LifeSharers an incentive to be organ donor

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Now that we know the man who received a double lung transplant = at the=20 University of Michigan was a longtime smoker, the debate around = the dinner=20 table has begun.

Should someone whose lifestyle choice brought about his disease = be at=20 the top of the donor list?

Criticism was rampant when Mickey Mantle died just three months = after=20 his liver transplant 12 years ago. Many at the time argued that = because=20 Mantle had been a heavy drinker for 40 years, that liver should = have gone=20 to someone with a better chance of survival.

At least, Mantle left a legacy beyond baseball. In his final = days, he=20 established a foundation to promote organ and tissue donation. =

Printed on each donation card were the words:

"The best gift I ever got was on June 8, 1995, when an organ = donor gave=20 me and five other patients at Baylor University Medical Center in = Dallas=20 the organs we needed to live. I guess you could say I got another = time at=20 bat.

"Now I want to give something back. I can do that first by = telling kids=20 and parents to take care of their bodies. Don't drink or do drugs. = Your=20 health is the main thing you've got, so don't blow it.''

Life happens. We get diseases. We get in car wrecks. We inherit = bad=20 genes. The least we can do is take good care of ourselves, thereby = maintaining a high quality of life while lessening the burden on = the=20 health care system.

We can also become organ donors. Many support the idea, but = don't=20 actually make the commitment.

I hope Mickey Mantle was a registered donor when he gratefully = accepted=20 another person's organ. If I were the donor's family, I'd want to = know he=20 wasn't just another guy all too willing to take whatever he had = coming=20 while refusing to do the same for others.

That's why I joined LifeSharers, a nonprofit voluntary network = of organ=20 donors. As a member, I promise to donate my organs when I die, = with first=20 dibs to registered organ donors.

About half of the organs transplanted in the United States go = to people=20 who haven't agreed to donate their own organs. There is no = shortage of=20 organs. There is a shortage of organ donors.

"It's an easy decision to put off,'' said LifeSharers founder = Dave=20 Undis, "because it forces you to think about your death.''

Right now, about 94,000 Americans are on waiting lists, and = 7,000 will=20 die this year awaiting a transplant that never came. The more = people who=20 register as organ donors, the fewer people who will die waiting = for=20 transplants.

The goal of LifeSharers is to offer an incentive for more = people to=20 become donors so fewer people will die unnecessarily, said Undis. =

Joining LifeSharers is free, open to everyone, and takes about = 30=20 seconds at lifesharers.com. (Or toll-free at 888-674-2688.) If = you're=20 already a registered organ donor, this extra step means you want = your=20 organs to go to other registered organ donors. It could also = increase your=20 chances of getting a transplant if you ever need one because = you'll get=20 first access to the organs of other LifeSharers members.

It's crucial to discuss your decision with your family because = it's=20 standard practice to ask their consent even if you're a registered = donor,=20 Undis said. Families consent 80 percent to 90 percent of the time = if they=20 know you wanted to be a donor; half the time if they don't.

Finally, committing to becoming a donor would honor the men on = the=20 University of Michigan transplant team whose deaths are mourned by = so=20 many.

Jo Mathis can be reached at jmathis@annarbornews.com or = 734-994-6849.=20