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Thursday, August 07, 2008

The Good Stuff

Last night saw me relinquishing yet another pint of my finest B- (see above) to the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service. I've been a blood donor since I was old enough to donate, mostly due to my father. He's blood group O-, the rare one, and would get a phone call every 12 weeks to let him know that it was time to go along and donate again. I'd go with him and sit on the end of the bed, so when I became old enough to donate myself there were no terrors or unknowns for me.

This leads me on to the whole blood/organ/bone marrow donor debate.
I definitely think that the system of organ donation in this country should switch from being an 'opt in' to an 'opt out' system. To my knowledge, in a department of 11 people, I'm the only registered organ donor, I think I'm the only regular blood donor, and I'm sure I'm the only registered bone marrow donor, yet any time I've spoken to the guys at work they all agree that:

"Once I'm dead they can have what they like"

That's all well and good, but unless you've had that discussion with your family and next of kin, or you register and carry a card, then that's just a lot of hot air.
Almost everyone in the UK applies for a passport or driving license at some point early in their lives, and all it would take is adding 1 little tick box to the form that says 'I do NOT wish my organs to be harvested in the event of my death', and overnight life for the people in this country awaiting organ transplants would change for the better.

As for the blood and bone marrow donation, well you can't force people to donate, and I wouldn't want to, but I'm pretty sure each and every one of us knows someone who has needed a blood transfusion at some point in the past, a transfusion that most probably saved their lives.
Enough said.


Oh yeah, as for all you Jehovah's Witnesses, would you please get out of the gene pool, you're just spoiling the fun for all the rest of us.

4 comments:

Steve said...

Irrefutable logic Inchy. Can't argue with it. But people are weirdly sacred about their on bodies and the bodies of their loved ones after death... guess that's why having that little conversation about it all when you're alive is so important.

Helga Hansen said...

I'd love to donate, but as I think I mentioned once before, having had skin cancer, I am no longer allowed to donate blood, due to my cancer being melanoma, and not basal cell carcinoma.

I am a registered donor, but I often wonder if the same medical history will prevent my organs being harvested for potential recipients... I guess I'm never going to know!

Löst Jimmy said...

Honourable views indeed Inchy. Having been involved in a serious motorcyle accident in my hairy days and spending some time working in a war zone I know the very real need for blood. I am on the regular rota here although lately my own illness/ops have prevented me from donating but I'll be back to share a few pints.

Mighty Dyckerson said...

I've been a sperm donor for years. I just left a deposit in your mama's twat! HA!!!!