The Big Donor Show
Lisa who has inoperable brain tumor would donate one of her kidneys to one of the three kidney patients within 1.5 months. During the show the audience could advice Lisa via SMS to whom she should donate her kidney. However, the lucky winner was still chosen by Lisa.
The show is not only generating discussions in NL, but also all over the world. Most people find it tasteless, unethical, and even macabre. Others, such as Dutch Kidney Foundation Director Paul Beerkens is pleased with the publicity about the lack of Dutch donors. Although he said, "The form BNN has chosen, would definitely not be ours. I personally think it goes too far."
Tonight, by chance, I saw the last half and hour of the show. It's like watching a train wrecks. After each candidates, Esther Claire (she's Ambonese, by the way), Vincent and Charlotte, told their stories, Lisa asked each of them one question. Before Lisa chose the winner, each candidate had 30 seconds air time to convince Lisa that she or he is the right person to get a new kidney.
First, The oldest candidate lost the race, Lisa thought she is not the person who needed the kidney the most. Then, before Lisa announced who's going to have kidney surgery in 1.5 months, the show stopped. Patrick Lodiers, the presenter, revealed that tonight the show wasn't going to give away any kidney. The show was not real. A brilliant hoax. Very Bart, the founder of BNN who was a kidney patient himself. Lisa is actually an actrice. However the three candidates are real kidney patients and still needing new kidneys.
Lodiers urged the audience to fill in the donor registration form, because there's a huge shortage of donor in NL. Well, actually in whole Europe. In fact, yesterday the European Union's health chief, Markos Kyprianou, presented his proposal to increase organ donations and transplants in the 27-nation EU.
There are at this moment 40 000 Europeans on the transplant waiting list, some of them have been waiting for years. About 10 patients die each day due to the shortage of donor. Apparently, donor of minority background is even rarer.
So, would you consider becoming a donor?
update June 2nd 12:46 PM: within hours there were 12000 registration forms filled. They supposed to do it back in 1998 when everyone in the country received the form like I did. I guess people need to be shocked to do something about it.
3 comments:
I suppose one of the reasons is because there are not many citizens, or dwellers, in NL (compared to in Indonesia). Another reason, perhaps, the high individualistic type of people?
Anyway, I haven't had any idea to be a donor of any part of my body. To do good to others is not only by donating any part of my body, this is my opinion. :) Therefore, I always appreciate and admire those who are willing to donate one part of their bodies. It is very hard for me. :(
I found at times, Indonesian are more individualistic than the Dutch especially when it comes to people you know nothing about.
Eventho you want to be a donor, it doesnt mean you'll find a match, or you are healthy enough or young enough to be one.
I heard one of the reasons of donor shortage is there are not enough cases of brain dead. you can't 'harvest' organs from a dead body. With brain dead, the body is kept alive until the harvesting is done.
When there's one, doctors/family has trouble arranging donation due to circumstances.
It is indeed a complicated case, then.
I do agree with you that oftentimes we can find selfish people in Indonesia, rather than individualistic. I consider myself as an individualistic--that I mean I want to do anything by myself, and not adjust myself to ask for help from people around. About selfish? Well, I don't think I am a selfish person, but I don't know what other people think about me, anyway.
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