Certain Medical Conditions, Organ Transplants Research (Essay Sample)

Transplants-Organ Transplants
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Institution
Transplants-Organ Transplants
A transplant refers to an operation that involves removing an organ from its original site and relocating it to a different part of the body or to a completely different body. It is a proven fact that any individual can donate an organ notwithstanding their medical history or age CITATION JDT03 \l 1033 (Torr, 2003). This proves that the topic of any transplant can be very controversial. This is no different with organ transplants and the need for organ transplants remains constant. Organ transplants can be beneficial to donors, the recipients and to their families in order to save and extend the lives of many people around the world
Transplants are beneficial to children who were born with certain medical conditions. This is because it gives them hope and a second chance to enjoy life like other children. A body organ which would have been wasted is used to improve the health of a child hence saving the child’s life. Most of the children who go through organ transplantation end up living pretty healthy lives. Amelia as a child was diagnosed with heart failure. When she was just about to give up on life, she was lucky to receive a heart transplant from an unknown person CITATION Cor09 \l 1033 (Brezina, 2009). For her, it was like starting life afresh. That transplant helped her by giving her an opportunity to enjoy life like other normal children.
Organ donation also leaves a long-lasting legacy and a powerful impact on both the donor and the recipient. This is because it is an opportunity to bring family members and friends close together by depending on each other for emotional strength. This can be illustrated by the story of Daisy who was suffering from a condition called brain aneurysm which made her brain dead CITATION SSt16 \l 1033 (Strober, 2016). Fortunately, her family friends Franco and Rosa decided to donate the organs that were needed to make the transplant successful. After the organ transplant Daisy was grateful to have a normal life. The impact of the transplant was that she would always owe her life to the family friends who saved her. The two family ties also became stronger which can be explained by the common experience and emotional reliance on each other.
Organ transplantation is sometimes considered cheaper than treatment. This is a fact and it can be illustrated in cases of kidney transplants. Kidney transplants are cheaper compared to dialysis procedures needed to keep patients alive. This is because a kidney transplant is done only once while dialysis procedures have to be done consistently throughout the life of the patient. The accumulated costs of the many trips made by patients to the hospital for dialysis far outweigh the cost of performing a kidney transplant which only occurs once with a little follow up afterward. Therefore, an organ transplant can save on costs which can be used to improve on other aspects of the patient’s life.
A transplant increases the life expectancy of the recipient. For instance, patients who are beneficiaries of kidney transplantation live longer compared to those who depend on dialysis. A recipient would live for 10 to 16 years longer if he got a kidney transplant compared to if he depended on dialysis CITATION Eri94 \l 1033 (Feldman, 1994). Patients who are undergoing dialysis are usually too weak and have to be watched closely because dialysis is not the solution to kidney failure. Moreover, if the dialysis is not done consistently and follow-ups conducted on the patient, it could be fatal. This shows that organ transplant is better and if done successfully it would increase the life expectancy of a patient and this will enable them to be with their loved ones for more years to come.
Many people have also acknowledged that after the loss of their family members, they allowed donation of their organs. Such an act of kindness helps them in their time of grieving because of the comfort they get when they know that such a loss would not be futile. This happened to the family of Jake Houghton and Grace Houghton. Upon losing their son due to heart failure, they decided to donate his kidney to another child of the same age CITATION SSt16 \l 1033 (Strober, 2016). The thought of the positive impact their family member had on other people is comforting amidst the grief. In such an instance the transplant was beneficial to the recipient in that it saved his life. It was also beneficial to the family of the donor because it helped them to overcome their grief.
Organ transplants have also contributed in many ways in the medical research field. There are people who feel the obligation to help other human beings by any means. Donation of organs is the best expression of such a resolution. There are individuals who state in their Will that upon their demise, some of their organs can be donated to medical institutions in order to benefit those who still have a chance at life. The organs that are not useful to the body of a particular recipient are stored in research facilities to help other transplant recipients in the future CITATION Eri94 \l 1033 (Feldman, 1994). Therefore, organ transplants have helped the medical research field because it is now possible to conduct research in labs to determine the possible cure for various conditions that affect such organs.
It is also evident that transplants have led to an enhanced quality of people’s lives. A transplant can enable an individual to live without medication for the first time after being diagnosed. It can enable a person to be free from the expensive treatments that a sick person requires to have a decent quality of life. Such treatments are usually a huge burden in the long term especially to poor families, because they sacrifice every other aspect of their lives to cater to the health of their loved ones. For example, bone marrow donation presents hope for children with leukemia. Such children live unenviable lives due to lack of willing donors. However, such transplants have become more common and more affordable nowadays which has helped immensely to enhance the quality of lives of such children.
In addition to the benefits of transplants, there are also various reasons why transplants are done. For instance, Christians encourage believers to be generous and there are many ways to show generosity. Some members of the church may choose to show their generosity by volunteering to donate some of their organs to less fortunate individuals ...