Donor card... worthless ?

Indeed. This is what a colleague of mine, besides the grief of losing a sibling, discovered.

Personally, it's the *third* time I'm seeing this, so it comes as not a surprise, but everytime, it angers me the most, for many reasons.

You have certainly heard in your area some campaigns to donate your organs. In most provinces and US states, it is usually on the back of the driver's license, or healthcare card, or even specifically carrying a donor card,.

You can sign those cards, stating that you have indeed given your consent to donate your organs.

Usually, when there's a campaign going on, they'll make you feel guilty for not signing such cards, reminding you of so many lives that could be saved if everyone did.

So, you probably do like what I've done, and like thousands of people, including the colleague's *brother*, we all have signed those cards.

If it's the end of the road for us, what is more noble than agreeing that parts of us would help to prolong someone else's life? Conversely, if on one day we are at the receiving end, wouldn't we be thankful to that brave soul who did sign his donor card?

Usually, campaigns for signing such cards go along these terms. Except they forget to tell you one *key* ingredient... or if they address it, they voluntarily tone down its importance... and yet, this is the whole point which explains why such donor cards / transplant cards... are essentially *worthless*.

Have you realized that your signature on the back of these cards is in *no* way an authorization to do anything with your body? Yup. That's what my colleague found out the hard way.

Authorities have to contact members of your family. At this time of the year, everyone is on vacations.

Bingo.

Impossible to contact the family in a timely fashion... So the signature on the back of his donor card WAS NOT HONORED... since no one could be reached in a timely fashion.

And that was the end of the story, and in a tragic irony, a brother who was a very active proponent of those donor cards.

But it's the law as dumb as it is, even if you sign your card, someone ELSE has to give an ok.

And when you dig this further, you realize that the shortage of organ transplant is *NOT* because there are lacks of donors, in fact, they are indeed plentiful, but it is in contacting the family in a timely fashion that is the problem.

So the next time there will be a campaign, or when a volunteer, in his or her good will is seeing you in person to persuade you to sign that card, card that you have probably signed by the way, would you tell that person to redirect his or her good will to where it... matters?

To change the law, so when you sign a donor / transplant card, that there should not be time wasted, nor even a glimpse of an hesitation in questioning your signature?

Think about it.

On all the documents you have signed during your entire adult life, say from a credit card purchase to your yearly income taxes, even something as important and life binding as a marriage contract, no one ever came *later*, asking someone *else* whether it was really you who signed those documents, and whether you really intended to sign those documents?

So... why is it, when at the most crucial point in life, when it is literally giving life to someone else, even more so when time is a critical factor ... why anyone would purposely question your signature?

Nonsense.

You really want to hear from me on how to really make organ transplant working ? Do you really want to help to save lives?

Do help change the law.

Cheers,

-E