Originally Posted By jonvn OK, here's something that is going on in my life that I'm totally perplexed about. A friend of mine is donating one of her kidneys to someone she basically doesn't know because they were going on dialysis. SHe has three kids. Is in her mid 40s. She's having this surgery now, and will be left with one kidney. What does everyone think of this? I think it's a very strange thing to do at the very least. Aside from the very real dangers of major surgery like this, what if one of her children end up needing a kidney? What if she loses her remaining one in a car accident? Does this make sense to anyone?
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder People donate organs like this all the time. In the last year or so, one of the more high profile kidney donations occurred here when a local ABC morning news anchor, Philip Palmer, donated a kidney to a technician from another stationhe didn't know. The technician was in a bad way and Palmer was a match. He was off the air for something like 2-3 weeks, tops, maybe less. Not all organ donations come from dead people. There really people out there who will donate purely for the sake of helping out someone else in need, no matter if they know them or not. They're often called angels.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder Here's a link about Palmer. <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=seenon&id=5122702" target="_blank">http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/st ory?section=seenon&id=5122702</a>
Originally Posted By jonvn As a parent, I would never run the risk. I would gladly do it for my child or other family member. You never know tomorrow who is going to be in a car crash or will get sick. This is a major gamble on the lives of your own family.
Originally Posted By DlandJB I'm a great believer in "What goes around, comes around." If she is doing this very selfless thing, I think she'll be ok. Any figures on the number of people who have donated a kidney and then need one later? I'm guessing the number is small. And someone may also return the favor if she needed one. All of life is a gamble. You might step in front of a bus tomorrow. If I could do something potentially lifesaving for someone else I'd do it.
Originally Posted By friendofdd I believe it is a good thing to do. A few years ago, I volunteered as a possible donor only to be told they don't use people as old as me for donors.
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP I think it's a good thing too. Then again, I gave plasma and platelets regularly before getting pregnant, am on the bone marrow donation registry, and have told ElderP that when I die, they can have any pieces of me that they can use. My general philosphy is, if I can help, I will. I won't save my helping just in case it may be needed more by someone else later. Buts that's me, and there are some negatives to this point of view that I won't get into here.
Originally Posted By Sara Tonin I'm not so sure about this "good thing". She's got three little kids and wants to be left with one kidney...God forbid, but what if she develops diabetes or something and needs a kidney and can't get a donor so easily, you think the person she donated the kidney to is going to step in and raise her children? I'm all for transplants and research, but she also has to think of the possible risks...and who else may have to pay for her generosity down the line.
Originally Posted By DlandJB I don't know how the screening process works, but I imagine they go very carefully over family history and if there was diabetes in the family they probably wouldn't take her. The idea of not donating when you are inclined to do so because someday something possibly dire of which there is no way of knowing and no history of happening could/might happen just seems like a waste of worry. Jonvn didn't say if she was a single parent or not. If she isn't, then there is a father there to raise them if, God forbid, anything happens to her. But again, anything could happen to anyone at any time. We are all on borrowed time here. Any good we can do while we are here is definitely a good thing. Still, I recognize this isn't a black or white issue. No one should do it if they don't want to.
Originally Posted By jonvn Not a single parent. The thing is, my father had to have a kidney removed due to cancer, about ten years in life after this person has done this. He was able to live a fairly normal life after that, because he still had one kidney. One of the reasons we have two kidneys is because we have evolved that way. There is a reason for two. We don't have two livers, we don't have two pancreas. It is not so much that you could get sick, but if your kid does, and you are a match, then oops, you just consigned your child to kidney disorder because you tossed off their chance to someone else. I don't think it's a reasonable thing to do. Platelets, bone marrow, sure, because that grows back. This does not.
