The Organ Donor Experience: Good Samaritans and the Meaning of Altruism

211 Pages·2011·3.12 MB·English

by  Katrina Bramstedt

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Katrina A.
ena
The Organ
Donor Experience
The Organ
Donor Experience
Good Samaritans and
the Meaning of Altruism
Katrina A. Bramstedt
and Rena Down
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK
Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com
Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2011 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
. .
passages a reVIew.
1ll
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bramstedt, Katrina.
The organ donor experience : good samaritans and the meaning of altruism I Katrina A.
Bramstedt and Rena Down.
p. cm.
Summary: "Organ donors are, by definition, altruists, and their act is even more
generous when they remain anonymous. But altruism doesn't tell the whole story. There
are myriad motivations, some subconscious, some conscious, that compel people to
donate a part of themselves to someone they don't know. The Organ Donor Experience
uncovers the desires, personalities and motivations of Good Samaritan organ donors and
reveals much about the process of donating an organ to a needy recipient"- Provided by
publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4422-1115-5 (hardback) - ISBN 978-1-4422-1117-9 (electronic)
1. Organ donors. 2. Organ donors-Psychology. 3. Generosity. 4. Donation of
organs, tissues, etc. I. Title.
RD129.5.B73 2011
617.9'54-dc23 2011016618
Me, TM
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSIINISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
..
Foreword
Vll
Acknowledgments
IX
Introduction 1
Part I Ethics and Altruism
1 Ethics, Values, Motivations 11
2 Fred: A Real-Life Superhero 21
3 Josie: Crisis Control 24
4 Matt: Making Amends 27
Part II Destined to Be a Donor
5 Constructs of Destiny 33
6 Dave: The Voice on the Beach 40
7 Cheryl: The Game Is on Hold Today 43
8 Max: How Many People Can I Help? 45
9 Jeff: Blind but with Clear Vision 49
10 Jack: In Memory of September 11 52
Part III Serving Others and Giving Back
11 Trends among Good Samaritans 57
12 Deborah: Twice a Donor! 64
13 Missy: I Can Give Life 67
v
Contents
VI
Part IV The Gift of Giving
14 Saints or Normal Folk? 73
15 Cynthia: A Valentine's Day Gift 79
16 Ken: The "Life Preserver" 82
17 Karen: Pay It Forward 85
Part V Life Experience and Giving
18 Altruism, Abundance, and Suffering 89
19 Chad: Kidney-Shaped Cuffiinks 93
20 Curt: Prunes and Motorcycles 97
21 Garrett: Helping the Vulnerable 101
Part VI Becoming an Organ Donor
22 Candidacy Evaluation 105
23 The Donor's Family Circle 114
24 Organ Donation Surgery 121
25 Complications 128
Part VII Life after Organ Donation
26 Kevin: Canada's First Good Samaritan 137
27 Claude: Ready to Rescue 140
28 The Organ Recipient: Ethical Considerations 144
29 Life after Donation 153
30 Elevation 160
Appendix: Living Donor Resources 165
Notes 167
Bibliography 189
Index 197
About the Authors 201
Foreword
§am delighted that the authors took the time to create such an informative
and compelling book from the inspirational acts of the superheroes that we
commonly refer to as Good Samaritan donors. If you are in doubt that there
is good in this world, you need to read this book. You will be inspired.
A few words about my own transplant experience. When my young
est daughter was ten years old, her kidneys failed. When we learned that she
would never recover her kidney function, it was clear that a living donor
kidney transplant would give her the best outcome. I attempted to donate my
kidney and proceeded through the evaluation process only to learn, thirty-six
hours prior to surgery, that I failed the final cross-match test and would not be
able to donate because my daughter would reject my kidney. I was devastated.
Our daughter finally received a kidney transplant after a difficult and
extensive donor search. Fifteen donors were tested-one was compatible and
could donate-my twenty-three-year-old nephew. He is our superhero and
exemplifies those who walk among us and bring light to this world.
Collectively, Good Samaritan donors have saved the lives of over 200
people through donor chains organized by the National Kidney Registry over
the past two years alone. I am honored to know many of the superheroes who
fill the pages of this book. I continue to be awed by their selfless generosity
and am amazed by the increasing number of Good Samaritan donors who are
coming forward to give the gift of life to total strangers.
Read this book and be inspired!
Garet Hil
Founder and President
National Kidney Registry
..
VB

Acknowledgments
~s
book would not have been possible were it not for the generosity of
each Good Samaritan organ donor. Not only did they change the lives of
their organ recipients, but they changed our lives as well. We remain forever
amazed at their service to humanity and thank them for allowing us to explore
their personal domains. We also express deep gratitude to the several tran
scriptionists who volunteered their time to work on this project, transcribing
dozens of hours of interviews from audiocassette tapes to readable documents.
Rena Down thanks her angel, Arlene Arthur, for her gift. We dedicate this
book to all those who give the gift of life through organ donation.
Thank you.
IX