October 20, 1998
We Care The gift of life Though gone forever, organ donors can prolong the lives of patients who need organ transplants. --Pictures by Somkid Chaijitvanit ORGAN DONATION: Patients who need organ transplants have little hope for a new lease on life because there is an acute shortage of donated organs Chompoo Trakullertsathien Two years ago, Suwajee Pulsuwan got the shock of her life when she learned that her husband and daughter had been in a car crash. Her husband died instantly. Her daughter was rushed to hospital but the doctor said she was brain dead and her chance of survival was zero. Overwhelmed with grief, the mother was speechless when the doctor asked her if she wanted to save other people's lives by donating her daughter's heart, kidney, liver and lungs to patients who were waiting for organ transplants. "I was confused and angry, thinking that the doctor was not trying hard enough to save my daughter. I was hoping that my daughter would recover some day. She would be handicapped, but she would be alive" Mrs Suwajee recalled. After accepting the sad truth, she sought religious advice from a monk about organ donations. Like many Buddhists, she feared that being buried or cremated not "whole" would mean the dead person would be reborn handicapped in the next life. This is what the monk told her: "After we die, our body rots and becomes useless. But several organs could be given to people who urgently need them in order to live. Giving life to others is a great merit." As her daughter's last merit, Mrs Suwajee decided to donate her daughter's heart, kidneys, liver and lungs to the Thai Red Cross Society's Organ Donation Centre. She was informed that the organs would be immediately distributed to hospitals where patients were awaiting organ transplants. One life departed, but four saved. Mrs Suwajee's daughter's organs are still alive in new bodies, enabling them to live a healthy life to this day. "I'm happy that I made the right decision. It was my daughter's greatest merit - not only to save other people's lives, but also to spare their families from grief." Mrs Suwajee is not the only one who has overcome her fear of organ donation and come to believe that giving life is the most generous gift of all. Some 100,000 people have already indicated their intention to give their organs to the Organ Donation Centre when they die. "I was inspired to donate my organs by the word 'giving' which is part of the Buddha's teaching," said Sayan Sangboonserm. "I deeply believe that human beings leave nothing here after we die except our good deeds." According to Dr Visist Dhitavat, director of the Thai Red Cross Society's Organ Donation Centre which was established in 1994, organ transplant is the only medical treatment that can help patients whose heart, liver, kidneys or lungs no longer function or are defective. "With an organ transplant, patients can live longer and enjoy a better quality of life," said Dr Visist, adding that so far 900 patients had undergone organ transplants. The only source of organs such as hearts and lungs is the dead who have expressed a wish to donate, or whose families have done so. Although the list of prospective donors is long, there is still a great shortage of donated organs. For one thing, donors' pledges come into effect only when they die. And they must die in a way that leaves their organs in good condition and still active with oxygen. This is the case when a patient is brain dead but their organs are still functioning, mostly because the dying are on respirator. According to Dr Visist, people who are declared brain dead are considered medically dead. They can not feel anything and the functioning of their bodies is dependent on medical machines. Brain death can result from a severe brain injury such as a tumor and cerebral hemorrhage. But according to Dr Visist, most are caused by car or motorcycle accidents. And more than half of them are male teenagers. Dr Visist Dhitavat, director of Thai Red Cross Society's Organ Donation Centre: "Organ transplants can help save patients whose organs like heart, lungs, kidneys or liver are not functioning." In Thailand, there are no exact figures on brain death. But Dr Visist believes that the number must be high because car accidents are increasing annually and the law can't force drivers and passengers to wear seatbelts, nor motorcyclists helmets. Though the number of the brain-dead patients is on the rise, it doesn't mean that the Red Cross Society's Organ Donation Centre is getting more donations. More than 1,100 patients are registered with the centre waiting for organ transplants. But last year, there were only 50 cadaveric donors. With the acute shortage of donated organs, desperate doctors in some countries turn to the living who are willing to sell their own organs. Although illegal, the trade in human organs is thriving in the region. In countries where many people donate their organs after they die, such as England and the US, doctors have the luxury of having several organs reserved for each patient. If a transplanted heart doesn't function well, for example, another heart can be tried the next day. But with the limited numbers of donated organs in Thailand, our patients can't afford to wait. It may take a week or a month for a new organ to be donated which very often doesn't reach them in time. "More patients are competing for fewer donated organs. Those who are first on the list will get priority. But if the new organ doesn't fit with the new body, the patient has to continue waiting. "Very often people die before having their organs changed," said Dr Visist. There are many reasons for the shortage of donated organs. Often the relatives of the deceased refuse to donate the organs even though the person had declared their intention to donate after they died. "The relatives often don't know about organ transplants. They don't know how one's organs can be used to help others. Besides, most of them don't believe the doctor's words that those who are brain dead are really dead. They think that the doctor would like to profit from the organs," explained the director. More often than not, the relatives can't control their feelings of sudden loss when a loved one dies and they are not willing to sacrifice the organs to the centre. According to Dr Visist, 70 percent of Europeans understand the concept of organ transplant. Therefore, they don't refuse to donate their organs. In Belgium, for example, there is a law requiring every person to donate their organs to the hospital after they die. Another obstacle is the attitude of some doctors and nurses who feel uncomfortable asking the relatives of brain-dead patients for the organs. "They fear that the patient's relatives who are overwhelmed with sadness may get angry with their request. Some even don't know how to explain to the patient's relatives about organ donation. "I think it's the duty of doctors and nurses to do so because there are hundreds of patients waiting for new organs," said Dr Visist. Apart from organs which are in poor conditions and cannot be used, time limitation is another reason for the organ shortage. After being removed from the deceased, organs stay fresh for only a short period of time. Soaked in the organ-preserving solution and kept at a temperature of 4 degrees Celcius, the heart can be kept for four hours, the liver six hours, and the kidneys 24 hours. Very often, the transportation of the organs to remote hospitals renders them ineffective and, finally, useless. Belief in rebirth also prevents people from donating their organs, said Dr Visist. "Many believe they will be reborn with imperfect organs if they donate their organs to others. "They think that they will be blind if they give their eyes to those who are waiting for new ones. They should believe in good karma. If they do a good deed, they will get a good thing back," said Dr Visist. "When your teeth are pulled out, you don't worry that you will have no teeth in the next life. Some people have diseased breasts, uteruses or gall bladders removed when they are alive. I have never heard any patients asking about rebirth with imperfect organs after such organs are taken out," added the doctor. In Buddhism, said Phra Payom Kalayano, the abbot of Wat Suan Kaew, giving is a must for one to eradicate greed. "Don't believe that you will be blind if you donate your eyes or handicapped if you give your arms or legs to the others. On the contrary, your merit will get you good health in the next life," he said. "Organ donation is the highest form of alms giving. Only those who have the highest spirit can do so," added the monk. Elaborated nun Sansanee Sathirasut of Sathira Dharmastan nunnery: "You can't take your body with you when you're reborn. You will take instead your state of mind. If you give or do something that fills your mind with equilibrium and joy, then you will take that joyful mind with you." Mrs Suwajee has no regrets for donating her daughter's organs. In a way, she said, knowing that her daughter's organs are still alive in the bodies of others makes her feel that her daughter is still present. "For me, she is still alive. But she has simply transformed herself into other bodies. With that knowledge, I've not really lost her," she said. Info for donations: Name of organisation: Thai Red Cross Society's Organ Donation Centre Address: Thai Red Cross Society's Organ Donation Centre, 2nd floor, Asakachad Building, Rajdamri Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330 Tel: 1666 or 256-4045-6 Fax: 255-7968		Classifieds Jobs Property Entertainment Investment Education Travel Sales Learn English Weekly Database Horizons NiteOwl Student Weekly Real Time Special We Care Street Art Back Issues Last Month Archive Company Servcies Subscriptions Advertising Annual Report
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