When my eternal sleep came, I always thought I would end up in the ground in a coffin. That's what I saw as the norm or the standard in my neighborhood. There use to be a funeral home on the same block as my parents' home. It was easy to tell if it was a gangbanger's funeral by the crowd gathered outside. Growing up in the barrio, there seemed to be several of those. The whole coffin in the dirt was also a typical image on the television or on the movie screen.
Then someone (don't recall who) mentioned cremation to me. He/She wanted to be cremated instead of being buried in the earth. Well, cremation does take up less space. Didn't realize how much land cemeteries utilize until I visited one. Boy, there are several cemeteries in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Having your ashes spread over a significant spot also seemed romantic.
I too balked at the notion of signing the back of the driver's license to show you were an organ donor. After going thru med school, I began to rethink my stance. Why was I so opposed to donating myself to a worthy cause? Mostly out of ignorance and an attachment to my body. Silly body - I can't take you with me in the afterlife. What good is my body after my soul has left? It will just rot there in the earth, while it could be giving life to a child, mother, daughter, father, son, and etc. In residency, I did get to see people who made the choice to be organ donors. ROBI, those in charge of harvesting the organs and seeing if any damage had been sustained, came to the ICU on several occasions. My experience has changed my viewpoint on the matter. My driver's license is up for renewal this year. This year I will sign the back of my license.
I will also inform my family of my wishes which is important. Many times our families don't know what we want. The only way our wishes will be carried out is if our parents and spouses know our wishes. It helps to have written documentation such as a living will or giving a close family member power of attorney. As power of attorney of your health, he/she can carry out your wishes when you are no longer competent to make your own decisions (in the case of coma, dementia, etc). Legal binding documents can specify your wishes so that a power of attornery HAS to carry them out. It is not always an easy discussion to have, but it is one that needs to happen. Sooner or Later. Make it sooner.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I signed the back of my DL, hopefully the harvesters will find healthy organs when the time comes.
Now, what to do with the rest?
Cremation is an option, indeed.
The second option is to be buried in a petate, so my body is able to decompose and provide nutrients to the ground, and come full circle.
a mi que me entierren "con dulces y no con piedras" como los caifanes. tambien cuenta rulfo que a los muertos hay que cantarles. i remember when my grandma was buried and other recent burials in my town--siempre con musica, musica de viento o un trio.
A system where organs are donated automatically and only those that sign for 'NO donation' are exempt has a major positive impact on the number of organs donated and on the resulting lives saved and improved. Why not have this system everywhere, I wonder.
Kadoom, if I'm not mistaken there is some rejection to that option by religious groups, but you're right, it is a good option.
I think there are some religions that find the body sacred so to disturb it for organ donation is a problem.
Also in medicine, Informed Consent might be a roadblock to this idea. For an medical treatment/procedure, we need people to have Informed Consent. We can't assume that everybody is informed about organ donation to make it a default process. But that process would increase the amount of organ donors.
Post a Comment