GIFTED: A Novel and Now a Docuseries

As part of National Donate Life Month, I’ve written recently about the public’s preconceived erroneous notions about organ donation–both living and deceased. These myths tragically keep the numbers of donors down and the number of needless deaths up.

More than 100,000 people in this country need a lifesaving organ, for most of them a kidney. Thousands die each year while waiting–or are removed from the list because they have become too sick to benefit from a transplant.

I just read a memorable novel that’s been on my radar for a long time (I remember meeting the author, Robert Horsey, in 2018 at the Living Donor Rally at the Bean in Chicago). The book is drawn from his professional experience as a critical care registered nurse who has served as an organ procurement coordinator. That’s the compassionate individual who coordinates the entire process, making delicate arrangements, and sensitively communicating with the donor’s family and physicians and the organ recipient.

An important and sobering subject, and Horsey’s story is engaging, relatable, moving, and educational.

The novel Gifted was published in 2017, but the topic is timeless. And now, with a docuseries, it’s very timely.

For Gifted: The Docuseries, Horsey has teamed up with award-winning video producers and filmmakers. Their Gifted Productions company was created to educate the general public about organ donation through real people’s stories. The docuseries has five episodes. The team hopes to dispel myths so often reinforced by feature films and popular television series, and, ultimately, to increase the numbers of organ donors.

Episode One follows the inspirational story of the donor family of Heather Miller, who tragically died soon after her graduation from West Virginia University.

A public screening is scheduled for July 2024 at the Transplant Games in Birmingham, Alabama. Gifted has had a few private showings in different states, and more are being scheduled. For information or to donate to its fundraising partner, The Maddog Strong Foundation public 501(c)(3) nonprofit, go to Gifted Productions.

For related posts, resources, and information on The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation, be sure to explore the rest of my website.

Donate Life–In Any Way You Can

As a living donor, I’ve chosen to focus the majority of my posts on the lesser-known subject of living donation (most recently, preconceived notions about donors). I haven’t written much about the other kind of organ donation—that is, after death. It’s one of those sobering subjects that often make people uncomfortable (I used to be one of them).

That said, I’m going to give it a try here anyway and hope that you’ll keep reading. If you’ve read many of my blog posts, you probably have noticed that no matter what I’m writing about, I prefer a light touch and maybe go for a smile or two. So I’m not going to berate anyone who has not already signed up to be a donor. And I promise you I’m not going to drone on about how important it is and how it’s our duty to society yadayadayada.

You already know that, right? (If not, I might note here that more than 100,000 people in this country are waiting for a lifesaving organ—most of them for a kidney—and about 17 people die each day because they didn’t get one in time.)

So what am I going to do here? I’m just going to ask a few simple questions:

1-What percentage of people in this country do you suppose die in a way that even makes it possible for their organs to be donated?

2-If a registered organ donor is dying in a hospital, do you imagine that the doctors and nurses will throw in the towel that much sooner?

3-Are you afraid you might not be “completely dead” when they get ready to recover your organs?

Answers:

Less than 1% (If you’re stunned by that news, you’re not alone. Years ago my guess would have been less than half, but maybe 20% or 30%, but I honestly had no idea.) In other words, the pool is very small.
First of all, they don’t even know—or care—whether you’re a donor or not. Their only concern is saving you, their patient (remember “first, do no harm”?). Secondly, transplant teams don’t get involved until after death is pronounced. In fact, most deceased donors actually come from hospitals that don’t even have transplant centers.
Lots of tests are done—even more than usual–to make absolutely sure that someone is in fact brain dead.

So, if you’ve read this far, thank you! If you weren’t already signed up, I hope this post has given you something to think about and maybe you’ll go to organdonor.gov–or any of a dozen or more sites (don’t wait to renew your driver’s license!)–to register. If you’re already registered, please share this post with others who may not be or who might know someone who would like to share it.

For related posts, resources, and information on The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation, be sure to explore the rest of my website.

Living Donors Are….

If you finished the statement by saying “saints,” then you’re just the reader I’m looking for. I want to dispel that very idea! Please read on.

How about living donors are…”risk takers”? That one too.

You see, so many people have preconceived notions about us living donors, that I think it gets in the way of more people even considering the possibility of doing it themselves.

With nearly 100,000 people waiting years for a deceased-donor kidney, and more than a dozen dying each day while waiting, we clearly need to increase the fairly static number of living donors: roughly 6,000 each year. The first step, as always, is information–we need to give a clearer picture of what living donors are and are not so that people don’t automatically take themselves out of the running. After that, I just want people to have an open mind as they continue to inform themselves about the process.

I’m neither a saint nor a risk taker, and most living donors I know (and I know plenty!) aren’t either. And so, in honor of Living Donor Day today (April 3), I’m dusting off a blog post about these myths and a Medium article on this very subject. Hope you’ll check them out and share them.

For related posts and information on my book, The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation, be sure to explore the rest of my website.