10 Most Common Myths & Misconceptions

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10 Most Common Myths & Misconceptions MYTH: I have my organ donation wishes in my will so I don't need to do anything else. FACT: By the time your will is read, it will be too late to recover your organs. Telling your family now that you want to be an organ donor is the best way to have your wishes are followed. MYTH: My religion doesn't allow organ donation. FACT: All organized religions support organ and tissue donation. They typically consider it a generous act that is the individual's choice. Religious Views on Donation MYTH: You have to be in the prime of your life to donate organs. Old folks not allowed! FACT: Age limits for organ donation no longer exist. But normal protocols typically limit tissue donation at age 70. Organs may be donated from someone as young as a newborn. MYTH: If the doctor or hospital know that I'm an organ donor, they won't work as hard to save my life. FACT: Organ donation is not even considered until all efforts to save a person's life have been expended. The organ procurement organization (OPO) is not notified until all lifesaving efforts have failed and death has been determined. Two separate medical teams are utilized as well. MYTH: My family can't afford the added expense if I donate my organs. FACT: There are no expenses to the donor or his family. All charges are covered either by the recipient's insurance or Medicare. MYTH: My body will be mutilated. I won't be able to have an open casket at a normal funeral. FACT: Surgery to remove organs for donation is done in a routine, prescribed manner just as any other normal surgery is done. The body is not disfigured. Normal funeral arrangements are possible and open caskets are not a problem. MYTH: I only want to donate one organ but they might take more and I'd never know! FACT: You may specify which organs you want donated and your wishes will be followed. MYTH: My health is too bad, they wouldn't be able to use anything I have anyway. FACT: Each case is considered individually. If you have only donated your heart and you die of heart disease, then you are right. But if you donate all your organs and die of heart disease, your kidneys, eyes, skin and other organs that are in good condition can most probably still be used. MYTH: Organ transplants are still experimental. The recipients just reject the organs and die so why bother. FACT: Organ transplants are no longer considered experimental even by insurance companies. Close to 95% of transplants are successful. Even if a recipient does eventually reject an organ, they most often are put back on the list for another. Even if they do eventually succumb, they will still have had time added to their life - enjoyed by them and their families. MYTH: I heard there was a crime ring in New Orleans that was drugging people, removing one of their kidneys and leaving them in a bathtub packed in ice. This was caused by a black market in selling organs. Is this true? FACT: This is a hoax that has been perpetuated by email. There is no documented case of this ever happening. It is illegal to buy and sell organs in the United States. "Public Law 98-507 prohibits the sale of human organs. Second, due to the complexity of transplantation, piracy is practically impossible. The process of matching donors with recipients, the need for highly skilled medical professionals to perform the surgery, and the need for modern medical facilities and support necessary for transplantation make it highly unlikely that this system could be duplicated in secrecy." (References: HRSA, UNOS)