Hi, I was not sure where to put this but this seemed the best place. In Pennsylvania when you renew your drivers license they ask you if you will be an organ donor, I have said yes and had it put on my license for many years. The other day I was almost in a bad accident and I began to wonder, would they still use me since I have had cancer? All my organs are good, what about tissue?I would hate to think that if something happened to me they could not use parts of me to help other people. Maybe no one knows the answer to this but if you do answer.

It is a very good question. I recall on a blood donor application, that they will not take blood or blood products until after five years of remission. It is probably dependant on type of cancer as well. Melanoma survivors, as an example, are probably in a group that won't be accepted as donors. I like to think we are OK even if nobody else wants us.

If one has had chemo, the Red Cross will never again accept that person's blood. Frankly, that is the only part of this Grand Aventure that made me really, really angry. With all the quality problems they have, why should they turn down my untainted blood? I, too, have long had the donor indication on my license, and made an assumption that it was now just a decoration. I will check what the deal is in this state and report back.

I don't know what happens once you are in remission, but in Heather's case, they wouldn't use anything. Not even her corneas or her skin for burn victims. They will take absolutely nothing if the cancer is still active.

I was also disappointed because since her organs couldn't be used, Heather wanted tissue to be donated for research. Would you believe, we couldn't find anyone who would use it for cancer research!?! They would have used tissue for other things, but not specifically for oral cancer research. Of course, if our society wouldn't be in such a hurry to get a person buried, one would have more time for things like that. I felt there surely was some researcher that could have benefitted from Heather's tissues, but the whole funereal procedure was so rushed that there was no time to think, let alone anything else. Sorry, I got a little off track there!

Rainbows & hugs,
Rosie

Hi, Sadly to say Rosie I know from experience that the person must be on life support , brain dead, which is what our family had or terminal with a short period of time to survive. They are usually in a coma by then. A special crew is called in and someone has to sign to pull the plug and get the organs, etc. It has to be done very quick and by that time they know to who and where they are going. We had a friend who was dying of a heart problem and at the last minute he got a heart. He lived for 17 years after that.He got Cancer then and was gone in 6 months.I talked to him and he was just glad he had had the extra time he had had. I have seen both sides of it. That is why I have it in my wallet so it can be done quickly if I were in an accident. Anyone know where we could look to find the answer? I was just in for pre op check, EKG etc. I bet they could answer this, but i did not think of it then.

Hi, On my way out of post op I asked my Plastic surgeon this question. He said no, like me, I have had hepititis and I can not give blood or be an organ donar. He said the chance that a dormant cancer cell could be transplanted was too big a risk. He called another doctor over in a different field and he said no also. They were not positive of 15 or 20 years out though.I am disappointed, even though I am getting older and wearing out what I have, I had hoped to maybe help someone else. There is no end to the loss of things to this disease!