14th January 2008

Well here we are - another Monday, another day another dollar. It has been a very hectic weekend with kids football, my 4 year olds birthday party - thank you Tumble Tots for a fantastic job!! - and then more kids football a match this time, for U10's, and won convincingly, both 6-0 and 4-1. But it was so cold to watch as a spectator. I know that the help and support of friends has made this a good weekend, and without our great friends and neighbours joining us to help and relax both Saturday and Sunday I am sure things would have been harder and definately much less fun.

And now onto today's comment on important and often world issues!! This is the "rant" section.....

The news today has been very focussed upon an organ transplant system overhaul. It would appear that the government wants to make the organ donor decison an "opt-out"system insted of the current "opt-in". Is this potentially creating a situation where people are more worried about their dead bodies than their live ones.

Now, when we die do we need our organs, is there a "next place" where not being intact will lead to an inability to take a place in paradise. Is there an afterlife to be looked forward to that requires a complete body or will, as a TV sitcom suggested many years ago, provide ongoing discomfort as a potential donor enjoys life. Alcohol to aggravate kidneys, running to aggravate the heart, lots of sweet stuff to annoy a pancreas!!

But let's be more serious, how would oppinions differ if the requirement was closer to home. How would it be viewed if no kidneys could be found for your wife. How would it be if a cornea transplant was needed and a donor was not forthcoming.

Sometime over the future 10 years my wife might need new kidneys as hers have a disease now, and what the future holds is still very uncertain. If I need a kidney for my wife I will move heaven and earth to find one and will travel anywhere in the universe to fulfil this. It will be slightly easier if the pool of donors available was increased.

Recently a close friend of ours had a heart and lung transplant as well as a pancreas replacement. Our friend waited on tenderhooks for a transplant. She was lucky, a donor was found just in time. Many, many people are not this fortunate.

There maybe religious reasons why a person cannot be a donor, however, for most of us what difference will it really make. It may help a person that is actually in real need.

The question is one of "what if?" How will we ever know if there is a next life, how will we ever know if our bodies intact are going to be part of the next step. The answer is that we will probably not know until it is too late to react. Are we prepared to take a risk that we could help others and trust either in a God to take pity on us or our next step will not require organs for our rebirth, if there is to be anything like this.

The decision is purely a personal one. Our belief may be a passionate one, and the will to achieve strong. But this decision is ours and ours alone.

Most people actually don't care, carrying a donor card or not is of no consequence to them. Most people simply have never got round to filling a form in, and talking to loved ones about wishes. This is probably an unconcious way of not actually facing up to mortality. Would these people be happier to just have opted-in by default and let the medical people get on with it. The saddest part of this is whilst they dither or just can't be bothered people are dying unnecessarily through a lack of transplant organs.

What is more criminal a government initiative to help provide organs that may be a little like "big brother" or doing nothing and going to the grave intact but knowing that potentially useable organs will just rot or burn.

In life we go through lots, some good and some bad. In some instances we grab at whatever and take as much as possible that is to be taken. Is so wrong to want to give a little back, when we probably won't lament the loss, but can help so much. At the moment a lot of people can't smile as everything seems black. Families are desperate and then distraught as husbands and wives, sons and daughters are lost needlessly. Is it not the greatest gift available if life can be prolonged for these people.

I have 3 children and a wife, i relish in everyday that I see the children grow. I revel in every minute I get to be with my wife. How would I cope if robbed of this? How will I manage if my wife does need a kidney in the future and through lack of support we cannot get one quickly enough. How would my best friend be now if he had lost his wife and was left with a toddler to explain things to, if someone, somewhere was not carrying a card.

Should the government be able to force this decison upon us? That view must remain unanswered and a personal feeling. The bigger question is one of whether it is fair to not help people live through our death, because this decision reveals our mortality and that is what we don't like.

Put aside selfish thoughts, put away feelings of creepiness (that we all have over this!!), forget the "what if" question. It is very simple we all take, take, take, this is a chance to give back a little something. Is the warm feeling that this knowledge brings not enough to actually make the decison a lot easier to make.

Don't sit on thoughts, don't wait until it is too late. A chance exists to feel proud and to do something that through the sorrow of departure will make grieving families and friends proud. The ability to provide, the ability to have that power at our fingertips, and the knowing that this will happen is what we all want and all can do.

I SAY PREPARE NOW TO SAVE LIVES IN THE FUTURE - OPT-IN TODAY REGARDLESS