How do you feel about the donors?

[Lisa Nixon]

I asked my doctor at my post op check a few weeks ago and he said that I could no longer give blood or donate organs.

I too am very grateful to the donors - my left eye was an 81 year old lady, I don't know about the right, but I hope it wasn't anybody young. I would dearly love to donate my organs, I think being a recipient makes you want to even more.

Emotive subject.

Hope things are OK Sweet, thinking of you

[Per]

I guess we all feel we owe the donors everything. I know only my firs donor, a boy on my own age. I think they tried more to fit the age and ethinsity in those days. The new one I did not ask and it did not come up as an issue.

It surprises me though, Louise, that a 81 years old cornea is used as graft. Is there any research into the origin age of the cornea and how long the cells are able to reproduce themselves in the donor material ? Interesting question.

[Louise Pembroke]

Yes I am surprised by the age too, but perhaps organs 'age' at different rates?

[Per]

Ahh, maybe its me that is too old. Lisa, not Louise, with the old cornea

[Sweet]

Hhmm Louise am just thinking here about your letter but i don't believe that we have an existing medical condition more an opthalmic one, but not only that even if we did i think that a transplant is a totally different kettle of fish. It is like saying that someone has a heart condition and then in the next breath saying that they have had a heart transplant! That makes the whole situation different.

Hoping we get this cleared up soon as have enough stress as it is to be thinking about. Let's hope that we get a reponse from any letters soon.

Sweet X x X

[Louise Pembroke]

Absolutely

[jayuk]

Very interesting grey area point in this topic!

Age of cornea!!.. depending on who you talk to, some use corneas based on endothelial cell count, others use age and cell count!

Now what would be very interesting is a study. based on the

a) "real" cornea age against the host age
b)..and the success / failure of the graft in relation to a)

J

[Louise Pembroke]

Must take ages to count those endothelial cells!

[Andrew MacLean]

My sister used to work in medical research. Peering down a binocular microscope counting cells, she used to dream of the day when there would be a machine that could do the job as well as a human being.

Now she is in occupational health, where they have no microscopes, and she mists over and becomes lyrical about the good old days.

Yes it probably does take time to count the cells, and yes it probably seems to the people doing the job that thtere are other things they'd rather be doing. None the less, when they stop they will wish they were back at it!

Andrew

[jayuk]

these machines do exist!...Especially in the world of CSI:Miami and CSI:New York