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OrganFacts.net

The truth behind
organ donation
& transplants

The truth behind organ donation & transplants


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… The truth behind organ donation & organ transplants

WAS
NOT
DEAD

Carina Melchior

Carina Melchior , a 19 year old student, suffered severe injuries after crashing her car. Doctors said she would soon be “brain dead” and convinced her family to consent to organ donation. But, as doctors gathered around her bed to prep her for organ donation, she suddenly opened her eyes and moved her legs. Now she is making a full recovery. [more]

WAS
NOT
DEAD

Steven Thorpe

Steven Thorpe , 17 year old Warwickshire youth, was declared “brain dead” by four doctors, but his parents did not give up on him, and insisted on another opinion from an independent GP and a neurosurgeon. Steven made an unexpected recovery and left hospital alive seven weeks later. [more]

WAS
NOT
DEAD

Zach Dunlap

Zach Dunlap , a 21 year old Oklahoma man, was “feeling pretty good” four months after he was diagnosed as “brain dead”. Ironically, Zach heard the doctors pronounce him dead, but was unable to do anything about it. A few days later, he revived and spoke to his family. [more]

WAS
NOT
DEAD

Sam Schmid

Sam Schmid , a 21 year old Arizona college student, was critically wounded in a five-car accident. Surgeons thought he had no hope of recovery and broached organ donation with his family. Sam was poised to ‘donate’ his vital organs, when he suddenly emerged from a coma. He has since had rehabilitation and walks with the aid of a walker. [more]

WAS
NOT
DEAD

Val Thomas

Val Thomas , 59 year old West Virginia woman, came back to life, after being clinically “brain dead” for 17 hours. Attempts to revive her after a heart attack had failed, and doctors diagnosed her as “brain dead”. Later “she moved her arm, coughed and asked for her son.” ... she was alive. [more]

WAS
NOT
DEAD

Gloria Cruz

Gloria Cruz , 56 year old Northern Territory woman, was declared “brain dead” and expected to ‘die’ within 48 hours. A doctor, a social worker and a ‘patient advocate’ urged her husband to remove the ventilator and let her ‘die’. But he refused and 3 days later, Gloria revived, awoke from her coma and was getting around hospital in a wheelchair. [more]

WAS
NOT
DEAD

Madeleine Gauron

Madeleine Gauron , a 76 year old Quebec woman, was diagnosed by medical staff as “brain dead”, with no hope of recovery. Doctors asked if the family would agree to organ donation, but the family asked for more medical tests. The next day, astonishingly, she awakened and sat up in bed and ate yogurt. [more]

WAS
NOT
DEAD

Rae Kupferschmidt

Rae Kupferschmidt , 65 year old Minnesota woman, suffered a massive cerebral haemorrhage and doctors diagnosed her as “brain dead”. She was taken home to die and her family began making funeral arrangements. When Rae spontaneously sucked an ice cube offered by her daughter, she was found to be alive. She later walked. [more]

WAS
NOT
DEAD

Suzanne Chin

Suzanne Chin suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed into unconsciousness. Taken to hospital, she remained in a coma and the head of ICU, two neurologists & a cardiologist said she was brain-dead with no hope of recovery. But her husband refused to turn of her life support. 3 days later, Suzanne revived & is now well & very much ALIVE. [more]

Was Not Dead!

Val Thomas

A 59 year old woman came back to life, after being clinically “brain dead” for 17 hours!

Val Thomas alive and looking around

Val Thomas had a heart attack at her West Virginia home on May 17, 2008 and was taken to a Charleston hospital. Attempts to revive her seemed to be getting nowhere, as her heart kept stoppng and doctors could not detect any brain activity. They diagnosed her as “brain dead”.

Val was placed on a ventilator, to maintain breathing and preserve her vital organs, while the family discussed the possibility of organ donation (ie: harvesting of Val’s organs for transplanting into others). The decision was taken to switch off life-support. Ten minutes later, “she moved her arm, coughed and asked for her son.”, Ninemsn reports.

This supposedly “brain dead” woman was actually alive, even tough doctors were not capable of detecting her brain activity. Ironically, it was the decision to keep her on life-support for organ preservation that ultimately saved her. If the surgery had proceeded, Val would have died a real death because of organ removal (… not from so-called “brain death”).

Ninemsn reports that Val should make a complete recovery “to the surprise of her doctors”.

LifeSiteNews reports that there is still controversy and debate about the “the issue of brain death criteria for purposes of organ transplants and determining the exact moment of death has been a source of contention since organ transplants became common. Controversy continues to swirl around the issue as patients in apparently hopeless comatose conditions continue to confound doctors’ expectations and awaken.”

“The problem is time and the rapid deterioration of most vital organs after the cessation of heart function. After death, corneas and bone marrow can still be used but soft vital organs such as the heart, lungs, pancreas and kidneys rapidly deteriorate and are unusable within a few hours. Traditional medical ethicists contend that soft and easily damaged organs such as the heart are impossible to obtain morally since they deteriorate more quickly and must be removed when a patient’s condition is still disputed.”


(Based on “Woman‘s Waking After Brain Death Raises Many Questions About Organ Donation” by Hilary White, LifeSiteNews.com. Viewed Dec 20, 2010 at: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2008/may/08052709 )

(see also “‘Brain Dead’ woman returns to life” by ninemsn staff, ninemsn.com.au. Viewed May 27, 2008 at: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=569682 )

(see also “Woman Wakes After Heart Stopped, Rigor Mortis Set In” by FoxNews. Viewed Dec 20, 2010 at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,357463,00.html )