the gift of life

the gift of life (Full Version)

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peppermint -> the gift of life (7/28/2011 4:32:08 PM)
Today Gary gets to celebrate his 2nd birthday. Ten years ago today he got a single lung transplant. At the time you didn't get put on the transplant list unless they felt you had less than a year to live. He waited 11 months to get his lung. Also 25% of lung transplant recipients didn't make it through the first year. If he hadn't gotten the transplant I would never have met him and my life would have been so very different. Today is also the 6th anniversary of the first time we had some play time together. We were both attending In The Woods in WA state when we met. Six months later I traveled to AZ to live with him and we've been together ever since. Transplants are really the gift of life. They give terminally ill people the chance to regain quality of life. Transplants extend life. Many states let you sign a paper when you get your driver's license, agreeing to be a donor. When my late husband passed away he had no organs that could be donated. However, the corneas of his eyes were taken to give sight to someone. The internal defibrillator could not be implanted in another person in the US, but it would be sent to Canada or most countries overseas and reused. The thing cost $40,000 and he only used it a bit over a year. So, if you haven't made arrangements to be a donor, please consider doing so. Tell your family your wishes or they might not agree to them. Many people on the transplant waiting lists still die because people didn't take the time to sign a simple document to allow harvesting of the organs.

LillyBoPeep -> RE: the gift of life (7/28/2011 4:39:32 PM)
my late Person always made it clear that, if anything happened to him, he wanted his organs donated. they were "just spare parts" to him, and if someone could use them, he didn't want them going to waste. after he died, his organs helped quite a few people, especially since he was fairly young. I'm glad for that, at least.

kallisto -> RE: the gift of life (7/28/2011 4:41:11 PM)
What a great story!!! Just reading it gave me the tingles. [:)] It is so refreshing to hear of someone being given life again. When my husband died, his organs were not "donatable" (probably not a word .. but you get the drift), but he wanted his body donated to science. So it went to the medical school in the state and helped the medical students with their education. I was very proud of him and his decision to do that. I have been an "organ donor" since one week after he died. Whether my organs can be donated or not, my body will be donated to science as well. My kids know of my wishes and it's written down in multiple places.

Iamsemisweet -> RE: the gift of life (7/28/2011 6:41:42 PM)
What a great post. I hope you have many years of happiness together, peppermint. What's In the Woods?

DomKen -> RE: the gift of life (7/28/2011 8:26:04 PM)
If you live in a state where your decision must be supported by your next of kin please be sure to make your wishes on this matter clear.

tiggerspoohbear -> RE: the gift of life (7/28/2011 8:53:14 PM)
I've had my donor card signed for years. My family is aware of my request. I wouldn't have it any other way. So happy to hear a great story Peppermint, many more years together for the both of you.

peppermint -> RE: the gift of life (7/28/2011 10:52:59 PM)
LillyBoPeep--How very wonderful he must have been to care for others. Yes, when we are dead organs are just spare parts, but they are such valuable spare parts for others. Kallisto--Thank you. I had not thought about donating the body to help educate medical students. What a great idea!!! I'll have to give that idea some serious consideration. As DomKen and poohbear have mentioned, it is important for your family to know your wishes. The mother of Gary's donor was completely against organ donation, but her son had made it clear that he wanted to donate his organs. She allowed the donation. If he had not talked about it with his family Gary wouldn't have his lung. Iamsemisweet--In the Woods is a week long kinky camp out. For a week you get to live kink 24 hours a day. They had to cancel this year because at the last minute they could not get rent the acreage where they have held it for the past several years. They bring in presenters to talk on various kink topics and teach skills. There is also a large outdoor dungeon. There are various areas where you can explore new activities such as pressure points or needles or suturing with someone who is experienced with those activities. It's a fun time and a place to make new friends.

MissImmortalPain -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 4:17:13 AM)
Happy Birthday. Wonderful story. So very few of us get a second chance. We should all do everything we can do make sure that if there is any way we can help another in need that we do it. I hope you and he have many more happy years together.

SirPumpy -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 4:36:30 AM)
Happy 2nd Birthday Gary! Something i think is worth mentioning is that being a donor doesn't have to wait until you die. Although I don't normally give blood I have been recently (O + ) but I have given regular amounts of Bone marrow in the past and freely offered a kidney not so long ago. The kidney was/is for a close family member as was the Marrow but I also gave permission for the marrow to be used elsewhere as its a bugger to harvest and id hate to see it go to waste. You do not get paid for blood, sperm or marrow in Oz unlike the US where Sperm and Blood are a commodity in places but I still urge those who are healthy to donate if you can. SP

LaTigresse -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 8:09:39 AM)
Whatever is left of my body, when I am done with it, goes to the University of Iowa to use as they see fit. http://www.anatomy.uiowa.edu/deededbodyprogram.shtml

GreedyTop -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 8:22:04 AM)
cut my guts out, use my cadaver... but then I want to be cremated and buried..

LaTigresse -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 8:48:07 AM)
That is the totally sweet part of donating to the U. After they are finished they cremate whatever is left for FREE! My goal is to not cost anyone a penny.......alive or dead! [:D]

GreedyTop -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 8:52:54 AM)
thats my goal as well, LaT, since I dont anticipate having anyone around to argue the point..LOL (hey, Kittehs stil lhave no voice in these decisions...)

LadyHibiscus -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 8:53:30 AM)
How wonderful, Peppermint!

Hillwilliam -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 12:24:36 PM)
I've had a signed organ donor card since I had a learners permit and My family knows that if they don't follow My wishes, I'll come back and make the Amityville Horror look like Casper the friendly ghost. Here's a little appropriate music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2mOkFwmfsk

shorty21 -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 1:35:21 PM)
2 of my brothers died in Iraq. Their bodies were sent home and cremated by the military going against their wishes of donation. Their organs would have been inviable but they wanted to go to Florida Univeristys med program... Hopefully i can be recycled!!

Epytropos -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 1:42:19 PM)
I've made it extremely clear to everyone in my life that if they stand between my corpse and the organ donation people I will rise from the grave to rob them of all they hold dear. The fact that I can say 'I want x done with my body' and someone else can then come in and change that after I'm dead is a concept I cannot wrap my mind around. It's a massive hole in the logic of our legal framework that ought to be filled immediately.

littlewonder -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 1:50:59 PM)
My husband had an organ donation card and regularly donated blood and marrow. Unfortunately though when he died nothing was viable. He was DOA at the hospital and according to the doctors once a certain amount of time has passed the organs are no longer useful. It was something that had greatly upset his family as I remember since it was one of the things he was always wanted to be able to do.

Lucylastic -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 1:51:50 PM)
Peppermint, Congratulations to you both, a wonderful wonderful story I wish you both years of happiness and health. I became a donor when I worked at the hospital that did the first lung heart transplant in the UK in 1981. Ive been a donor ever since and just recently the ontario government opened up a website to register your consent to donate organs,(beadonor.ca) on top of having donor cards to sign. I filled out the form two days before I had surgery, "just in case". My kids and hubby are and always have been aware of my wishes, and have done the same. When I get cleared by my docs I will also be signing up as a marrow donor.

LadyPact -> RE: the gift of life (7/29/2011 3:33:30 PM)
Thank you for sharing this, peppermint. It's more than inspirational. A decade's worth of second birthday's is no small accomplishment. I hope the two of you get to celebrate many more of them together.

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