August 4, 2012
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Have A Heart
In fact take what you need.
I was getting an injection the other day to fend off any future lung infections and while waiting I was browsing the VERY boring medical leaflets that are often available in these places (more often than not used to passify the patients than inform
and the most interesting one was about Organ Donation.It got me thinking about the subject and to be honest I would quite like the thought of my internal gubbins going to some good use after my demise.
I’ve always kind of been not that bothered by the whole postmortem part of my existence…since by that time I’m pretty sure I won’t give a brass razoo what happens to my mortal remains. I vaugely like the notion of burial over cremation, or perhaps being dumped into the sea, but overall I really don’t mind what happens to me after death…just so long as they make sure I am actually dead
So I reckon thinking about it logically the best use of a dead body if possible is to harvest it for anything of value and help out those that are still alive and kicking.
But of course if you follow certain religions or have stronger preferences than my own i’m sure many people would be against such an idea, so whats your thoughts on the subject?
Do you think you or your family would care what happens to you after your gone?
Do you have a preferance or concept of what sort of funeral arrangements you’d like?
Or is this all just a bit grim and you’d rather not think about it?…if yes to this one then…sorry
Ooo also do you know or are you someone who has benefitted from a donated organ?
Comments (24)
I hope that when I die, they will use and anything they can and burn the rest. I don’t understand our ritual of preserving the bodies and taking up so much land and money in burying them.
Organ donation is a great blessing. My best friend in high school had a heart and double-lung transplant at 18, and it gave him 4 more years. That may not seem like much, but he was an amazing person, and we felt blessed for every bit of time that he was around.
Eh. I figure if my bits are in working condition…even after I’m not, when I’m pinin’ for the fjords, ceased to be, expired & gone to meet my maker, a stiff, when bereft of life I rest in peace, pushin’ up the daisies, when my metabolic processes are of interest only to archeologists, when I’m off the twig, kicked the bucket, shuffled off the mortal coil, run down the curtain and join the choir invisible, when I am an ex-Lakakalo… why waste ‘em?
(My apologies for the Python bit, it was too good a temptation to resist… -_-)
I don’t really think about these things right now.
I have an organ donor pass. I think some people are scared because they think doctors will let them die so they can harvest organs, but I doubt any doctor wants a dead patient unless they hate you personally or something.
Other than that I want to be burnt and preferably be buried under a tree or if it’s on a graveyard then anonymously. Unfortunately the only ways of burying allowed in Germany are graveyard,
trees (but you have to buy the land on which the tree stands before or
it’s special forest-cementries or something like that) and being dumped
into the sea (after being burnt). When I’m on a graveyard I always have a feeling that it has a very strange smell that only rotting bodies can cause (probabaly imagination). But my mom also says she finds graveyards creepy and that they smell weird (without me asking).
I don’t want my body to slowly rot away and smell, and my friends to visit that creepy place that I hated during my lifetime. I’ve made a few notes on what I want, like NOTHING in my casket (in which get burnt) other than myself, and no flowers. If you don’t take care of it funerals can be pretty costly; they give you the most expensive urn and a suit/dress to wear and 150€ pillow for your head that gets burn with you. The cheapest funeral costs 2500€ according to my calculations but I’ve asked around, I don’t know anyone who spent less than 5000. (because the stuff adds up). I don’t want anyone to feel obliged to buy more expensive stuff.
Perhaps I should write it out a little cheesily, like “I lived a modest a life, because I don’t believe the accumulation of wealth equals happiness and worth and want to oppose that capitalistic thinking. Please respect these convictions in my death too. ” because really, I don’t see any point in it costing so much, and if someone wants to remember me, they should look at pictures.
My physical body used to be super healthy. I just don’t have a very good brain, and they made it worse. That’s why I AM a dalit. It means you’re stupid. Lots of abuse destroyed my brain. I’ve reflected a lot about this and life, and I would donate my organs. I never thought I was going to live very long. I’ve got kind of a half-life going on. My organs were actually why I went to the hospital when I was attacked. I figured I’d die in the ER and they’d be fresh.
I’m giving all my organs away when I die. I’m so healthy they might even be able to use my lungs.
According to my drivers license, I’m an organ donor. I never really thought about it, to be honest. But I guess if I’m dead, then there isn’t much need to have my body intact. I’ll think about it later. I’m giving myself until I’m 70 to live, so I still have a long way to go
There is an interesting book related to this post and it’s in pre-production stages of a film version and it’s called “Unwind” by Neal Shusterman. It’s a teen novel, so it’s easy reading. I finished reading it last week and… whoa. It takes place in the not-so-distant future, and they’ve perfected organ and part transplants. To be able to keep up with demand, there is a system set up by the government for parents to send their unwanted children (ages 13 thru 17) to be “unwound” – they are ‘killed’ (it can’t really be explained) and almost all of their organs, limbs, etc are taken to be used for patients needing new parts. This “unwinding” is a result of a pro-life vs pro-choice war in the United States. I highly suggest that book as it’s very timely to today’s issues on it.
I don’t like the idea of my body lying frozen in a cold room, waiting to be sliced open. When I die, I want peace.
Even when people tell me to picture the situation where a family member or a friend would be in need of an organ, it doesn’t change my mind.
I’m an organ donor…says so on my ID card
I’m sure my family will care what happens to me after I die, even though I haven’t given it much thought as to what kind of arrangements I would want to be made.
When I die, Ill be an organ donor. I kinda told my family what I want concerning funeral arrangements. I know two acquaintances that had kidney transplants and are doing terrific. I got tested for one of my best friends that just got on the list for a kidney transplant. She has two kids and its sad to be in that situation. I want people to have my organs if it’ll let them have a little bit more time to spend with their loved ones. I know that if I needed an organ I would want a transplant to prolong my life a bit more.
Organ donating just makes sense. I mean, it’s better to benefit someone else’s life than to just let it rot.
@lanney - Heart and double lung??! :O wow thats pretty incredible.
And yeah 4 years is an amazing gift, any more time to precieve and create is wonderful
Thank you for this very cool story Lanney.
@Lakakalo - Hahaha one should never resist a good python
hehe
To be honest I’d quite like to borrow your brain for a bit right now, it must be rather amusing in there
@SolidStateTheory - Naa I have to admit I don’t exactly plan on giving up my organs until i’m good and done with them in a 100 years or so
@under_the_carpet - Yeah I suppose more registered organ doners the less chances of illegal harvesting :/
Also although I doubt there is a smell of the dead in graveyards, there might possibly be a certain type of mold or stuff that likes those areas since there often is a common smell in graveyards…or it might just be the types of things that grow on marble.
But yeah I totally get the cost thing, there’s just no reason to spend a huge amount ‘for’ the dead person…because they don’t care…but I can see why the relatives might want to, I guess it’s more their call than yours once you are gone.
Hehe as for gravestones I think I’d like an amusing lymeric on mine
several games like the Monkey Island ones did that and I love the idea of amusing people while they wander through the grave yard haha 
@Colorsofthenight - Well you’ve got a pretty unique and interesting life to live, so I hope it lasts for as long a it must. And I really hope whatever difficulties you live with get easier.
Didn’t know you were attacked though, that sucks
@KnightInCROATIANarmor - Well keep your body in top notch condition and you might be around for a considerably long time. New tech is getting VERY close to creating most organs, and as soon as they can do that our physical lifetimes could be extended for 100′s of years.
@Cestovatelka - 70?…why not longer? personally I’m gonna hang onto this existence for as long as possible. If there is something beyond it most thing agree it is far more eternal than this life…so makes sense to me to get as much out of it as possible
Ooo cool sounding book, if a little creepy :/
Sounds like it could be make into a good film. With luck our science will perfect new organ generation rather than perfect transplants though, then they can just mass produce those suckers
@specialxplaces - Fair enough, pertty sure peace is yours no matter what happens postmortem.
But it’s your body so there’s no need for others to try and guilt you into messing with your preferences.
@xdeelynnx - No it’s not something that often pops into my mind it has to be said
But it was a REALLY boring waiting room hehe
@NoForevers - Yeah it just makes sense to me, everyone’s life is unique and filled with potential so if there’s even a chance I could help in that way I would.
@angelwingfive - I totally agree
Personally, I don’t care what my family wants to happen to my body. As soon as I was able to do so, I signed up to be an organ donor. I don’t think I even mentioned it to my parents. If they can use anything I’m no longer using to allow another person to live longer and healtier, then I’m still doing good things even after I’ve died. I don’t really care what they do with my body after I’ve left it.
@SaintBlue1131 - I just hope that someone fixes my brain because this is inhumane.
@MillySonka - Thats pretty much how I feel about the subject
hummm getting injections… needles… I hate that… one of my several (semi)phobias haha
I really don’t feel comfortable thinking about my death at all… – so I better not
@Zissu25 - I’ve gotten used to injections and needles, my veins are tricky so each doctor who took my blood had to try at least three times -_- eventually I just stopped minding
Hm..I wouldn’t mind being an organ donor if my life happens to be cut, but..being raised by cynical parents and hearing their horror stories about people who got into motor vehicle accidents, survived, but was pronounced dead so that they can obtain the person’s vital organs..I get a bit scared. It’s probably silly of me. Lol I do really like the idea of being able to help those alive even after you’re gone from this world though. Makes you feel that perhaps your existence did make a difference.
@SaintBlue1131 - ah that’s horrible!
I used to almost pass out (no exaggeration) from taking blood samples… I guess my cancer treatment cured me from that too – but I still really don’t like it…
I’m actually a huge advocate of organ donation.
When I was a toddler, my dad had a heart transplant. He is still alive today. If it wasn’t for his transplant and a woman signing her donor card, I wouldn’t have my little brother. It sounds sappy and sentimental at best, but I have always said: “Organ donation doesn’t only save lives. It creates them.”
Nice to see you post on this topic.
@Babieboo_Annie - Hmm pretty sure if someone wanted to steal organs they wouldn’t bother checking if you had a doner card
But yeah overall I reckon it’s a good thing, just makes sense to my mind.
@boxedwine - Oh wow, thats a great pro donation story.
I’d not even considered the idea that new lives could also depend on donation, very cool
Glad your dad get that heart.
I used to not like the idea of getting taken apart after I’m dead, but after hearing someone promoting organ donation say, “You won’t need them anymore,” that changed my mind.