This month, the “Take Charge of Your Health Today” page focuses on organ donation and the importance of becoming an organ donor. Vianca Masucci, health advocate at the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, and Esther L. Bush, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, exchanged ideas on this topic.
VM: Good afternoon, Ms. Bush. Are you as excited as I am to advocate for organ donation?
EB: I am, Vianca. Folks may be surprised to know that there are great racial and ethnic disparities in organ transplantation. Simply put, people of color, which includes African Americans, Asians, Native Americans and Latinos, are more likely to need an organ transplant than their White counterparts. But only a small percentage of organ donors are people of color. This has caused a national shortage of organs for people of color. I’m glad we’re talking about this.
VM: This is, indeed, a problem. I don’t think people realize the consequence of checking “no” next to the organ donor question at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The conversations that folks have in the community about organ donation are shadowed by myths, superstition and even urban legend. We’ve all heard the story about the guy waking up in a tub full of ice with his kidney missing.
EB: Of course we all have. But what we need to be hearing about is the 120,000 people waiting for organ transplants. We need to be hearing about the 22 people who die every day waiting for the organs that could’ve kept them alive. We need to be confronting these myths that scare people away from donating and present them with the facts.
VM: Great idea, Ms. Bush. Why don’t we do that now? The first one we can bust is this idea that organ donors get worse health care because doctors want them to die so that they can take their organs. When you go to doctors, they are focused on helping you. Health care professionals have very clear ethical guidelines they must follow. Doctors will never take your organs before you die. In fact, organ donors actually undergo more tests than nondonors to make sure that they have died.
EB: Yes, and these tests come at no charge to the donor. In fact, the donor will never be charged for any medical services related to organ donation. So you don’t have to worry about your family being stuck with a huge medical bill in addition to funeral costs.
VM: Speaking of funeral services, a lot of folks are concerned about organ donation interfering with an open-casket funeral. It does not. Clothes will cover any of the scars created by organ donation.
EB: Thank you for saying that so openly, Vianca. One of the things that makes organ donation so hard to talk about is addressing death. It can be hard to think about your own death and imagine what will happen to your body after you pass away. But that shouldn’t be the focus. When I think about organ donation, I don’t think about death. I think of the many lives that I could save by donating my organs. I think of leaving a legacy of caring behind to the persons I love and families I save.
VM: What a great legacy it would be! Thanks for taking time to talk with me about such an important issue, Ms. Bush. I look forward to hearing your thoughts next month as we discuss chronic disease prevention and healthy aging.
For more information about this month’s topic, e-mail partners@hs.pitt.edu.
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
Download our mobile app at https://www.appshopper.com/news/new-pittsburgh-courier
