Sensitivity in transplant terminology is important when we talk about our journey. Honoring our donors and donor families compels us to think about these things.
I heard many things discussed around the hospital and on television (TV…oh boy…there’s a blog post idea).
I can understand the use of some terminology in the medical field to keep things very clinical and somewhat distanced. Seeing what medical professionals see day in and day out HAS to be difficult for them. As transplant recipients and caregivers, we need to be sure we are careful about what we say when we talk about our experiences.
Why Sensitivity in Transplant Terminology is Important
People in the general public are very curious about transplants and we are walking, talking ambassadors for organ donation and transplant. As recipients, we also represent the donor and donor family who gave us our gift of life and we want to be sure we give them the honor they deserve.
Some terms are very insensitive (mostly heard on TV), so I want to take some time to go over what to say to show sensitivity in the transplant terminology we use.
Say This Not That
First, if you did not receive your organ from a live donor, you received it from a deceased donor. Many people will ask questions like, “so was it a cadaver donor?” Well, technically yes. However, my donor was not a technicality. My donor was a person. A 20-year-old man to be exact.
When asked this question, I prefer to correct without shaming the person. After all, they probably just don’t know. “Yes, I received my organ from a 20-year-old deceased man.”
When someone is DCD their loved ones withdraw care or remove artificial support or artificial life support. Medical staff do NOT unplug people. Again, we are talking about people, not things. By using the term artificial, it helps to identify the support as something that is coming artificially. The support is not self-sustaining.
Finally, when someone dies, doctors recover their organs. They do NOT harvest them. It’s important to note, transplant doctors are not responsible for any part of the care of the donor. Organs are recovered by transplant doctors only after a person has been declared dead. Television has been HORRIBLE about this. Someone loses a loved one who decided to save lives in their death. It is then that their organs (gifts) are recovered from that person to give to others. People are not fields or gardens. They have lived lives, loved, have family and friends. Let’s use terminology that pays homage to what they have done.
Being Sensitive About Your Transplant
As you talk to people about your transplant experience, receiving an organ wasn’t the only thing that happened. You are ecstatic about your second chance, and you should be. However, someone made the heroic decision to donate their organs, eyes, and tissue after their death. That decision saved and improved the lives of up to 100 people and that is just as much a part of our story as our transplant.
