Finding out that a loved one is in need of an organ donation can be terrifying. Your mind might be racing, wondering if they’ll be able to find a suitable match in time and whether or not there’s anything you can do to help. Becoming a donor yourself is certainly honorable, but it’s not an easy process to undergo. So you’ll want to be absolutely certain that you’re on board before prepping for surgery.
That’s why one man, who has been facing immense pressure from his family to donate an organ, recently reached out to Reddit for advice. Below, you’ll find his explanation of exactly why he refuses to help out his father, as well as some of the replies invested readers shared.
This man is under immense pressure from his family to donate an organ to his father
Image credits: LightFieldStudios / envatoelements (not the actual photo)
But he has no intentions of saving the person who made his childhood a nightmare
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Image credits: Zinkevych_D / envatoelements (not the actual photo)
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Later, the man responded to several readers and provided more background information
Over 100,000 people are currently waiting for organ donations in the United States
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No one ever wants to be told that they’ll need an organ donation to survive, but this is an experience that thousands of people go through every year. In fact, the Health Resources & Services Administration notes on their site that there are currently 103,223 men, women and children on the national transplant waiting list in the United States. And every 8 minutes, another person is added to the list.
Sadly, not everyone will live to receive their transplant. Every day, 13 people lose their lives while waiting for an organ donation, and on average, those in need of a kidney will be on the waiting list for about 5 years.
Recipients of liver transplants often wait between one month to five years, while those waiting for a heart or lungs typically wait about 4 months. And individuals in need of a pancreas transplant spend two years on the waiting list on average.
Unfortunately, receiving an organ transplant is a complicated process because many factors must be considered when matching donors and recipients. You won’t necessarily be the next person to receive a donation just because you’ve been on the list for the longest amount of time.
Health care professionals also consider how serious the patient’s medical condition is, their proximity to their donor’s hospital and whether or not the patient is available when they get a call that they’ve been matched with a donor. Depending on the organ, the donor and recipient may also need to be the same blood type and a similar body size.
According to the National Kidney Federation, a family member or friend is often the best match for someone in need of a transplant. However, choosing to donate an organ is a decision that should not be made lightly, as it carries risks for the donor as well as the recipient.
It’s important for donors to understand the risks before agreeing to part with an organ
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In the case of donating a kidney, for example, the National Kidney Federation reports that there is a 1 in 20 risk of a major complication. There’s also a 1 in 25 chance of developing long-term pain on the side of the abdomen where the kidney was removed from and a 1 in 200 chance that the donor will later develop kidney failure themself. There’s even a 1 in 3,000 risk that the donor won’t survive the operation.
Before donating an organ, the American Transplant Foundation urges potential donors to consider if they are prepared physically, emotionally, financially and intellectually. It’s important to understand how exactly this operation will impact your life at the moment and in the years to come.
While the physical risks are not usually significant, it’s crucial for donors to know exactly what they’re getting themselves into to avoid ever harboring resentment towards the recipient. If you’re giving a kidney to a relative that you love or your best friend, there’s a good chance that you’ll be thankful for all of the years you’ll get to spend with them.
But in this particular situation, where the man being asked to donate already hates his father, there’s a huge risk that he would have some regrets if he decided to go through with the surgery. And as he has made clear, we don’t even know if he would be a suitable donor for his father, so there’s really no need to put pressure on him.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think the author made the right choice by putting his foot down? Then, if you’d like to check out another Bored Panda article discussing a similar issue, look no further than right here.
The vast majority of readers assured the author that he was under not obligation to donate an organ
However, some thought he was making a choice that he would regret
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