Evening all,
So last week I was talking of learning to drive and slowly but surely scraping the money together in order to afford my motorcycle licence, and whilst still important something caught my eye as I was reading a newspaper the other day on my morning commute.
About a year ago, childhood sweethearts from Cardiff in South Wales gave birth to a little baby boy called Teddy and his twin, Noah. Teddy was poorly and after a few hours he sadly past away. A story widely covered by the British media I was in awe of how little Teddy's parents handled the traumatic ordeal as after much deliberation they allowed his tiny frame to be donated in the aid of helping others through being a donor. I believe that both his heart and his kidneys were used in helping someone else live a day that this brave little bear couldn't have.
I was shocked to learn that since the 1st of April 2015, there are over six-thousand people awaiting a organ in the UK. That means that every single one of those people, in the majority of circumstances, are awaiting a death to bring them life. In the last twenty-seven days since the beginning of the month, sixty-eight people have donated something in aid of helping another person to live on which is fantastic, but in comparison to the one-hundred and seventy-one people who took a transplant or donated organs its sad to see that people are more willing to take than they are to give. And this got me thinking about me. And as I stared out the window at the oncoming traffic and the trees and buildings passing me by I thought about what I would do in that situation. In all honesty I would like to think that everyone would act in the same way, giving up parts of their child so another human life can be saved. I would like to think that I could do this, however if faced with the circumstances I don't know if I would truly be able to go through with it. I have always said that organ donation should be an opt into service as opposed to the current, opt-in system we have here in the UK. If I don't want my organs being shipped out across the country, possibly even the world, then I should be within the power to say no before that happens. I am currently on the donor register in England and Wales and am proud to know that if I sadly die (unfortunate I know) that I could potentially save multiple lives, and thus ending and preventing the grief for their families, at least for a short while anyway. I have donated, at least registered them for donation should anything happen to me, some of my most medically sought after assets including my Liver, lungs and Kidneys ... Just like Teddy!
There is a line whereby I draw and say enough is enough. I would have certain rules on who gets a piece of me, I mean there isn't that much "brilliant" for everyone! I would ask that my organs are never given to anyone who failed to look after their own, for example my lungs to an inherent smoker for the past thirty years or to a alcoholic whose liver had packed up from all the White Ace and Frosty Jacks. No, I would insist that my items go to someone whom will love them as much as I have and cherish them as they're own. As well as that, out of the list of donated items you can gift someone I have only two exceptions; My eyes and my heart. My eyes, or moreso my Corneas which are of most value to people can bring the magic of sight, yes, however I would want them kept in tact as I head to the grave, in the knowledge that no-one will every see some of the most beautiful, and sometimes heartbreaking things. My heart on the other hand I am grappling with. On the one side you have the fact that it is something all the more metaphoric and symbolic. With my heart I have loved many (you have seen the amount of Mister's I go through) and may there be many, many more to come. The phrase "Listen to your heart" is one I think sometimes I have done too much in the past but worry that in the future I will look back and regret I never did enough of. But then on the other side of the coin you have the simple scientific and biological fact that it is just tissue and muscle and a organ that powers my entire being. Without it my existence would be nothing and I would quite frankly be dead!
Death is horrible to think of and about, but it is as natural as nature intended. From the moment we are born we are dying (and in some cases a Monday afternoon can escalate that feeling all too well some may say) but one thing is for sure that as we take our first breath's as babies, screaming for air, we are destined for a life of unknown fortune and fate! Its not nice to have that conversation with Granny or Grandpa but sometimes I really do feel like you have to. In order to preserve and respect their wishes beyond the grave you have to talk about it when you have the chance, after all you wont get any answers from a cold corpse and I would hope that my friends and family would know what I want and help me in achieving that after I am gone.
I would hope that I could make it into my nineties before I die. I would like to get a letter from the Queen (or King by that point) congratulating me on my 100th birthday. I would like to see my children, have children, who in turn will have more children. I would like to fart and blame it on a dog I don't have and get away with it just because I am old. But if that day doesn't come, and I am called away on business by another entity then I am safe in the knowledge that I can not only spread humour and laughter through my story telling and wit, but also through helping others, because its not every day you can say you saved not one, but many lives, maybe even created a few in the process of giving something un-giveable.
To find out more, please visit: http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/ and don't just think about it, register and start saving lives as soon as yours has ended. Thank You.
'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx
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