Every year a number of grieving families will be asked to donate tissue following the death of a relative. The consequences of their decision have implications for patient’s awaiting transplantation, and the donor families.
Tissue is donated to infants requiring cardiac surgery for survival; burns victims dependent on skin; children who face limb amputation due to bone cancer; athletes with shattered tendons, and people of all ages who require eye tissue to see.
It’s vital that donor families (and people yet to decide about donating), know that their gift is of enormous value to the recipients of the transplanted tissue, their families and community. And, equally importantly, that the process is well regulated.
Murky dealings
Recent investigations have revealed the dark side of human behaviour by exposing corruption in poorly-regulated international tissue donation practices. They’ve raised questions about the illicit trade in body parts and profiteering from donated tissue.
It’s no surprise that tissues (like organs) are hugely valuable. They’re difficult to substitute artificially, and provide transformative therapeutic benefits. Like organs, tissue is a scarce resource and its value and method of recovery is poorly understood and obscured behind the veil of death.
Although most of the horror stories are generally confined to overseas practices, they add to the sense of disquiet some feel about donating body parts. And they counter the efforts of pro-donation public awareness campaigns to dispel the negative aura around giving body parts to others.
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{Register to be an organ,eye and tissue donor. To learn how, www.donatelife.net or www.organdonor.gov}
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