Organ Donation Brochures

Organ donation strikes at the core of everyone around the world, it is closely linked with the overwhelming, heartbreaking image of loss and despair. This unfortunate correlation between death and organ donation has tainted all the good that is accomplished by a selfless act that can change a life in an instance. The joint Commission, commissioned back in 2002, was created with the sole purpose to bring awareness to important causes, and one of the most critical and life-altering causes is living organ donation.

Summary of Brochure

With the ever-increasing number in organ donation, one must speculate the true benefits of living organ donation and to ponder whether or not the benefits outweigh the risks. This brochure cleverly titled Information for Living Organ Donors attempts to separate the many myths from the truth by addressing the essential questions one must ask oneself when thinking about becoming a living organ donor (The Joint Commission, 2002). The well-regarded pamphlet attempts to shock its reader by claiming that nearly six thousand Americans have transitioned yearly into living organ donor status, which gives the surrounding speculations regarding living organ donation, a measurable and arguably, a living and breathing face to the many Americans and people across the world who gallantly gift the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good, affecting communities worldwide (The Joint Commission, 2002).

Evaluation of Brochure

In the case of living organ donation, the Speak-Up movement geared toward living organ donor, attempts to tackle a controversial topic that has wide notoriety due to the lack of factual information, which is further stigmatized by the fear of the unknown. The brochure adequately confronts the many questions with thorough and well-thought responses that effectively prompts the reader in a deeper, much needed conversation with their loved ones regarding the process of joining the many thousands of people worldwide whom have taken the pledge of becoming a living organ donor. This core principle revolving living organ donors, centers around the effect it can have on not just the individual partaking in the procedure, but the families that are in turn affected significantly. One specific anecdote I discovered by (ILTIS, A. S. 2015), states the aforementioned quite brilliantly, to ensure unity in any family, one must be ethically compelled to make choices that is a non-hindrance to the rest of the family, not just the potential growth and benefit of the individual.

The pamphlet regarding living organ donation resonates deeply with me because I personally suffer from a renal ailment that has not only greatly diminished the most basic building blocks of both my kidneys, it has teared down at the walls within my mind, leaving me vulnerable with a debilitating chronic disease, with little to nothing to hold on to but my impending mortality arising closer with each passing day. This profoundly relatable topic has altered my reality, to expect an organ at the ripe age of 25 while my counterparts worry about trivial everyday occurrences. I no longer was an individual, I was a category made from my own failing system, represented by family members preparing for the worst to come. The burden that I have casted on my loved ones like a slowly creeping shadow, made from financial harms in relations to livelihood and quite literally weighing down my devoted family members with the ever increasing hinderance (ILTIS, A. S. 2015).

The information presented in the highly-regarded movement titled Speak-Up by the Joint Commission not only expertly simplifies a cause that comes with a fancy title that carries significant weight in the community, it can also be helpful to the thousands of family members and loved ones whom are affected day after day caring for a recipient of an organ(s), all while supporting them with little to no gratitude, or actual say in the procedure; accompanying with countless life changes to the families caring for the newly prepped loved ones. Near and dear family members of an individual facing organ donation should be incorporated in the decision making and assessing the potential real-world consequences they may face, unfortunately, this is hardly the case; leaving struggling family units to fend for themselves in an already difficult situation (ILTIS, A. S. 2015). This brochure opens a dialogue not just between the health care provider and the patient but involves the family in the repercussions and care that come with receiving an organ donation.

According to (ILTIS, A. S. 2015), an approximation of 34% of kidney donors fall into the living donor category, which is quite astounding when you weigh in the risk a healthy person may be put in, just merely partaking in the surgery in the first place however, when a once completely healthy person now lacks a vigorous part of their body; exposing living organ donors to not only bodily ailments, but mental and psychosocial issues. The brochure clearly states the risks that come with becoming a living organ donor and provides external resources like the National Kidney Foundation for example, to help aid in the important life changing decision (The Joint Commission, 2002).

Conclusion

The safety and significance of becoming a living organ donor bears life-long changes to a once fully healthy body. One must be 100% sure when making a crucial decision, not just medically speaking, but also ensure one is mentally capable and financially able to alter one's lifestyle to accommodate any possible changes. This brochure accomplishes that and much more, it ensures a well-informed public making well-informed decisions.

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