DONATE LIFE HOLLYWOOD - "DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES"
by: Tenaya Wallace, Campaign Director, Donate Life Hollywood

“Desperate Housewives” has been informed that they are going to win a Donate Life Hollywood Inspire Award on June 22nd for their multi-episode storyline featuring Susan’s dialysis treatment and need for a kidney transplant.

But now I am thinking about revoking the award.

I thought the writers were doing a great job and gave an honest portrayal of what it is like to be on dialysis and on the waiting list. It was so good that I was able to ignore when the nephrologist mispronounced creatinine.

I was even on board when Beth, one of the desperate housewives, drives herself to the ER, gives the nurse her living donation papers to donate to Susan and then shoots herself in the head…in the waiting room, of the ER.

Yes, it was over-the-top but Beth did it because she felt like a failure and wanted her life to have meaning. At the end of the day the episode told audiences “organ donation is a good thing.” And it did lead to a head injury, which would lead to brain death, so no hate mail from me.

But last night they blew it. 

They made the mistake that nearly every show makes – a totally inaccurate presentation of brain death that perpetuates the exact fears and misconceptions that keep people from signing up to be donors.

I literally lost count on the number of times characters repeated that Beth “wasn’t really dead.”

But Susan was called into the transplant center to receive Beth’s kidney. Beth, they made it clear, was on life support in order to be an organ donor.

I could almost see the millions of Americans who have not registered as donors because they are SURE that we are going to take their organs before they are dead nod their heads and say, “You see…there is no way I am going to register as a donor. Those people will take them before I am even gone.”

Desperate Housewives just provided proof positive of the biggest myth around.

There was NO discussion of brain death, no mention that Beth no longer has blood going to her brain or brain stem, there was no brain death testing to show the lack of reflexes and her eyes are fixed and dilated, there was no mention that Beth was on ventilated support to allow oxygen to perfuse the organs not on life support to keep her alive, there was no discussion with any of the characters that brain death IS death…not an in-between stage to take the organs.

They did say something like “there is no chance of survival” but then added, again, that she wasn’t really dead.

What do I do? I feel like this single episode was so damaging that it would be criminal to award the show. And yet, their presentation of Susan’s dialysis was good. I could give them an award for a single episode instead of the entire storyline. Or I could give them a piece of my mind and tell them that all their good was undone by an inaccurate and damaging presentation of the donation process.

Here’s another bit of information, none of the Desperate Housewives bloggers on any of the fan sites seemed to notice that Beth wasn’t really dead nor do they seem at all concerned about my concern.

What would you do? 

Share your thoughts on Donate Life Hollywood’s Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=164301202188&ref=ts

Tenaya Wallace
Campaign Director, Donate Life Hollywood


The Donate Life Hollywood Inspire Award is given annually to television episodes and films that: 

Entertain – Create compelling stories of hope, transformation, generosity and love that highlight organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Enlighten – Share statistics about the transplant waiting list, clarify the organ and tissue donation/transplant process, dispel myths about donation or inform viewers how to register as organ and tissue donors.

Inspire – Leave viewers with a positive feeling about organ and tissue donation, motivate viewers to become organ and tissue donors to help save lives and/or collaborate with Donate Life.

This season seven shows met the criteria to receive a Donate Life Hollywood Inspire Award. The writers and producers of each episode have been invited to receive their awards.

One Tree Hill                   "The Space in Between"

Glee                                 "Special Education"

Desperate Housewives     "Assassins"

Grey's Anatomy                "These arms of mine"

Boston Med                       Final episode

Family Guy                       "New Kidney In Town"

The Ellen Show                 Tara Storch Interview