Just want to add, that I feel more strongly about being a donor since I was was told last year that due to new rule changes, I am unable to donate blood ever again as I have a heart murmur (an innocent one). Silly really as the murmur has no effect on my life apart from having to take antibiotics for dental work or any surgery, and my blood is AB Rh Neg. I used to donate, and felt devasted when told I was being removed from the list.

I can't give while alive, so will do so when dead.

I've just had a look at the organ donor site also Heather cause i had testicular cancer back in 2002.It dont say anything on there about who cannot donate so i suppose it may just rest on the individual doctor 'at the time' and how desperate they are??? I didnt need chemotherapy or radiotherapy though cause they removed the testicle time before it spread to body,but i still needed to have blood tests for 12 months afterwards.

I am on the register as a donor, don't need anything once I have gone, once they have taken the bits they need they can have the rest for medical research!!!!! I don't have any feelings of wanting to keep bits, as far as I am concerned they can have anything they need. I have carried a donor card since I was a teenager and they first brought out donor cards.

Only 12 months!
Wow, thats not bad!
I'm on 6 monthly checkups at the moment, and will be on about that, until I reach 5 years, then I will have to return anually, until I have been clear 15 years!

I may ask my doc next time I go about blood & organ donation (I'm due to go next month), so if I remember to ask, I will let you all know what they say!

Many years ago an american transplant co ordinator told me people often misunderstood the procedure before organs were harvested.

It's not just a case of "the person is dead lets get the organs now" There are checks to ensure the possible donor is beyond any recovery & is totally brain dead. Then the records are checked re organ donation & then the relatives next of kin contacted/asked & only with consent are the organs harvested. He told me it was a fear of having life support etc withdrawn early just to get the organs that often stopped people being donors, it certainly would never happen in the UK & not most other countries.

I have given bone marrow twice(when I was younger)to two unrelated to me children One in the UK & one to an Arab child in Israel. It wasn't pleasant, but both children are now healthy adults. I can't give blood or bone marrow any more so if my body will help some one after I've left it then it's fine by me

Wow, that's so impressive! You should be very proud. I'm considering joining the bone marrow register, although my husband is uncomfortable about it, so it needs further discussion. My grandad died young from aplastic anaemia, a disease which can sometimes now be cured with bone marrow transplants. I should have had the opportunity to meet this wonderful man, but missed out, and would like to be able to help save other families from the same loss.

As for organ donation after you're dead, I really don't see what people's hang-ups are If you wouldn't object to yourself or a loved one being saved by a liver or heart transplant then you have no right to deny somebody else that opportunity. I and all my family are registered organ donors, and give blood when we can, and I would have no qualms in signing over their corneas or anything as their last gift to society.

I wouldn't even mind leaving my entire body to medical research, but that's largely due to my belief (or rather lack of it) in the afterlife. I think that's a very personal thing, and wouldn't expect my next of kin to go through with it if they weren't comfortable about it. I would expect them, however, to part with any of my organs, corneas included, which may help to improve the lives of the living.

If you leave your body for medical research your next of kin don't have a say in it which is why I favour an opt out system so if you don't want to donate organs you say so before you die & don't leave it to others afterwards

i have been an organ donor for about 20 years now i don't really care what happens to me when i am gone.

I'm a donor

I won't be needing anything when I'm gone, if someone else can make use of me then so be it......

Hope you don't mind me asking....why is your husband uncomfortable about YOU being on the bone marrow register?
It wouldn't be him donating.