Speech: Organ Donation
Good morning, Principal, teachers and schoolmates:
Let me first introduce myself. I’m Chris Wong from 3A. I am glad to have this opportunity to talk about the issue of organ donation on behalf of the Social Service Group.
Have you heard about the saddening news of Jamella Lo recently? Jamella was one of three or four patients a year in Hong Kong who are afflicted by pulmonary hypertension, a condition for which there is no special cause. Her mother had tried hard to make an appeal for a double lung transplant within 48hours. Unfortunately, there was no suitable lungs for Jamella and she passed away on 7th October. Don’t you pity her? The beautiful life of a 19-year-old girl has just come to an end just because she got a horrible disease and couldn’t receive a lung transplant surgery! Must she die actually? No! This news makes us reflect on the current system of organ donation.
About 2000 people are now on the organ transplant waiting list and their future is dark. Hong Kong has about 7 donors per million people while it is around 15-30 donors per million people in the western countries. That causes many people to die while waiting for transplant. Hong Kong adopts an opt-in method, which means people have to actively sign up to be organ donors. While in many other countries, the opt-out method is used. People have to sign up NOT to be an organ donor in the opt-out system. So I am here to invite you all to register for organ donation. That can really save the lives of many people! But are you hindered to be willing to donate your organs after death by some misconceptions. I am going to clarify them.
Firstly, some are worried that the organ recipient or his/her family will cause more grief to the donor’s family by sending their thanks or condolences upon learning the donor’s name and address. But in fact, the privacy of the donor and their recipient will always be respected. Neither the name nor personal particulars of the donor will be disclosed, but the family of the donor will be informed of the recipient’s progress after the transplant.
Secondly, the Chinese traditions tell us that we have to keep our body intact after death. Referring to this point, what I’d like to say is that there’s actually no use for us to keep all our organs after death! We will not use them again! Why don’t we donate our organs when they are just going to be buried underground?
Thirdly, some are afraid that when once they’ve registered as organ donor, doctors will not try their best to save them when they get injured in some accidents since the doctors want to get the organs from the patient. This is definitely not telling the truth. In fact, doctors would always try their very best to rescue every single patient! Doctors have even make an oath about that! Therefore we don’t actually need to be anxious about that.
Lastly, some may claim that organ transplant are still experimental, and it’s worried that the donation will be wasted. However, in fact, the success rates of organ transplants are high. For example, the survival rate for the kidney transplants after one year is about 90%.
I hope these misconceptions will never block you from offering a gift of new life to the patients with end-stage organ failure anymore.
I would like to use the words of CHIU Kwok-chiu as a conclusion-Jesus said that it is greater blessing to give than to take. He believes and hopes there will be more people donating their organs after death so that desperate people who are suffering from end-stage organ failure may, like him, come to full recovery. All of you will be blessed while your love remains forever.
May I finally invite all of you to take the action to sign up for organ donation. This is the end of my sharing. Thank you.