Organ Donation Speech

Do you want to give your life purpose? Registering as an organ donor is your answer. Many people, including myself, have been affected by organ donation. My grandfather’s heart stopped when he was 50 years old after suffering from a major heart attack; he was brought back to life moments later. Despite major changes in diet and exercise, he had two more heart attacks before his 55th birthday. His doctors found that the heart that he was born with was the size of a basketball. It was basically useless, and he was in dire need of a new one. After 99 days in the hospital he received a heart transplant. During those 99 days I was born. Due to a complete stranger registering as an organ donor, I got to spend seven years with my grandfather …show more content…
Even after seeing what his father-in-law went through, my dad refuses to become an organ donor. Many people like my dad are worried that if they are injured in an accident, put on life support, and considered brain dead that the hospital will prematurely end their life and donate their organs. Fortunately, this is where the Dead Donor Rule (DDR) is applied. According to The New England Journal of Medicine, the DDR states that, “vital organs should be taken only from persons who are dead.” The DDR is an ethical code used by hospitals and physicians. The line between life and death makes it seem as though hospitals act too quickly when taking organs, but the transplant process needs to start almost immediately after the donor’s death. Another ABC News report cites that organs need to be transplanted from one body to another within just a few hours or else the organs will become unusable. Organ donors can also have an open casket at their funeral. The bodies of donors are treated with the utmost respect and care. Organs are retrieved from cadavers using sterile equipment in an operating room. Transplantation doesn’t alter the appearance of the body at all (National Center for …show more content…
Organ donation can help people connect to one another. KDKA Pittsburgh reported a story about a woman, Jeni Stepien, who just got married. Her dad died ten years ago, so he couldn’t walk her down the aisle, but he was an organ donor. His heart is pumping in another man, Arthur Thomas, who offered to walk her down the aisle. Stepien burst into happy tears when she met Thomas. He let her feel his heartbeat, and she exclaimed that she felt like she was with her whole family now. Stepien’s sister, Michelle, said that just hugging Thomas made her feel closer to her dad. Organ donation can help comfort your family when you are gone. Knowing that your heart is helping someone else live can bring your family joy and make it seem like part of their loved one is still living. Actor Liam Neeson expressed his admiration of organ donation in a 60 Minutes interview. After his wife, Natasha Richardson, died suddenly in a skiing accident the only comfort that Neeson could find was the fact that Natasha’s organs were helping three other people live (Cooper). He was helped in his grieving process by knowing that his wife was still helping people even after