There are probably many people who want to save lives by donating their organs, but the misconceptions about it have left many people cringing at the thought.
According to Candice Eno, an ambassador for Proud 2B an Organ Tissue Donor foundation, who is a heart recipient herself, people can save lives by donating organs and tissues.
Candice, 37, was diagnosed with Ebstein’s anomaly, a very rare condition that led to her having a heart transplant three years ago. She shared with us the process of becoming an organ donor.
“You need to first be declared brainstem dead at a hospital. If your family agrees to have your organs harvested, then two independent doctors will form a unit for the procedure to be done.
According to South African law, these doctors should not know each other,” Candice said.
She added in addition, there are various factors to take into consideration such as matching the blood type and the right body type for the procedure to work.
She said after the procedure is done and if a life is saved, recipients may face a lifetime burden of health risks which include easily becoming susceptible to infections as their immune systems may be weakened by immune suppressants (anti-rejection medication) that help to prevent organ rejection.
Candice said patients may be restricted as what they can safely eat. Raw foods, like biltong and sushi, should not be eaten.
“The sun is also a big issue to us because we may get skin cancer,” she added.
She said one of the misconceptions about organ and tissue donation is that the recipient has to pay for the organ.
It is illegal to pay for an organ. Only the procedure carries fees but if the organ has to be transported, costs will be incurred,” Candice said.
She said organs and tissues that can be donated are hearts, lungs, kidneys, livers and pancreas and even a placenta.
“People can become organ donors by registering and having stickers on them at all times. Hence if people want to become a donor they shouldn’t just mention it in their wills. They should rather register and wear a sticker because by the time it is discovered that they are actually organ donors, it might be too late for their organs to be harvested,” she said.
