Are there any other organ transplanties out there? Or anyone with questions about the subject, or considering signing a donor card? If not that's fine, it wasn't a foremost topic for me either for a lot of my life. I've just neer seen it discussed here & it surprised me.

I'm a donor on my drivers license, QB...and proud of it. Which reminds me, my license has expired, or does this month! eeeek! I need to check on that. Thanks for bringing this up. No joke!

AH, glad to help. So if your DL expires this month, must mean you B-day is in March. You know what that means? No matter your age, You'll always be a Spring Chick! How cool is That.
Bless you for signing your donor card.

Yes, I have been a donor on my card for many years. Are you a recipient? A donor? Tell us your story.

I remember, way back when I first signed up to be a donor, I did not want my heart to be included. I had some strange notion about my heart. Now I can't imagine anyone could use my heart (it's half bad) and I am more than willing to donate it. Funny, we grow up, change and then life changes.

Anno,
I'm so proud of you for signing the donor card. I hope I don't give the impression of being a crusader for donation. However I was a donor card carrier long before I became a recepiant. A little over a year ago, I had been given 2 weeks to live and used up most of that, when a matching liver became available. There is a wide range of emotions to go through & back through...everyday is a gift. I have been blessed to have experienced a great recovery & live on feeling really great most days. There are times when I don't feel so hot. But I always think "it could just be the fact that I am 48". LOL The strangest issue I deal with is once in a while I catch a glance of myself & think, "that's you & there's someone elses part in you". It's then that a inner search party kicks in and trys to conjure up a confession out of my liver as to just what the history is on it. It would be great to have had the outlook on life at 20 that I do now post transplant.

I've marked the donor box on my license ever since it became available. What the heck am I going to do with my heart once I'm gone? I hope that I can contribute my essential organs to help someone else out.

But....I did write on the little card "Please just make sure I'm dead first!"

Q_ball, congrats on still being with us. The donor programs are amazing and you're a very lucky woman. Welcome to our forums and I look forward to getting to know you better.

Kathy

Q ball, never for one instance did I think (and I am sure I speak for everyone here) that you were/are on a crusade. It is a marvel that the program has been able to help you and so many others.

Kathy you are such a hoot!

Kathy, you can do that? Good grief, when I go to get my new ones, I'm adding that line and another tad to it "make sure I'm dead and have a qualified person check." I wouldn't want any of these yahoos around here doing it. Hell-O? Be my luck I'd get volunteers Bubba and Earl...geeish.

QB, crusader? Nope, didn't think it. I thought it was an interesting topic and so I responded. No, that isn't my birthday. Mine's in January. In Alabama, it isn't by birthday.

I'm so grateful that you've shared that part of your life with us. I never thought about how it would make one feel. But you've brought up some interesting points. Are you allowed to know WHO contributed the organ? If that is too personal a question, just ignore me. Most people do. hahahahah....

So glad you're here! Literally!

Kathy, Anno & JJ,
Well shoot! DH walked in Hollerin' for something. Now I've lost my train of thought. HAHA I knw I missed guessing a birthday, from Jan to March. So, will you settle for being a new years Babe? Don't mind me I felt comelle to come up with something to redeme myself. You're all Champions for someone to have your donor cards signed. Really there should be a M.S.I'm.D. box to check. HAHA On a serious ote, JJ asked if we are allowed to know our donors. In most cases not. I don't. It's a very frustrating part of the process, as naturally I'm full of questions. However all we can do is write a letter of Appreciation to the donor famiy, it then is screened by a transplant coordiator, who then sends it on to the family. After that it's up to the family if they want to write back or be in touch with the recepiant. My donor family hasn't contacted me. But, power of deduction and a few slips from my very dear coordiantor I know, my liver came from a very active 16 y/o, with a healthy appetite. The nurse with me the last few hours B4 surgery accidently answered, "why are we waiting till 7Am for surgery?' saying, "It takes a while to fly to Colorado, harvest an organ and fly back."
Indeed I am so very lucky, but can't help feeling so sad for my donor family. It would be nice to have contact with them. HD is calling AGAIN!!! Catch y'all later

Perhaps one day, when they have dealt with their own emotions, they will feel the desire to contact you. A sixteen year old, how awful for the child. And how lucky for him/her to have such a wonderful legacy to leave behind.