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Finding Alternative Solutions
for Organ Donation: A Patient’s Perspective
Welcome to KidneyTalk!
On this week’s show, Lori Hartwell
and Stephen Furst speak with Sally Satel, MD--a psychiatrist, writer, and
kidney transplant recipient--on the often controversial subject of organ
donation. Dr. Satel (“Sally”) added fuel to the debate over organ donation when
an article she wrote appeared in a recent edition of “The New York Times.”
How do you feel about organ donation? Should the United States
follow the lead of many European countries by adopting a policy of “presumed
consent,” whereby a person is automatically considered an organ donor upon
his/her death (unless otherwise noted)? Should we offer financial incentives for
organ donors or keep the act of donation strictly altruistic?
No matter the choices, the issues are being debated across the
country... from east to west, in newspapers and on radio shows, in board rooms
of major medical associations, and among patients and healthcare professionals
alike.
Sally understands firsthand the challenges facing people in need
of a donated kidney. “I had one of those surprises,” says Sally. “In August
2004, I went to the doctor for a routine checkup and he discovered I had a
creatinine of 5. I didn’t even know I had kidney disease!”
Upon learning of her disease, a few of Sally’s friends stepped
forward and offered to be donors. When this option didn’t work, Sally turned to
the Internet and a donor website. In the end, however, Sally received a kidney
from a friend. The overall experience of needing an organ left her frustrated
with our current system.
Says Sally: “I think altruism is a beautiful thing, but it’s
insufficient as public policy. The waiting list is getting longer every year.
Relying solely on altruism isn’t enough. We need to look at incentives.”
The sobering statistics are that 18 people die every day in the
United States while waiting for an organ transplant. Currently, nearly 100,000
people are on the waiting list. Of those, about 65,000 are waiting for a kidney,
with an estimated wait time of approximately 5 to 8 years.
“It’s definitely a controversial subject,” says Stephen, whose
transplant center recently changed policy causing him to lose valuable time on
the waiting list. Currently living with her third kidney transplant and well
aware of the demand for organs, Lori concurs: “Organ donation is creating a
debate; however, it is a healthy debate in this country to start talking about
solutions to this problem and bringing in all views--the patients, the
healthcare professionals, and elected officials--so that we can discuss
solutions and look for new solutions that work. We have to think outside of the
box because the demand is only increasing.”
The debate over organ donation in the United States is destined
to continue for quite some time. Our hope is that we can help open the door to
healthy discussions with positive results.
There are a number of websites that provide information on organ
donation. Here are a few:
