Comments | buster: What's the easiest way to save a life?

buster

What's the easiest way to save a life?

Jan 16, 2009 14:24

I heard a This American Life about someone who gave their kidney to a stranger, after a long string of bad luck on the donatee's part. Also, my friend's husband just went through a crazy 3-year ordeal trying to get him a new kidney. It seems like a no-brainer. We should all save a life by donating a kidney. The risks aren't actually that high ( Read more... )

Comments 17

goawayplease January 16 2009, 23:10:23 UTC

How about learning CPR or first aid? Or getting registered to be a bone marrow donor?

My grandma had a story about a doctor in her hospital taking out the wrong kidney and how the poor guy would come back each time he was in trouble. She was a nurse in the late 1930s, so I guess they didn't have good dialysis or transplant technology at the time.

buster January 17 2009, 00:03:09 UTC

Those are good ways to prepare lives, but I want a more direct link. Blood and bone marrow does seem to be the simplest link I can think of so far.

more_bjorn January 16 2009, 23:25:32 UTC

Why does the United States export 1.4 million units of potatoes and import 1.2 million units?

It doesn't say what kind of potatoes... we might import some kinds and export others. And sometimes different parts of the country might import them (from places like Prince Edward Island in Canada) as opposed to shipping them in from other states.

buster January 17 2009, 00:04:05 UTC

Why not ship them to other states rather than across the water and back? And mash'em all together into a mountain. Yummmmm...

joshc January 17 2009, 00:35:44 UTC

it might also depend on what a "unit" is.

more_bjorn January 17 2009, 01:05:46 UTC

Like in Close Encounters of the Third Kind?

Thread 6

silverfae9 January 16 2009, 23:31:47 UTC

Man, I've always wanted to give blood. Someday I will be big enough.

buster January 17 2009, 00:02:12 UTC

Is it like going on rides at Disneyland?

silverfae9 January 17 2009, 00:06:03 UTC

Yep, except with weight instead of height.

buster January 17 2009, 00:08:27 UTC

Seems like the best excuse for late night hot dogs and tacos I can think of!

fisticuffs January 16 2009, 23:40:13 UTC

My kidney is spoken for! my mother donated hers to my brother 22 years ago and both of them are going strong, although I'm still holding mine in reserve should he encounter any difficulty.

As for easy ways to contribute to saving lives: education of yourself and others (raising awareness), donating blood, volunteering, fund raising.

buster January 17 2009, 00:04:45 UTC

Oh, that's interesting. Yes, it's good that you hang onto yours for sure.

j_u_d_i January 17 2009, 03:33:08 UTC

The Red Cross won't take my blood! Because I lived in England for 3 months during the mad cow era. So I guess I'll have to save lives Fight Club style.