Gift-giving
This country is apparently about to get a national organ donation registry. A Globe and Mail report this morning says it’s in response to as many as 1,200 people dying every year because of a lack of coordination.
It is puzzling to me that so many people are buried or cremated with perfectly usable organs intact, while others die while waiting for a precious heart or kidney. If it’s a religious issue or something else that is part of your core belief system I suppose it’s your right to decide not to become a donor. But, I will never understand kind and generous people who supposedly care about the welfare of their fellow humans, who don’t bother to tell their loved ones they wish to donate organs or tissue.
A lawyer friend once told me that I’d be shocked by how many people refuse to get a will because they think that somehow they will die right away! If only they could see the living hell they leave behind for their loved ones. The people they claim to care so much about are the ones who have to deal with the fallout from a silly supposition.
The death of a loved one isn’t always something you can anticipate. Make your wishes known - once - and then you can forget about it. My friend Marc is a living example of the kindness of a family who lost a young family member in a car crash. Marc received her lungs, replacing his failing ones, and he has been given the gift of many years to watch his young sons grow and be a partner to his wife.
As for the new system, it will reportedly include coordination of all provinces except Quebec. I believe it’s an excellent expenditure of tax dollars. And I hope it saves lives.