3 years post tx. Both

doing great. As you can imagine this has given my entire family new outlooks

on organ donation. My oldest sister is the most verbal and said that she has

told her family - since that is what counts the most that she wants her organs

to go to a CF patient (sometimes we need liver, heart as well as lungs).

I am not definite on how directed works, but I think you might need a

specific name for directed. A friend of mine who has CF and needs a tx was told

by

his friend that his father has directed that he get the lungs if he dies. They

are the same blood type that they know. The father was having health issues

and knew that he would be dying sometime in the near future. Well the father

died before my friend needed the lungs.

Also, some people do not realize that that solid organs to be donated must be

from someone who dies a BRAIN DEATH. Brain death only occurs in about 3% ( I

think that is the number) of the population. You must be in a hospital

setting, on a vent and be pronounced brain dead. So many of us are excluded from

donating solid organs, but can donate other tissues and organs, eyes etc.

I want to know the answer to your question as well. I am not sure who to ask.

UNOS who oversees the transplant waiting list, might be the ones. I am going

to contact them. I know when I was waiting for my lungs, 2 of my friends

told me, and their families that if they should die while I was still waiting

that I was to get first pick for their lungs. We had no idea if we were blood

compatible, but they did not want me to die waiting if they died. Glad to say

they are both still very healthy today.

When I get some answers, I will pass them along to the group.

Joanne Schum

luckylungsforjo@...

>

> I would be interested in learning more about this too. I am considering

> becoming a donor, but I would love to specify that my lungs go to someone

> with cf. I don't mean to offend anyone, I just have a softspot for all of

> our children/adults wcf.

>

> Happy New Year,

> Deana

> Mom to 13 nocf and 7 wcf

>

> Re: I need to blow some steam off!!!!!!/SMOKING!!!

> >

> >Buy the way... Is anyone familir with directed donor " paperwork. I

> >hear that you can identify a recipient for your organs (they get first

> >dibs).

> >

> >Have a safe New Year's!

> >Gale

>

Joanne M. Schum

Cystic Fibrosis

Bi-lateral Lung Transplant Recipient

September 12, 1997

University of North Carolina Hospitals Chapel Hill

Residence: Upstate New York

email: luckylungsforjo@...

Manager of: Transplant Support - Lung, Heart/Lung, Heart

http://groups.msn.com/TransplantSupportLungHeartLungHeart

" Taking Flight - Inspirational Stories of Lung Transplantation "

Compiled by Joanne Schum

Authored by lung recipients around the world

http://www.trafford.com/robots/02-0497.html

http://www.trafford.com/