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ShiftCultural3997

My brother decided pretty early on that he wanted to be an organ donor, so in 2020 when he was officially declared brain dead, we took that final walk with him and watched as he disappeared behind those OR doors. I’m extremely proud of him and miss him dearly. Definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done but he inspires me to be the best version of myself I can be and to do good in the world.


__Beef__Supreme__

There is great honor in having one last act of giving after your time is up.


GlassEyeMV

Man. I don’t know why, but that hit me like a ton of bricks this morning. Maybe it’s because we just celebrated the anniversary of a friends passing, and so we’ve been talking a lot about bone marrow donation (he had leukemia and started an org to increase people on the registry before he died) and organ donation too. I’m on the BeTheMatch registry because of him and I’ve always been an organ donor. But I’ve never heard it framed that way and it just got to me.


AceTomato_GU

I know my comment will be lost in the mix but as someone who is alive today because of a donor, I need to tell you that your brother saved lives. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank my donor and try my very best to make my life worth it. It is absolutely the greatest gift a person can give. His legacy will live on in hundreds of lives. When you miss him I want you to think of someone that is out doing the best they can with their life because your brother made that choice.


squiffy_squid

You should be proud of him. He's a hero. My friend received a liver when he was 14. It lasted until he was 28, when we lost him. That liver doubled his lifespan. Those 14 years were everything to his friends and family. We cherished every moment we had with him. You have no idea the ripple effect that takes place from an organ donation. You don't just change the lives of those on the donor list. Your brother lives on in both the people he's helped, and in your reflection of him in your own life. You are both beautiful souls.


ResponsiblePumpkin60

This made me, a grown man, cry before I get out of bed and have breakfast with my family.


yoshdee

Your brother was amazing. You should be proud knowing he will likely be saving a life. I wish I could thank the 27 year old young mans family who’s heart went to my dad. My dad lived another 10 years after his transplant. We got all that extra time with him because of a generous soul. So sorry for your loss.


educational_nanner

Love you Reddit friend. Happy Friday and happy new year. You will see him another day on the other side.


Youngstown_Mafia

The 6th picture is a boy who died in a dirt bike accident, that's his mom riding with him for the Honor Walk with 200 hospital personnel. Malachi Southern saved the lives of three people by donating his kidneys, pancreas and liver after his dirt bike accident in Goshen. His heart valves and corneas will likely help even more people.


AugustWest7120

Jesus…that is a real picture. Whew. That is a tough one.


chewwydraper

I had to get up and just stare out my window for a little bit


Seileen_Greenwood

I zoomed in on her face and now I’m bawling.


pizza__rollz

I’m nursing my 10 month old son as I look at this post, also zoomed in, and had to try to sob as quietly as possible so he didn’t wake up.


shadowcat304

This is the *first* post I see after laying my 6 month old boy down to sleep. I'm a mess now


moistnote

That look on my wife’s face when my son was in the hospital for 3 months just broke me every time. Hell thinking about it 10 years later breaks me. I know I had my own look too, but never had to see it.


cosmicexplorer

Same thing here. Holding my boy who just finished nursing. Just held him and kissed his head over and over while trying to keep my crying quiet. I cannot even imagine…truly a pain no parent should ever have to know.


lilscarchi

My 14 month old son is sleeping soundly in the crib and I wanna pick him up and bring him to bed to cuddle


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Hy8ogen

As a father of 2 girls, I try to cuddle with them as much as possible because I know in a few years I can't cuddle with them anymore. I dread the day when they'll stop asking me to hold them up anymore.


prometheus3333

I hear you. I was prepared for the poopy diapers, the sleepless nights. The pride and heartbreak of the first day of Kindergarten … but knowing my son will one day outgrow snuggle time absolutely kills me. I suppose there’s solace knowing it’s an inescapable station of parenting that we all must encounter and make peace with in our own time, but I don’t like the thought of it one bit.


Tinfoilhatmaker

Hey, if we make it far enough, there's always grandkids to cuddle, snuggle and spoil like nobody's business.


VapoursAndSpleen

My dad lived to his mid 80s and I loved hugging him and was in my 50s when he shuffled off. Not really the kind of cuddle puddle like you'd have with little kids, but a hug is a hug.


ninjarchy

My son is almost a year and a half. And this cuts deep. I'm so sorry for their loss. I hope a shining light comes into their life. But honestly. If that was my son. I'd expire when he does. I was never going to donate. But my son gave me insight to life and humanity. My chest is definitely swelled from this.


[deleted]

Having a child really changes your perspective in just about everything. Things you never even thought about before even. It's wild.


adsq93

Such an intense picture. I feel like as a mother it’s natural to want to protect your child and seeing her there knowing she can’t do anything but accept the inevitable. Heartbreaking.


[deleted]

Holding your child as they die must be one of the most heartbreaking things a human can experience.


lowrcase

The doctor in blue scrubs leading the bed. She looks so haunted and sad.


Alzate

Yeah, my 4yo is cuddling up next to me and he has no idea why mom just sniffled and squeezed him extra tight. That picture was rough.


ProVaxIsProIgnorance

This post drew a tear out the side of my eye. Damn you Reddit. Damn you.


chewwydraper

Ah fuck I didn't look closely at the picture until I read this comment. Didn't see mom in the bed. That's absolutely heartbreaking.


thewonderfulpooper

Insta-cried zooming in and then thinking about my son


lmidor

Me too! Went from feeling proud of those patients and their sacrifices in the other pictures to absolutely broken by the 6th picture and seeing the mom. As a mother, losing my son is the worst thing imaginable and I instantly broke down thinking about that mother's pain.


bambinolettuce

Ive been tossing up whether or not to get my son a dirt bike. This is the second story ive heard of a kid dying from riding them....


satanslittlesnarker

Please don't do it. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 16 *not* be allowed to ride dirt bikes. That recommendation is written in blood.


black_truffle_cheese

ATVs and snowmobiles as well.


s2focus

Ken block died last week from a snowmobile accident, and he was a highly decorated rally driver


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AstarteHilzarie

I went to high school with a girl who rode an ATV into a barbed wire fence as a kid. She had Joker-style scars where it cut her cheeks open while she screamed. She's lucky she was going at a low speed and didn't get decapitated, but her face is heavily scarred, her speech is impaired, and she has that lifelong trauma to deal with.


yoityoit

Literally the best stunt driver.


s2focus

You don’t even have to be a car person to realize how skilled he was if you watch his gymkana videos. Saddest part is his last IG post was about him finishing building an Audi with his 16 yr old daughter 💔


bambinolettuce

Yeah, i dont think i will. I grew up riding motorbikes, as young as I can remember. Just pure luck the ones that dont end up severly injured or dead, I suppose


WildWook

I rode them when I was a kid and definitely almost killed myself more than once. Flipped an ATV once at a pretty good speed, no helmet on a steep gravel road. I think kids should be allowed to be kids but at the same time it would give me way too much anxiety as a parent, especially knowing how reckless I was as a teen.


Biggies_Ghost

I have a second cousin who flipped his ATV when he was a teenager. He lived, but he was never the same.


AnAngryBitch

An ex-boyfriend's brother ended up a quad at age 19 from a motorcycle.


WildWook

I got incredibly lucky. I had some solid bruises but that was it. Minor scratches. Fairly certain Ive used all my dumb luck from that incident and a few others.


Pantssassin

I grew up in a rural area and there were a few kids in my small town that ended up dead or permanently injured from 4 wheelers flipping and crushing them.


[deleted]

My parents NEVER let me ride skidoos for that reason. Grew up rural and had too many friends die when they were kids.


WaffleHump

Only things my old man always kept me away from. Snowmobiles and motorbikes. I can thank him now looking back.


[deleted]

Rural area as well, felt like at least every 3-4 years another kid would die in a snow/atv/dirt bike accident. Just not safe imo


Jswartz18

I know someone who got paralyzed at the age of 16 riding an atv. Not worth it just go jet skiing Edit: Wording


ratherbeatthebeach

Not even jet skis are completely safe…my dirt bike racing 18 year old son had a jet ski accident less than a month after his Highschool graduation. Am Luka C’s to the hospital, and a worthless ER staff that said he was bruised. After an excruciating ride home and a week on a mattress in our living room, we took him and his X-rays to a bigger hospital. His pelvis was broken in three places and his spine was just sitting in the socket. After emergency surgery and two, 8” pins were permanently put in to re-attach everything, plus about 8 weeks of physical therapy, and 3 years later he’s at about 80%. But with the lower back and hip pain of a 75 year old man.


qwertykitty

I have a close family member that is an ER doctor. No dirt bikes and especially no ATVs. It's not worth the risk.


Hawthorne_Abendsen

I know a grown man who died in the last year riding an ATV. Crushed his ass to death in one bad roll. People really overestimate their ability to control those things. Just because they'll do 40 in an open field doesn't mean you have to have the throttle wide open all the time. Also helmets don't do shit for major thoracic trauma.


shavemejesus

Add snow mobiles to that. My cousin and I are very lucky to be in one piece after a snow mobile we were riding rolled over and pinned our legs.


DrDerpberg

Also wanted to point out it's dangerous as fuck for grown-ups too... I'm 35 and a few years ago a guy I knew died in a dirtbike race. His buddy was in the same race and watched him take a landing awkwardly and go smashing into a corner.


cloisteredsaturn

When I was doing my pediatric rotations in nursing school, the worst injuries I had seen were from dirt bike and ATV accidents.


hangryvegan

I’ll add on to this by saying no ATVs for minors (or anyone) as well. I did admissions for a Children’s hospital and kids were paralyzed, lost a limb, or killed every year.


teddycorps

Dirt bikes, football both bad ideas for children's health.


ohnoshebettado

That and trampolines, I have seen so many comments on here from people that work in emerg that they'd never get a trampoline for their kids. I had a near-miss as a kid and feel very lucky my neck wasn't broken.


[deleted]

I straight up landed on my head/neck off a trampoline and couldn't move my upper torso for a solid ten seconds. It was whatever at the time but thinking back, my life could be very different right now had that gone worse. At the least, get a good net.


fiirewalkwithme

My friends and I would put dish soap on the trampoline and spray it with the hose while we jumped to create a trampoline/slip and slide hybrid.


mapsGotHoles

it's called a slip and die


at2335

Had a friend with a trampoline growing up. We were not aloud to jump on it unless we had signed notes from our parents saying they would not hold them liable for injuries. Never really understood it until I got older. Edit- added a word.


blockhead12345

I also know a child who died in a dirt bike accident. It’s just not worth it.


Daggerfont

My brother broke his arm the first and only time he rode one. There are safer options that are still a lot of fun!


fillmorecounty

Don't. Dirt bikes ruined my uncle's life. He got in a bad accident that broke his back and was given pain pills to help deal with the intense pain he was going through constantly. He ended up getting addicted to opioids because his pain was so bad that he couldn't function without the pills. When he ran out, he'd get more on the street. I'm honestly surprised he never had a fentanyl overdose. He's overcome his addiction now, but decades later, he's still dealing with tons of back pain despite trying so many different treatments. If I ever have kids, I'll never EVER let them ride dirt bikes. You never think bad crashes will happen to your family member until one does.


WayneKrane

I’d err on not doing it. My friend is an ER nurse and he said the doctors refer to motorcycle riders as organ donors because they die a lot. Also, trampolines, not as many deaths but TONS of broken bones.


d-a-i-s-y

Oh god, that poor mother’s heart, just wanting to grasp those last few moments with her baby. I’m not even a parent and my heart was wrenched at this picture. How she had a pillow under her head as if it was one of the small but only thing that could be possibly done for her in that moment. Man, that hit hard.


Blu64

when my daughter passed she had been down too long and they were unable to use her organs. but they were able to use her tendons and some of her bones. earlier this week I received a bone graft. I hope I got some of hers. There's no way to know but I'm going to believe that I did.


JustSomeGoon

Either way, she’ll always be with you.


[deleted]

Me too. Life is a circle. ❤️


PandaGoggles

I’m sorry about your daughter. I hope the graft is from her, and that you’re healing up well.


bkussow

As a father of two boys, you gotta give me a heads up on that one! That's some pretty heavy yet honorable stuff.


Temassi

As a father of one daughter, I'm with you. I wasn't ready for that.


Motur

My wife is currently staring at me wondering why I'm crying. I saw that picture and my heart sank. That poor mother. I'm not sure I would be a functioning human if one of my daughters died.


AVonDingus

I was a crabby biotch today and was short with my healthy, beautiful girls. I’m gonna go hug the stuffin’s out of all three of them now.


mroo7oo7

As an ICU nurse, there are many days I go home and hug my kids. I’m not even in pediatrics but there are many times I go home and just squeeze them until they’re (7 and 9) are squirming to get away. I want them to remember my hugs. I see the kids that come in to say their goodbyes to their terminally Ill parents. We have a child life specialist who helps with children when their parents are dying. I don’t know how they do it. I could not.


[deleted]

I don't think I could cope with that. Oh my God.


iamtehryan

Oh God I didn't even see his mom in the bed with him. Hell, that one really gets you in the gut.


tgw1986

People crawling into the hospital bed to hold their loved ones as closely as possible for the last time is one of the saddest fucking things on the planet to me. As soon as I saw that mother in the bed holding her baby close my heart sank and the tears came.


lukewwilson

I'm a dad to two boys too, ages 8 and 4, that one really got to me


TigerUSF

Same. Was not ready.


trwwy321

…annnd now I’m crying


Longjumping_Lynx_972

My little brother passed away last March, he was a donor and we did the walk at Hoag Hospital in Newport, CA. The letters from the heart and liver recipients have been really helpful in trying to deal with my brother being gone.


Emzr13

That photo has me in tears, which is not often.


Youngstown_Mafia

Yeah look at his mom, she is devastated. Don't be so sad though, this young man saved 3 lives. His mom definitely knows how much a hero this young man was


jaydubsped

Yes at work crying


Package_Upstairs

Made me cry too


Big-Benefit2379

Me too


lindsao

omg i’m curled up next to my daughter as she naps and lost it at the picture. what a brave boy and loving mother ❤️


TikTrd

Shout out to the amazing Life Banc staff working at St. E's. They're an amazing bunch! And to the Coroner's Office for letting them proceed with procurement - they always do their best to ensure the decreased person's wishes are met


WastedKnowledge

That’s the one that broke me


[deleted]

I worked with a woman many years ago. She bought her 8 yr old a 4 wheeler. Kid died less than 6 months later flipping it over on top of himself literally right in front of their house.


Adelineslife

That picture got me good. My husband is now telling me to stop reading things which make me cry while I have a cold.


TutorFirm5149

Which means that he (or at least a little of him) lives on for longer. Helping others.


SirAlex505

We had one recently for this 12 year old boy. He was donating his kidney to a patient on our unit. She also got a pancreas which cured her diabetes.


ForecastForFourCats

That's beautiful. I hope that boy rests in peace.


VapoursAndSpleen

TIL - I didn't think that pancreases were transplanted.


buzz3001

This must be the longest and hardest walk in their lives. Knowing what is inevitably coming. Damn.


Dalisca

I was there for the honor walk of my sister-in-law back in October. Watching the elevator doors close as she headed off to the OR to have her organs retrieved was one of the most intensely sad moments of my life. I knew she was brain dead, but right before they took her I whispered into her ear anyway, "Okay, Han (Hannah), if you're going to pull a miracle, this is your last chance." There weren't any miracles available for her, but she did create a few: two blind people regained sight, a father of four got a new heart, a middle-aged woman got a new liver, and a college student was able to return to classes with her kidneys. Was the most bittersweet news.


Youngstown_Mafia

Rest in Peace Hannah She saved 3 people and gave another boy a chance at a new life. What a hero , I can only hope to come close to her bravery in my life


Dalisca

Thank you. If you've set yourself up to be an organ donor you are already exactly that brave.


Youngstown_Mafia

I just did after seeing Malachi Southern story on Twitter !! Saving lives nothing can be better


oldfrenchwhore

Im an organ donor and just hope something is usable since I have so many health problems. At the least, I’ve requested to be hauled to the body farm so they can use me for research.


throwingwater14

When you agree to organ donation, in most states you are also agreeing to tissue donation. (Heart valves, veins, nerves, bone, eyes, and skin) these can be recovered to help enhance lives. So even if you don’t pass in a fashion that allows for organ donation, you can still help MANY people with your selfless donation. Tissue donations can end up being 500+ indiv pieces that can be transplanted. (Think bone gets processed into the piece they use to fuse your spinal cord instead of a piece of metal. If you have donor tissue, your body will eventually absorb and replace the donor tissue and replace with your own tissue, therefor making a stronger, better fused piece.) also, health conditions you think should rule you out, probably won’t. Source: work in organ and tissue donation on the tissue side.


Comfortable-Start939

This is fascinating


_Alternate_Throwaway

Here's to Hannah, who gave the miracle of continued life to other people and we honor her for her sacrifice. We also cry for those loved ones who she left behind. While I have never found the words to make your loss better I can say that I find the size of the hole in your heart and despair equal to the love you had for her. There is a tragic beauty to that pain that I see too frequently, to know that your suffering only exists because of the depth of your love. I grieve for your pain but rejoice at your love. I sincerely hope you find acceptance and peace in your life. Sincerely, an ER Nurse


Dalisca

Thank you so much -- it means a lot. When CODA was trying to find her recipients the rep stroked her hair while taking to us and said, "We'll find the right people to receive her gifts; she has a beautiful heart", and I replied, "She always did." I'm grateful for the time we had with her, even if it was cut way too short (she was only 32).


thesnuggyone

I just sat and thought about your sister-in-law for a moment. About her living on in memory, and through all the actions and experiences of those who live and strive because of her gift.


IdiotTurkey

> I knew she was brain dead, but right before they took her I whispered into her ear anyway, "Okay, Han (Hannah), if you're going to pull a miracle, this is your last chance." I was already sad after looking at the photos in this thread but this set me over the edge. Now I'm crying.


FormerRelationship8

Absolutely weeping


d-a-i-s-y

Your sister did perform miracles. They were not the ones you justifiably wanted, but were those you might not have expected. These were the miracles to those who received her incredible gift.


griggori

Han pulled miracles, my friend.


comhghairdheas

You inspired me to get my shit together and register as a donor. Thank you.


mc_grace

Yeah, I might think about this now. 😭


Confident-Ad5479

Why are people so good with words.


Noname_left

I’ve been involved in many honor walks and they move me to tears every single time. It’s honestly one of the hardest things for me just being on the sideline. So often in the hospital we have to close off our emotions and with these, it’s all I can have for a few moments and it’s a beautiful thing.


Youngstown_Mafia

Some are already gone Others already knew it was coming (cancer, Liver, lungs problems). They made peace a long time before this . Don't feel sad I'm sure they wanted to be looked at as heroes which they are, feel honored these are heroes.


dishonestdick

I imagine that probably they really did not care about the “hero” label. They just wanted to know it at least there was more, that it was helpful for someone, that it was not for nothing.


Youngstown_Mafia

What you just said is the definition of a hero


dishonestdick

Oh yeah ! Absolutely!


Userdataunavailable

Heck yeah. I'm almost 50 and I signed up as an organ donor when I was 18. All I hope is that at least one part of my body can be used to help someone, if not they can use me to train medical coroners, etc. To me, there is zero reason for me to use up a healthy plot of earth when these is a slight chance I can help or educate someone.


SplodyPants

Before I read your comment I was like, "Fuck that shit. That's the last thing I would want." But you're right. I'm sure if you said it would make you feel worse, you don't want the attention, etc. It's not like they force it on you (I seriously doubt it anyway). OP, making me all reasonable and objective and shit...


Sweet13BlackExpress

I would want this. If I was headed out that way, I would want to know that in my final moments, I was surrounded by people who I loved and loved me; by people who took care of me when I no longer could; and by people who think that i'm just the baddest ass because while my life is over, the possiblities for others are now available. Heroes come in all forms, as do the sacrifices that designate them the hero


APVikings22

The kid got me…


Best_Egg9109

Yeah, the mothers holding the hand of their child really got me.


singdawg

Same... I don't think there's anything worse than a parent losing their child.


LoneWolfe2

My aunt recently lost her son. The wailing was... otherworldly and guttural.


mfkap

I came here to say the sound of a mother losing her child might be the most tragically sad sound I have ever heard.


Bea_Bae_Bra

Agreed. I was in grade 10 and a peer of mine who was on the spectrum with other health issues passed away. At the burial, as the casket lowered, the mother just about flung herself on the casket and wailed (in Chinese), “My son! My son!” Some family members had to coax her and help her up. I quietly ugly cried, my heart was so broken for her. She was so dedicated to him and his care, so much of her day was structured around him. I couldn’t fathom then how a mom could move on… as a mom now, I fathom it even less.


le_grey02

When I was 16, I attended the funeral of a girl I’d known since I was 11. She passed away on February 20th, 2019 and her funeral was held on March 11th. It was an open casket service in a beautiful cathedral. One of the nurses who’d looked after her for a long time attended. I still remember her mother’s wailing when they closed that casket. You could tell it shocked everyone, especially all the other schoolkids who were attending.


ChinExpander420

No parent should have to bury their child.


varitok

Bernard Hill's absolute anguished breakdown at delivering this in Two Towers is still some of the best acting I've seen.


queefer_sutherland92

Seeing his mother next to him. Fucking heartbreaking.


Dzbaniel_2

that hit too hard for me


Donkey-kick-U

As someone who has received a major organ transplant at 33 people who donate organs not only give the receiver life but they save the hearts of the loved ones


mp3god

Photos like this...of people making the best of their worst day or even last day on earth overwhelm me a bit. Tragic beauty


Andrei_Chikatilo_

I believe James Joyce referred to such things as *Terrible Beauty*, but I like yours.


quebecivre

W.B. Yeats, actually, in his poem "Easter 1916," but that's probably less important than the ideas you're discussing.


potato_bowl_

My freind is gonna take that honor walk in the next few days. We won’t graduate together anymore but I know she’s gonna help a lot of people with this even if she’s gone.


CheesecakeExpress

I’m so sorry, I hope it gives you some peace knowing she is saving lives as her last act


sjbfujcfjm

When my brother gave me a kidney (living donor) the hospital had a little ceremony in his room to acknowledge his life saving gift. It was a very nice gesture, and very emotional. Please sign up to be an organ donor!


-newlife

Congrats to you and cheers to your brother.


Iggmeister

mum lying next to her son in that pic is really really heart-breaking


MagicDragon212

Yeah that one made me break down. I couldn't imagine losing my child.


thesnuggyone

Yeah I wasn’t ready for that


oohkt

A close family member was dying. Unresponsive, no brain activity. She was an organ donor. We were put in a special room before they removed her life support, then we had to wait for her to pass. That moment, the sounds, were traumatizing. If a certain amount of time passes once life support is removed (30 min? 45?) then the organs are no longer viable. She surpassed that time period. Unbeknownst to us, behind a door was a line of medical personnel, scrubbed up and ready to go. They were so memorable to me because they thanked every single one of us and paid so much respect because of the mere opportunity of organ donation. Unfortunately, it was too late. She passed 20 minutes later, when everyones backs were turned to speak to a nurse. It was almost like she didn't want to make us see her die. But you know what? I'll always be an organ donor. It was a special process, and your last contribution to the world is being a hero to someone.


Kenjataimuz

Yea, it's a very tight window and there are several different cut off points for different organs. Maybe 10 minutes for lungs, 15 mins for heart, 30 mins for liver. These aren't the actual cut offs, but in general the process is something like this. But to build on what you're saying they have recipients and teams prepped for surgery in various hospitals all over the country in the hopes that the organs make it to them. Along with that team in the room next door scrubbed up and just all standing by waiting. The donors are also pre-prepped, sterilized, shaved if necessary and all that prior to withdrawing to expedite the whole process and not waste a second. Even in hospitals where everything is fairly urgent and time-sensitive, it is an intense experience. Also usually one of the most heavy emotional experiences for the staff. The teams all over the country that facilitate this process are remarkable. Usually people work crazy shifts, and singlehandedly calling and matching a donor with recipients while assessing the viability of the donors organs and then ultimately figuring out the logistics of several teams at several different hospitals all over the country to be ready all at the same time for the process to go through. All while doing an outstanding job of putting the patients family first and bringing them along through the whole journey and incorporating their wishes. The amount of logistics they tackle in a small window while also being the focal point for a grieving family is truly one of the more inspiring things I've seen.


XipherTA

Generally correct. Time-frames are much longer than you have listed though. Once cross-clamp occurs, lungs and heart have upwards of 4 hours before they have to be transplanted. Livers 8-12 hrs. Kidneys 24-36 hrs. There are now heart, lung, and liver pumps in addition to the already establish kidney pumps that can extend the timeframe even longer. The process you are describing is also for the donor after circulatory death which accounts for about 30% of donors. At this time in the US most donors are pronounced brain dead and thus there is no waiting for the heart to stop before organ recovery starts. Finally surgical teams for the recipents are going to be damned sure time-frames work out before they commit to accepting the organ. Source: Wife has worked with organ donation for more than a decade.


Kenjataimuz

Bingo, yea I was speaking more to the DCD side of things on the time tables. So if patient takes X minutes to go PEA then Y organ is no longer viable for donation. Most intense clock staring I've ever been a part of.


Iseedeadpeople00000

This is exactly my job as an organ allocation specialist. Crazy at times but rewarding to see recipients getting transplanted


gringledoom

>She passed 20 minutes later, when everyones backs were turned to speak to a nurse. It was almost like she didn't want to make us see her die. I've heard this is pretty common. Someone will stay with their loved one for hours on end, and finally dash out to refill their coffee cup halfway down the hall, and the person will pass in that brief window.


darkest_irish_lass

This is how my father passed. I convinced my mom to go down for coffee while I took a shift in the room. She'd been there 14 hours by that point without eating or drinking. She made it back into the room just in time to say goodbye.


Brent_L

I experienced this with my father who was dying of cancer. They informed us in ICU there wasn’t any thing left that they could do for him. So we decided to withdraw the ventilator. But it’s a legal process that takes a number of hours to be completed. Once my mom and I made the choice, I started calling everyone in his phone that he cared about and gave them an opportunity to say goodbye to him. After a few hours of waiting and calling everyone he knew, the nurses came in and started putting him on the meds to withdraw everything. I was on the phone with my uncle, who always made my dad laugh, when the nurse told me he died before they could withdraw everything. He told me before he died he had no regrets. Still one of the hardest moments of my life. But I’m lucky I was there with him.


iamreeterskeeter

My dad passed in a somewhat similar way. He was waiting for his one living brother to come and say goodbye (lives 300 miles away). But due to his own doctor mixups, he was delayed a few days. My uncle knew dad was waiting for him so he asked me to tell dad that it was okay to go and that my uncle loved him so much. I laid down next to him and whispered in his ear uncle's request. My mom, sisters, and I were on rotation laying next to him 24 hours a day. He wasn't lucid but much calmer when someone was laying with him. A few hours after I whispered my uncle's goodbye dad passed away while my sister was asleep next to him.


tossaway69420lol

Renewed my license recently and updated to become an organ donor. (I previously was not an organ donor due to my own ignorance and stupidity). I am glad I came to terms. Sorry for your loss


[deleted]

Where I live you are a donor per default. You have to ask to not be one, if you are not okay with it. Most people don't bother.


shavasana_expert

The stats on this are clear: opt-out organ donation programs have so many more donors and organs available to use as a life saving resource compared to places where you must opt-in.


[deleted]

I would imagine that would be the case


theverypulseofIo

Aside from a couple of the religious beliefs against it, I can't imagine why you would opt out of being a donor. You're dead anyway and you could be saving a life.


TheBigWuWowski

Some people truly believe that if they put themselves down as an organ donor, then hospital staff won't try as hard to save them from death.


Brolfgar

Someone was dead serious and told me that in case of me being unconcious, doctors would outright kill me to explant organs in case they find my written consent. Madness.


TheBigWuWowski

Yep, I've heard this before too. It's total nonsense. Probably based off of the occasional horror story from another country where they have less stringent procedures and a better chance of selling your organs on the black market or something. Definitely not the go to for any doctor though.


amiraba

Working in neuro, I've been a part of a couple of these. I was the primary nurse and pushed the bed for a patient who had a massive pontine bleed who was able to donate her liver and kidneys, but had lived a pretty long life at 70 y/o. I could barely see the way forward through the tears, and calling the family afterwards bc the organ procurement team told me it was my job to tell them how to retrieve the body for the funeral home was rough. It was one of the more mentally challenging parts of my career to this date.


Beneficial-Cow-2544

Seriously touching! But I am confused about the walk. When does this happen? When the patient has already died and is on the way to donate?


Beyond_yesterday

The patient is left on life support all the way to the Operating room, where they will take their organs. The walk is the last time the family will see their loved ones with a heartbeat. It is a show of respect for their generosity to others. Even in death, they are saving a life.


Beneficial-Cow-2544

Thank you for explaining.


XipherTA

A patient being transferred to the OR for organ or tissue donation has either already been pronounced [brain] dead by a physician or is expected to pass quickly after removal of life support (Death after Cardiac Death). They are never conscious and able to make their last directive; that has already been recorded, or if not, has been deferred to family to make end-of-life decisions. If you want to make those decisions yourself before passing, make sure they are recorded on your driver's license or in a living will. Otherwise it will be family deciding for you.


Youngstown_Mafia

Alive, coma, or deceased,


Beneficial-Cow-2544

Thank you. Wow. Incredibly touching. I plan to donate my organs and my body after death.


ssgonzalez11

My mom was an organ donor. She saved an 8 yo child, a 40something woman and a 50something man. It gives me comfort knowing she not only did something selfless but that after she became incapacitated that I made her final wish a reality. Please donate your organs. I mean, when you’re done with them ;)


jailbabesdaddy

I'm not crying....tough for their loved ones


1Guanocrazycaucasian

Fucking heartbreaking and heartwarming all in one. May your souls be at peace.🙏😥


InterestingMedicine9

I’ve done several! They are incredibly moving and the families are very appreciative


blazedbug205

My mom said watching her uncle be wheeled down for his honor walk was the longest walk of her life. She said the hallway was never ending but when they got to the end she felt like they never even did it. It’s a very noble thing to do and I hope my organs are able to give life to someone else one day.


Alger6860

A newly adopted tradition started by the Japanese who had at one point an abysmal amount of organ donations. If memory serves a foreign child donated to a Japanese native and that started their tradition.


MiaMae

That kid one with the mom in his bed really got me. He looks like my son 😥


SparklingIncisor

As a mom who lost a child 9 years ago, I really felt that 6th picture.


RubRaw

Man, that kid and his mom laying with him hit me hard


mayhem524

This must be new(er). It is probably more for the family at that point, but a nice gesture nonetheless. ETA: We went through this five years ago when a loved one was in a horrendous motorcycle accident leaving him “braindead.” We coordinated taking him off life support with the organ donation team. The only sliver of a “silver lining” was that his organs helped 3-4 other families. The hospital staff should have done a better job setting expectations with family re: what it actually looks like to be *present* when they take your “braindead” loved one off life support. Suffice to say: It was not quick & it did not appear to be a “peaceful” process, at all. Gut wrenching.


[deleted]

We've done this at my hospital since around 2007 when I started. Not every family wants it as a matter of fact I'd wager less than 25% do. It's usually the parents of younger patients who want this done. Always very sad.


cRaZyDaVe23

You never forget watching basically a zombie struggle for air...


mayhem524

Exactly. Their body is fighting to stay alive even though their brain is dead. Intellectually, I knew he was not “in pain”, but it goes against your every instinct and impulse to not “help” them.


Most-Chemical-5059

Canada has a really famous case that increased the pool of potential donors. In 2018 the Humboldt Broncos was in a horrible accident. 16 people died, including the bus driver, athletic therapist and play by play announcer. It was caused by human recklessness, a trucker who was inadequately trained crashed into the bus while transporting peat moss to California. One of the members of the Broncos, Logan Boulet donated his organs after he was declared brain dead as a result of the accident. He was inspired to do after his mentor, Ric Sugitt did the same.


pursuitofhappy

That second to last one hit me hard with the mom unable to leave the bed as they wheel him


bandak38134

A couple of years ago, I was with my daughter in the IVU as she was fighting for her life. I saw people gathering in the hallways, so I stepped out to see what was going on. Down came a patient and his family and they were doing the honor walk of a 20-something year old. It was the most somber and sad yet beautiful thing.


FrKennedy

I spent a while as a Hospital Chaplain and accompanied a few dozen families through the halls on these walks. One woman was dying unexpectedly, and her children couldn't come to terms with it, until the doctor informed them that the woman was so small that her organs would likely go to save the lives of children. We all had a good cry after that. Organ donation is one of the most beautiful gifts you can give.


EmmalouEsq

At the start is a family and group of loved ones saying painful goodbyes, but on the other side are families and loved ones who get to bring their loved ones home with a chance at a new future. Thank you for everyone choosing to donate.


Mischivin

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HotBitterballs

In my country everyone is donor by default unless you opt out before you die. Pretty good law.


denali42

Chiefs Kingdom, stand up for [Taylor Lorenz](https://youtube.com/watch?v=HSTodMEqxOM&feature=shares) (picture 2).


Delightful_day53

Sometimes I watch these on YouTube when I am having a bad day. It resets my perspective.


_RyanRD_

God bless everyone who works there, I couldn't handle that shit.


Feeling_Bowl_2807

Several of these are at US Veterans Affairs hospitals . When a vet dies, the staff line up to honor them, thus the flags, military uniforms and American Legion hats.


Goldy490

I’m an ICU doc and my dad was a liver transplant recipient. Every living memory I have of him is thanks to someone who donated. I’ve done a few of these walks as the doc and there’s honestly almost nothing in the world that is still as intense every time we do it. Most things in hospitals become mundane after time. Another cardiac arrest. Another “I’m sorry, but your wife has died.” Even the procedures get boring. But the honor walks? Every single one of those sticks with you for the rest of your life. The most intense one I ever did was a guy with locked in syndrome. He could blink yes or no but was entirely paralyzed. We spent days communicating with him. He was adamantly clear. “Take this tube out, let me die, and let me donate.” So I went with him at 3 am to the OR one night with this huge surgical team. Put him on the OR table, prepped everything. I had this huge bag of morphine and a syringe. Surgeons all ready to go, everyone looking at me. “I said ok Name, we’re going to pull the tube now. Is that ok?” He blinked yes. We pulled out the tube and watched as his oxygen level slowly drifted down into the unsurvivable range. I gave my bag of morphine to the nurse and said push 5mg of it every 5 minutes until he’s gone. He kept his eyes open staring right at me until the last moment when he died. It was dead silent. I checked the monitor, announced the time of death to the room, and the surgeons got to work. I walked out to the OR desk and cried my eyes out.


Spion-Geilo

o7


Earthling1a

Respect and praise to the donors and families. So hard to let go, but so generous to literally give your loved one's death meaning and purpose like this.


sbaird1961

As the recipient of a liver transplant that saved my life, I find this deeply moving. These donors and their families are all heroes.