A Parents Worst Nightmare and Organ Donation

Yesterday morning a neighborhood boy, I shouldn't say boy he was 18 and 2 days away from graduating high school, took his own life. Our small town is in shock again. This is the second suicide in as many months for this tiny rural farm community of about 500 people. This also makes for the forth suicide within a 20 mile radius since the beginning of the year. We are all deeply saddened by this latest tragedy and many of the local youth are completely bewildered.

Long ago my own son and I have discussed organ donation in the event something should happen. I DO want my organs to be donated. To give someone the gift of life, perhaps saving someone else's child from a certain death warrant.

My son on the other hand does NOT want his organs to be donated. He says he wants to remain "whole."

Question: If a loved one dies and you know they do not want their organs donated, but you know somewhere out there is a mother, a father, a spouse, a sibling, a child grieving and desperate to have maybe one last chance at life....
Would you dis-honor a loved ones wishes if it meant the gift of survival for another human being or would you honor their wish?

I'd like to be able to say with certainty I would honor their wishes, but if faced with a desperate plea from a grieving parent, or looking at a sick child in their little face I'm not so sure.

How can you expect them to honor yours ?

You might continue to try and educate the person about the matter but I think you need to respect their choice.

You won't "see" the sick little faces of potential recipients. Organ donation is handled by the professionals. And let's hope your son will honor your wishes.

Do try to educate him about organ donation. But, right now, you might want to discuss the suicide, rather than let him know you're planning on outliving him.

And I also realize that donor families don't know where or who will end up being the recipients. Ususally organs go to many different places and people.

I said that my son, now 20 years old, and I discussed this long ago. Maybe he's changed his mind since, I don't know.

"But, right now, you might want to discuss the suicide, rather than let him know you're planning on outliving him."

Where did that come from? :eyes: Letting him know you're planning on out living him :eyes:

educate him on the gift of life.Ask him how he would feel if you needed a transplant.

We haven't talked about the subject of organ donation for a while now. I have tried to use myself as an example and we discussed it a couple years after his Dad died. His father had an awful form of cancer and no organ donation in the world could have saved him, but I have used a hypothetical situation pertaining to his Dad. Ya know, what if organ donation could have saved your father, would you be for it then? His answer was still no. So for what ever his personal reasons he is not for it.

Not to worry though.....I'll still try and educate him on it.

I'm glad you recieved your gift of life in time.

Why not?

so im all about giving whatever is still good. my parents know this.

i had a boyfriend in college who also wanted to stay "whole" and i told him that if he died i would donate his organs anyway. if its in a will or some other legal document i cant do anything. but as the next of kin, i would have release his body to be harvested.

and i told him, youre dead, you cant do anything about it.

Your post made my smile......thanks :-)
Can't do anything about it...heh heh...love it.