A question that has lurked in the back of my mind for years is this -- when a universal recipient needs an organ transplant, can they take absolutely anyone's organ? Do we not reject organs, in other words, because we are universal recipients? You'd think so, wouldn't you? Blood, organs -- it all sounds the same to me.
I've never searched for the answer to this question -- but I will do so now -- live on the internets! (And yeah, sure, I could just ask my doctor but that's no fun. All answers must come from the digital internets or they don't count. Silly.)
Another, related question also lurks in my mind: if no one else can accept a universal recipient's blood except other universal recipients -- who can take anyone's blood, let us remember -- then does it make any sense for a universal recipient to donate blood?
I will now consult the Intertubes live, right before your eyes! Here we go . . . eenie, meenie, chili . . . no, no, wait . . . I know! I'll try the googley thing. Just a moment . . . okay! I found this comment on a transplant forum thread:
"So, an AB type recipient is very fortunate. He/she can receive a transplant from an "O", or an "A", or a "B" or an "AB", either plus or minus. But an "AB" can only DONATE to another "AB". "AB"s are only 3% of the population in the U.S."There you go. Peons ask and the Intertubes answer. So if this comment is accurate -- and of course it is; I found it on the internet, didn't I? -- the magic also works with organs. In summary, we AB-negatives (and ABs in general, according to that extended thread) are fairly useless in terms of blood or organ donations, but we are excellent recipients of both. Weird.
2 comments:
WellI was always told that "it's better to give than receive." Actually in checking that out the bible version reads "blessed" not better.
But Science Central can back up the fact with science:
"The phrase typically attributed to a verse in the Christian New Testament is now proving to be hard-wired into our brains. Brain scanning research is revealing that generosity seems to be a built in human trait.
"You give from the heart and… it satisfies your brain," says Jordan Grafman, chief of the Cognitive Neuroscience Section the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Grafman and his team study aspects of the human brain that set us apart from other species, with the aim of using that knowledge to better test when things go wrong in our brains, and whether new treatments are effective. They decided to study which areas of the human brain are involved in donating to organizations "because we know that that's something that other species just don't do," he says."
But when I look at the bigger picture I see not everyone can give - someone has to stand up and say "I'll be the recipient" - so BRAVO for you for doing your part.
You certainly took that one around the pike. Good for you. Last year, I wrote a short story about a dramatic transplant. Just wanted to do it. The tale made it into my book of short stories, which I'll finish up one of these days.
Post a Comment