Organ Donation
LegalWills.ca
is dedicated to providing services related to advance directives,
including specifying your organ donation wishes in the MyFuneral™ service. Below are some questions and answers related to organ
donation.
What exactly is organ donation?
Many of your internal organs are still functional after you have died. Organ
donation is a process to surgically remove useful organs after you have died, and
pass these to recipients who are otherwise healthy, but need a particular functional
organ. In North America alone over 50 people receive organs each day but there are
currently tens of thousands of patients waiting to receive functional organs. Often
these people are in life threatening conditions.
Will I qualify to be a donor?
Any adult can express a desire to donate their organs after they have died. Whether
or not the organs are donated is determined on a case by case basis at the time
of death. There are no age restrictions, or health restrictions on expressing this
desire. Many elderly people have been successful donors, and children can also donate
with parental consent. If you support the principle of organ donation you should
not be discouraged based on your personal health or condition. The suitability of
your organs for a specific recipient will be determined by medical practitioners,
based on known information, a series of tests and the characteristics of the recipients
waiting for organs.
How will people know that I want to donate my organs?
It is extremely important to notify your loved ones of your desire to donate
organs. You can at a minimum indicate this desire on your driver's license or by
carrying an organ donor card. Expressing this intent in your Last Will and Testament
is impractical, as most donations will need to be carried out well in advance of
your Will being located and read.
By stating your desire to donate organs in the MyFuneral™
service here at
LegalWills.ca,
you will be making your designated personal "Keyholders®"
aware of your desire prior to any funeral arrangements being made. By discussing
your wishes with your loved ones you will also be making them aware of your
intent for organ donation ahead of time. You should also consider carrying a
LegalWills.ca
wallet card (ordered using the MyWalletCards™
service) so that your specific wishes regarding organ donation can be accessed quickly
when required.
What organs can I donate?
Donations can be made of both organs and tissues. The term "tissues" refers to
anything that is not considered to be an internal organ. The organs that can be
donated are the heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, liver and intestines. The tissues
that can be donated are the cornea, skin, bone marrow, heart valves and connective
tissue. The organs are used to help a recipient with that specific organ failure.
The tissues are used to treat blindness, burns, arthritis, heart disease and a number
of other congenital defects. For example, heart valves are often used to treat children
with defects in their own hearts.
Can I donate my eyes if I wear glasses?
Yes. Even totally blind people can donate their eyes because poor eyesight does
not prohibit eye donation. Only the cornea (clear, front part of the eye) is used
for corneal transplantation. The sclera (white part of the eye) can be used for
research (if you wish) to aid in future treatment of eye diseases.
Do organ donations save lives?
Absolutely. Many organ and tissue donations are used to save a life, while many
more are used to enhance lives, such as donations of corneas which offer the gift
of sight to a blind person.
What will happen at the time of donation?
First of all, donation will never happen until you are clinically dead. This
means that "brain death" must occur --- where the brain is no longer functioning
although the function of other organs may be artificially supported. The artificial
circulation of blood through the body can sustain organs for some time, although
even without this support organ donation can still be performed successfully within
a short period of time after death. After the organs and tissues have been removed,
many can be stored until a recipient has been identified. Furthermore, different
organs have different longevities. For example, corneas are usually transplanted
within 24 hours, but some tissues like heart valves can be stored for up to five
years before they are used.
Will the donation be successful?
Successful organ donation and organ transplant of the donated organs is not guaranteed,
but the attempt at organ donation is sometimes the only immediate option available
for a person close to death. Success rates vary for different organs but range between
70 and 90 percent. For example heart transplants are successful in over 80 percent
of cases. It is important to note that one person can donate many organs and tissues,
and so there is a possibility that a number of people will benefit from a single
donor.
Can I donate any of these things before I die?
Some donations can be made while you are living, particularly blood and bone
marrow. Relatives or spouses can donate a kidney, a partial liver and a partial
lung with a particular recipient in mind. In addition bone can sometimes be donated
if you are, for example, having bone removed for hip replacement surgery.
What if I've already decided to donate my body to medical science?
Organ and whole body donation are two separate requests. The donor must decide
on whether to donate their whole body to a medical school or whether to donate individual
organs at the time of death. Whatever the decision, a donor will receive a donation
wallet card that should be carried at all times.
Won't organ donation get in the way of carrying out my funeral arrangements?
Normally, funeral arrangements can be carried out as usual. Once a patient is
declared dead, and the family gives their consent, donation is usually completed
within 24 hours.
Will I still be able to have a viewing at my funeral ceremony?
Donation does not disfigure the body and does not interfere with funeral plans,
including open casket services. Organ donation is a surgical operation and will
not disfigure the body in any way.
What does organ donation cost?
The donor's family does not pay for the cost of the organ donation. All costs
related to the donation of organs and tissues are paid by the recipient, usually
through insurance or health care programs (e.g. Medicare).
What if I have already filled out the organ donation form on my drivers licence?
Will my decisions made there take precedence over the decisions I make here in the
MyFuneral™ service?
If your organ donation form is signed by yourself and two witnesses it is a legal
document in some jurisdictions. However, it is more likely to represent your willingness
to donate. If your family vehemently objects to these wishes then it is unlikely
that organ donation will occur. It is mandatory to make your wishes clear and unambiguous
to your family, which is why the MyFuneral™ service
exists. If there is an inconsistency in the expression of your willingness to donate,
the decision will rest with your next of kin.
What will I be paid?
You cannot sell human organs and tissues. Contrary to popular myth, there is
not a healthy black market in illegally obtained organs. Recipients are not ranked
in terms of their ability to pay, only by their medical need and suitability for
receiving the organ.
How do I specify my organ donation wishes?
The MyFuneral™ service here at
LegalWills.ca
will let you specify your organ donation wishes, as well as make many other decisions
regarding your funeral and other arrangements after you have passed away.
It is important that you document these wishes so that they can be communicated
to your survivors when the time is right.
Does it matter where I live?
Services such as MyFuneral™,
MyLifeLocker™,
MyVault™,
and MyMessages™ do not create legal documents and
make no assumptions about your country of residence.
We have worked extensively with lawyers in Canada to ensure that the legal
documents created by the MyWill™,
MyExpatWill™,
MyPowerOfAttorney™ and
MyLivingWill™ services are up to date
with the laws in all of the provinces in
Canada, including: Alberta,
British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador,
Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island,
Québec,
Saskatchewan, and Yukon.
Hence, our
services can be used to generate legal documents in any Canadian Province or Territory.
If you have any doubts about the legal standing of any documents in your
jurisdiction, feel free to seek legal counsel in your area to have your
documents reviewed.