The Truth About Organ Donation | Dan Drew | TEDxWesleyanU
Summary
TLDRThe speaker recounts their journey from skipping school to join the bone marrow registry to becoming a kidney donor for a local woman, Olivia, suffering from polycystic kidney disease. Despite societal misconceptions, the process was thorough and safe, leading to a successful transplant. The speaker emphasizes the importance of organ donation, dispelling myths about the risks and lifestyle changes involved, and encourages others to consider altruistic donation, highlighting the profound impact it can have on recipients' lives.
Takeaways
- 🏥 The speaker's journey with organ donation began 20 years prior when he skipped school to join the National bone marrow donor registry.
- 💉 He has been a regular blood donor for many years, even involving his wife early in their relationship.
- 📰 As a mayor, he noticed an article about a local woman, Olivia, in need of a kidney due to polycystic kidney disease.
- 🆘 He contacted Yale University and underwent a series of tests to determine his eligibility as a kidney donor.
- 👨⚕️ The evaluation process included medical tests, psychological evaluations, and interviews with various medical professionals.
- 🗳️ The decision to accept him as a donor involved a vote by the transplant team, excluding the surgeon due to potential conflict of interest.
- 🔄 Despite initial fears of not being a match, he was found to be a compatible donor for Olivia.
- 📅 The surgery was scheduled quickly, and the process was thoroughly explained to both the donor and the recipient.
- 🎥 The local Fox affiliate was present to document the surgery, aiming to raise awareness about organ donation.
- 🏠 Post-surgery recovery was faster than expected, and the speaker's lifestyle did not need to change significantly.
- ❤️ The experience was deeply satisfying for the speaker, who encourages others to consider organ donation as a way to help others.
Q & A
What sparked the speaker's lifelong passion for organ and tissue donation?
-The speaker's passion was sparked when they skipped school to get on the National bone marrow donor registry 20 years prior to the speech.
How did the speaker's first date with his wife go, and what did they do?
-The speaker took his wife to give blood on their first date, which did not go smoothly as she passed out.
What medical condition does Olivia suffer from?
-Olivia suffers from polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary disease that creates cysts on the kidneys, leading to a degradation of their functionality over time.
What was the significance of the sign Olivia was holding in the script?
-The sign Olivia was holding indicated that she was looking for people with O blood type to get tested as potential kidney donors.
What was the speaker's role when he first contacted Yale to get tested for kidney donation?
-At the time the speaker contacted Yale to get tested for kidney donation, he was in his third term as the mayor of Middletown, Connecticut.
What was the process like for the speaker to be considered as a kidney donor?
-The process included a series of blood tests, a glucose test, a CAT scan, evaluations by a transplant psychiatrist and social worker, meetings with transplant coordinators, nephrologists, and a series of nurses. There were also multiple rounds of testing to confirm compatibility.
Why was the speaker initially hesitant to approach Olivia during the Fourth of July fireworks celebration?
-The speaker was hesitant to approach Olivia because he had not yet confirmed if he was a match for her kidney transplant and was afraid of raising false hope.
What was the reaction of the people around the speaker regarding his decision to donate a kidney?
-Many people had misconceptions about the transplant process, expressing concerns about the risks involved and questioning the speaker's decision, especially considering his responsibilities as a mayor and a family man.
How did the speaker's experience with kidney donation affect his daily life post-surgery?
-The speaker's daily life did not change drastically after the surgery. He was advised to drink lots of water, eat well, and exercise, which were the same recommendations he had before the surgery.
What were some of the misconceptions about organ donation that the speaker aimed to clarify?
-The speaker aimed to clarify misconceptions such as the risk of dying during surgery, the need for significant lifestyle changes post-donation, and the belief that one can only donate to a relative.
How did the speaker and Olivia's story contribute to raising awareness about organ donation?
-The speaker and Olivia's story was shared through local news and media, including a segment on Good Morning America, to encourage more people to consider becoming altruistic organ donors.
Outlines
🌟 Life-Changing Decision: Becoming a Bone Marrow Donor
The speaker recounts a pivotal moment from their youth, skipping school to join the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. This decision was inspired by a deep-seated passion for organ and tissue donation, which had already led them to become a regular blood donor. The narrative also humorously touches on an early date with their future spouse, where they both went to donate blood, despite the date ending with her fainting. The speaker's commitment to donation continued over the years, eventually leading to a significant act of altruism as the mayor of Middletown, Connecticut.
📰 A Call to Action: Responding to a Kidney Donation Need
While serving as mayor, the speaker discovered an article about a local woman, Olivia, in need of a kidney due to polycystic kidney disease. The article, which included a sign made by a woman in Georgia, prompted the speaker to contact Yale University to explore the possibility of being a donor. The process involved a series of rigorous medical tests and evaluations, including blood tests, a glucose test, a CAT scan, psychiatric and social work consultations, and meetings with nephrologists. The speaker humorously notes their relief at not being recognized by Olivia at a public event before the donation process was confirmed.
🏥 The Journey to Donation: Matching and Preparation
After a series of tests, the speaker was found to be a match for Olivia. The process to reach this point included a thorough evaluation by a team of medical professionals who voted on the speaker's suitability as a donor. The speaker reflects on the misconceptions about organ donation, emphasizing the rigorous health checks and the low risk associated with the procedure. They also highlight the emotional and social aspects of the journey, including the surprise of being asked to allow media coverage of the surgery, and the personal satisfaction derived from the potential to improve Olivia's life significantly.
💪 Recovery and Reflection: The Impact of Altruistic Donation
The speaker shares their post-surgery experience, dispelling myths about the recovery process and the impact on one's lifestyle. They emphasize that the surgery was less invasive than expected and that their recovery was swift, allowing them to return to normal activities with minimal disruption. The narrative also includes inspiring stories of other donors and recipients, showcasing the profound human connections and positive outcomes that can result from organ donation. The speaker concludes by encouraging others to consider becoming donors, highlighting the transformative power of such acts on both the giver and the receiver.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Bone marrow donation
💡Blood donor
💡Polycystic kidney disease
💡Kidney transplant
💡Transplant coordinator
💡Transplant nephrologist
💡Laparoscopic surgery
💡Altruistic donor
💡Donate Life Month
💡Paired exchange
💡Organ donation misconceptions
Highlights
20 years ago, the speaker skipped school to join the National bone marrow donor registry, sparking a lifelong passion for organ and tissue donation.
The speaker had been a regular blood donor for about a year before joining the registry.
As mayor, the speaker read about a local woman, Olivia, in need of a kidney due to polycystic kidney disease.
Olivia's family was seeking a kidney donor with O blood type, which matched the speaker's.
The speaker underwent a series of tests and interviews at Yale University to determine his suitability as a donor.
Despite initial fears of not being a match, the speaker was found to be a compatible donor for Olivia.
The speaker declined media interviews to maintain privacy and focus on the significance of the donation.
Misconceptions about the transplant process were common, with many believing it to be riskier than it actually is.
The speaker emphasized the thorough medical evaluation process that ensures the donor's health is not compromised.
The surgery was performed laparoscopically, a less invasive method that speeds up recovery.
The speaker experienced minimal pain post-surgery and was able to walk around the day of the operation.
Recovery was faster than expected, with the speaker leaving the hospital less than 48 hours after surgery.
The speaker's lifestyle did not need to change significantly post-donation, contrary to common beliefs.
The speaker met other donors and recipients, sharing stories and experiences that highlighted the positive impact of organ donation.
April is recognized as Donate Life Month, encouraging people to consider organ donation and register.
The speaker and Olivia are both doing well post-transplant, with Olivia actively participating in community events.
The speaker concluded by challenging conventional wisdom, emphasizing the importance of questioning and understanding the truth behind organ donation.
Transcripts
[Music]
thank you good afternoon everyone
20 years ago this spring I was a senior
in high school and I skipped school one
day and drove from New Milford
Connecticut which is on the New York
border up to Manchester Connecticut
which is east of Hartford about an hour
and a half away so that I could get my
blood drawn and get on the National bone
marrow donor registry in 20 years I have
not yet been called for a bone marrow
donation but that day sparked a lifelong
passion for organ and tissue donation I
had been a regular blood donor already
for about a year by the time I skipped
school that day and I managed not to get
caught by the way and I'm one of my
first dates with my wife I took her to
give blood and she passed out it wasn't
a particularly fun date but she married
me anyway and I kept giving blood
through the years so fast forward a
while and I am in my third term as mayor
of Middletown Connecticut and I was
reading the paper one morning in my
office and I came across an article I
was reading an online because I'm not
sure anyone holds a print edition of the
paper anymore and I saw this picture
that's a lady who lives here in town a
wonderful woman named Olivia tomorrow
and Olivia and her family her husband
Sal and her children Dante and Ava we're
looking for a kidney for Olivia who
since she was in her teen years had been
suffering from polycystic kidney disease
a hereditary disease of the kidneys that
creates cysts on the body of the organ
to the point where over time its
functionality degrades and the sign that
she's holding is actually a blank piece
of poster board and his woman in Georgia
named Kristy Calloway whose husband
needed a kidney and she started making
these signs for people and this sign was
what caught my eye in particular that it
said that Olivia was looking
for people with Oh blood to get tested
so I called the Yale University at the
the number that you see here and I left
my number my name and my information on
a voicemail line and a couple of days
later I got a call back from a
transplant coordinator at Yale who
conducted a telephone interview with me
why do you want to do this
what's your medical history just some
basic information and they made an
appointment with me to come in to the
transplant clinic in New Haven a couple
of weeks later excuse me a couple of
days later and in between we had our
downtown fourth of July fireworks
celebration here in Middletown and every
year right before we light the fireworks
off I go up on stage where we have the
bands playing patriotic music and I look
out over the crowd of thousands of
people and I wish a happy birthday to
America and then we do a big countdown
and we light off the fireworks and maybe
three or four rows right in front of me
was Olivia and her family I didn't know
her at the time and I hadn't told her
that I contacted Yale in order to get
tested and I so desperately wanted to go
and say hello to her I wanted to tell
her what I was doing but I was terrified
that maybe I wouldn't be a match just
because you have the same blood type
doesn't necessarily mean that you're
going to be a match for that person on
the following week I went into Yale and
I underwent a series of blood tests
glucose a blood sugar test they put me
through a cat scan I was evaluated by a
transplant psychiatrist I had a meeting
with a transplant social worker I had a
meeting with transplant coordinators
with a series of nurses and
nephrologists they did a whole series of
tests and then a little while went by
and they called me again and they said
come back for more testing so I came
back for some more testing and they took
more blood and you go through a number
of physical tests and interviews and
based on the first round of tests they
have me sit down with to transplant
nephrologists and they went through my
entire medical history with me I found
out that when I was in high school I had
had mono which I never even knew and
they were able to pinpoint antibodies
that were in my
blood down to just one part in several
millions I think and then at the end of
this process they bring together this
entire team of transplant professionals
and I met the person who would be my
surgeon dr. Sanjay Kulkarni at this
point I still didn't even know whether
or not I was a match and when they
decide whether to take you as a donor or
not they don't allow the surgeon who's
going to work on you to be part of the
team that ultimately decides because
they consider it a conflict of interest
so they remove that surgeon and the rest
of the team the social workers the
nephrologists the nurses the
psychiatrist they all come together in a
room and they evaluate you and then they
vote and being a mayor I've been voted
on many times so that was a familiar
process for me and luckily I won that
election too as it turns out my blood
was a match for Olivia's and my kidney
was a match for Olivia's and so they
called me one afternoon and they said
you're a match we have to tell Olivia
and then we'll get a surgery date set
so the transplant center called Olivia
they arranged for her to come into my
office and meet my wife and I and so we
brought her in and she got there and she
had a bouquet of flowers and she said to
me when I told her I just looked kind of
puzzled and I said I'm your donor and
we're gonna do the surgery whenever
you're ready and she said oh I have
flowers for you I thought for whatever
reason I thought you would be a woman
she had no idea and we scheduled the
surgery for three weeks later and what
happened at that point I was
particularly interesting for me Olivia
let her family and friends know over
Facebook that she'd had a donor that I
was going to be donating my kidney to
her and we scheduled the surgery for the
end of August and I started getting
bombarded by news stations that wanted
to do an interview when I said no to all
of them and then the really interesting
part was how many people came to me with
misconceptions about the transplant
process and so ever since then I felt a
responsibility to clarify for people
what it's actually like what it means
what it feels like and to
tell people at least from the
perspective that I had because I can
only speak to my own experience what
this was ultimately like the good news
for what I'm about to tell you is that
everyone I know who's donated has had
the same experience and I'll share some
of their stories with you towards the
end one of my favorite shows in the
world is Curb Your Enthusiasm with the
genius American philosopher Larry David
and Larry Larry has a season season 5 of
that show when he's debating whether or
not to give his kidney to the comedian
Richard Lewis who is very sick and needs
a kidney and a lot of the themes that
popped up in that season which
coincidentally my wife and I happened to
be watching at the same time were things
that people told me I had people coming
up to me saying you have a huge risk of
dying it's actually not true there's
never been a death at Yale and the
number of deaths in surgery for
transplant are extraordinarily low
nationwide and statistically and the
surgical techniques have advanced
significantly since the early onset of
this type of surgery in fact they do the
whole thing laproscopically now and
you're in and out before you know it I
had people coming up to me and saying
this is irresponsible of you you run a
whole city you're the father of four you
have a wife you have a baby at home and
I did my youngest at the time was only 6
months old 8 months old excuse me
and so I had people telling me all kinds
of things and people are telling me why
would you want to do that and that was
the thing that struck me that the most
there were a number of people saying why
would you ever want to do this and I can
only tell you that the idea that you
could contribute a piece of yourself to
someone else so that they could be there
for their kids at their wedding so that
they could be there when their kids go
away to college
so that they could live a happy and
fulfilling life was an incredibly
satisfying experience and one that was
extraordinarily worthwhile and one that
doesn't necessarily match up with the
misconceptions that are out there about
organ donation the process
to undergo donation was so extraordinary
thorough they will not take you unless
they are absolutely confident that
you're healthy and that your body and
your mind can handle the surgery and
then the process of recovery so fast
forward a couple of weeks we go in for
one last round of blood tests they bring
you in two days before the surgery and
they run one redundant round of tests so
that they can be sure that they didn't
accidentally switch vials and and take
your kidney and put it into someone
who's not a match so they are
extraordinarily thorough and I got to
the hospital and I was ready to meet
with my transplant coordinator a
wonderful woman named Joyce who works at
Yale and they sent me to the waiting
room in the transplant clinic and I'm
sitting there and across from me is a
guy and just an absolutely beautiful
suit
this suit must have cost well I'm not
gonna guess but it was real more than I
make in a year I think and he smiled at
me and he said hello and I said hey how
you doing I just assumed he was another
patient so I got called into my
appointment and a few minutes later they
said hang on we have someone that wants
to talk to you and it was this gentleman
and it turns out he was the hospital PR
staff and they had made arrangements
with the local Fox affiliate to be in
the operating room for my surgery and
Olivia's for the purpose of sharing our
story and hopefully getting more people
to come out as altruistic donors because
one of the other large misconceptions
that's out there is that you can only
donate to a relative which of course
isn't true and so I said well I I don't
know I'm gonna have to ask my doctor and
he said oh we've already arranged the
whole thing all you need to do is say
yes or no so Olivia said yes and
subsequently I said yes the day of the
surgery my wife and I get to the
hospital they bring us upstairs they put
you in the little embarrassing gown that
you have to wear and then they said walk
down the hall with us to the operating
room so I was walking down the hall
holding it closed in the back and I
walked into the operating room laid down
on the table they strapped you in so
that you don't shift around during the
surgery and and then they said we're
gonna give you a sedative and you'll
start to feel it but when I'm gonna put
you out just yet and I got a little bit
dizzy and I said I could I can feel that
he said there's there's more where
that's coming from and I was laying up
and looking at them and the last thing I
remember saying is I hope you're all
Democrats and and that's it then I woke
up in the recovery room and I could hear
my infant my a baby girl Lily and she
was in there with my wife and then they
wheeled me to my room and while I was in
surgery this is still of one of the
videos shot by the local Fox affiliate
that's dr. Sanjay Kulkarni of Yale
University who is one of the premier
transplant surgeons in the entire world
and that's me on the table and one of
the things they do when they're doing
the surgery which is entirely
laparoscopic is they puff you up with
gas and that's what gives them the room
that they need to maneuver in removing
the organ once the organs out they bring
it to the next operating room over and
they transplant it into the recipient so
I was told that I was gonna not by the
doctors they told me I was gonna be a
little sore but the public people that I
met around they said you're gonna be
extraordinarily sore you're gonna be in
so much pain it's gonna be worse for you
then it's going to be for the recipient
and I don't think any of it was true I
was up walking around that day I was a
little sore but I was up walking around
the day of the surgery and here's a
picture of me moments before we're about
to leave the hospital less than 48 hours
later that's just before noon two days
after the surgery not even a full 48
since I had come out of anesthesia a few
minutes after this we left the hospital
and drove home and I spent the next week
watching reruns of Curb Your Enthusiasm
and the joy of painting with Bob Ross
and falling asleep on my couch because
the one thing I was told that ended up
being really true was that I would be
very tired and so I would lay down on my
recliner and I would Zonk out which
isn't that out of the ordinary for me
anyway a lot of people think that your
lifestyle has to change drastically that
you have to change your diet that you
have to change your habits that you
can't function
the way you used to function and that's
just not true I live the same life today
that I lived before the advice the
doctors give you is the same that they
gave me before drink lots of water eat
good food exercise the one thing that I
thought I thought was funny and I don't
think it was the doctors that told me
this but somebody said we don't
generally want you taking significant
physical risks like skydiving or
rappelling off buildings because if you
do and you have an accident you only
have one kidney and I remember thinking
if I have my go skydiving and I have an
accident I've got bigger problems than
just having one kidney so it really
didn't change my life very much at all
but there are all kinds of incredible
stories and all kinds of people that
I've met through this whole process this
is a woman named Sally she lives about a
half an hour from here she became
friends with a woman who was the mother
of someone who was on her son's hockey
team that woman needed a kidney
Sally donated and now she runs a
non-profit designed to raise awareness
about organ donation this is a woman
named Hillary she lives in New Haven her
husband was ill and needed a kidney an
altruistic donor came forward someone
who didn't know any of them and offered
up her kidney and was able to trigger a
paired exchange in which a kidney from
one person goes to another and then
another person who matches goes to
another so four recipients got kidneys
Hillary didn't match her husband but her
husband got a kidney and she gave her
kidney to somebody else
four people about kidneys for donors
gave everyone was super healthy it was
one of the largest paired matches that
Yael ever did just a couple of years ago
this is Jen and Matt they live also
about a half hour from here in a
different direction
Matt was sick with liver disease and Jen
donated a portion of her kidney to her
husband and today they're both doing
very well this is Elizabeth and Maria
Olivia and I flew last year to film a
segment for Good Morning America
honoring Christy Calloway the woman who
put together the sign that caught my eye
to begin with and we met Elizabeth and
Maria in Georgia while we were filming
this segment to honor Christy they
connected because of Christy's work as
well and Elizabeth has polycystic kidney
disease maria donated to her and today
they're extraordinarily close
so if you would like to donate and I
strongly urge you to consider it you can
contact the Yale transplantation Center
you can contact Hartford Hospital
there's a two major transplantation
transplantation centers in Connecticut
and of course April is Donate Life Month
so if you're watching this live
streaming or if you go home and you
don't live in Connecticut and you want
to do it somewhere else
go to donate life net and as part of
Donate Life Month you can connect with a
transplantation center yourself today
Olivia and I are both doing
extraordinarily well we're both very
healthy and this photo was taken two
weeks after our surgery we were both
still recovering but feeling good enough
that we were out at a walk to raise
awareness and money for breast cancer
research so we walked together around
the track of our local high school and
many times and where she is doing
extraordinarily well
I get to see her around town all the
time and she is a wonderful woman who
will go on to do many extraordinary
things as will her family and if I can
impress upon you one thing as a result
of this talk today it's that as with
most things in life what appears to be
the truth and what conventional was
conventional wisdom tells us is the
truth it's very often wrong and the
truth is different the truth is better
than what people would have you believe
and as a result we can do incredible
things as ordinary people to help others
thank you so much and everyone
[Music]
you
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