Page 14 - COBH EDITION 1ST FEBRUARY DIGITAL VERSION

‘Please consider organ donation – it’s the gift of life’ - Trevor Laffan
A friend of mine isn’t too well at the moment and is in need
of a new heart. His own one has let him down so he is now
depending on a transplant to literally save his life. That’s a
tough challenge to be facing, not only for him, but also for
the family of the donor. A family somewhere has to suffer a
great loss before he can begin his recovery.
Whenever we see our friends and family in trouble like that,
we want to do whatever we can to make things right. We
want to make them better. In this case though, I’ve told him
that as much as I like him, I’m not giving him mine.
On a more serious note though, I want to do the next best
thing and highlight the need for organ donation and try to
encourage as many as possible to consider signing up for it. The provisional figures for 2018
show that there were 231 transplants performed in Ireland last year compared with 308 in
2017. This lower figure is mainly because organs are in short supply.

There are those who don’t like the idea of passing on their bits and pieces to be used by
others when they finally depart planet Earth and that’s fair enough. Whether they make that
choice because of religious beliefs or for personal reasons is neither here nor there. That’s
their decision and they’re perfectly entitled to it.

But I’m sure there are many who are not aware of the serious shortage of organs or have
never considered donation simply because it hasn’t been brought to their attention. It is a
subject that often only comes up when someone has just died but it’s not a discussion to
be had while a family is grieving. That needs to happen when everyone is in the fullness of
health so that all involved are prepared for the next step if and when the time comes.

Minister for Health, Simon Harris wants to introduce an opt-out system of consent for organ
donation which would mean that we all consent to have our organs harvested for donation
unless we specifically take the decision to withdraw that consent.

Under this system when a person dies, consent would be deemed to have been granted un-
less the person, while alive, registered their wish not to become an organ donor.
According to Mr. Harris, 83% of those who were asked, said that the proposed opt-out system
would encourage them to discuss their intentions regarding organ donation with their next-of-
kin. These conversations need to happen and it’s important that we all consider our position
on organ donation and that we make our views known to our loved ones.
This makes great sense to me. There are too many healthy organs currently being cremated
or buried in the ground when they could be used to give a great gift to someone in need.

Strange Boat is a group representing the organ donation community and they say that for
many people who are awaiting organ transplants, it can be a very long wait. It can be a time
of great physical suffering, worry and anxiety, and only those in this situation can truly under-
stand.

In 2015, Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland (ODTI) was established as the national ser-
vice and they operate around the clock for 365 days a year.
Professor Jim Egan, Director of Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland says that the
message is a simple one, organ donation saves lives. Thanks to the generosity of 98