don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Consider that about 6000 people die annually in this country while on a waiting list for organs. Many more live on at a diminished level from that which would be possible with a donated organ.

Not so long ago, a Nobel Prize winner suggested paying families of organ donors as a possible solution to the donor shortage problem. I have no objections to that though many do because it would not be equitable, fair, or inexpensive. But, let's face it -- if you need an organ to live or to have any hope of, let's say, being able to see again, I'm sure you could deal with a solution that is not quite equitable, fair, or inexpensive. Still, even though I don't expect a Nobel Prize for my grand organ donor plan of a self-management nature, I think it's better than the above noted Nobel Prize winner's suggestion!

My plan is a two-part remedy. Part one is "donate or don't ask." That is, to be eligible for a donor organ someday, you must have signed a donor card before your own need for one is documented. This, I believe, would do wonders to motivate folks to sign up as organ donors. It would create an incentive beyond service to others for added meaning in life, general altruism, good will, and a love for humanity. These motives rarely apply to more than a small segment of the population -- and the need for organ donors is larger than the pool of available human compassion.

Part two of my plan is a system of preferences. In my plan, every organ donor would be able to express one or a nearly endless list of his or her own preferences, sensible or weird, regarding what kinds of folks would be given priority access to his/her organs. In my plan, those wishes would be honored. Maybe just a few especially odious forms of bias and prejudice would be disallowed, say anything based on ethnicity, for example, but other than that there should be few restraints.

You want to favor vegetarian nonsmokers who do triathlons and demonstrably care about the rain forests? Why not--they're YOUR organs!

Why should anyone object? You want to ban Visigoths who smoke indoors from your organs? That's your privilege in a mostly free society like ours and it should not be so hard for modern computer programs to track and safeguard your wishes, even when you are long gone. Smokers (or nonsmokers), left (or right) handed people, those who live in New York (or live anywhere BUT New York!) -- in my organ donor plan you can include or exclude nearly anyone or any kind of character you like. I think we would have a lot more organs to pass around in the long run with this approach.

What criteria, standards or preferences would YOU lay out for someone who might eventually get to recycle your precious parts after your earthly need for them has passed? Have you thought about this? Under my idea, you might want to, in fact, you almost surely would want to exercise your right to pass along a few conditions as to who of many in need would be given the chance to "wear" whatever parts of you might be of value to others. To help you think about this, I'll mention my own likely conditions.

No, I would not require a candidate for my organs to be a tri-athlete or even an athlete, a health nut, a free thinker, a reader of my books, or a regular visitor to this website. Let the doctors pass along what they can to whomever seems to be a good match biologically. Just take two criteria into account: (1) is the candidate for my parts likely to take reasonably good care of them, based in part on how he/she looked after his/her originals? and (2) did he carry an organ donor card? Affirmative responses to both and you're welcome to anything I've got, or had, to be more specific.

So, what do you think? Maybe there are a few details to work out but, hey, the Devil lurks in the details so I don't do them. In a way, this is another form of life extension program, for parts of you as well as all of someone else. It makes me think of Woody Allen, who once noted, "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying."

All the best. Comments always welcomed and appreciated.

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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