Organ donation policy change keeps family from donating man's organs

Donating a loved one'sorgans is sensitive at the best of times, but imagine being told your brain-dead relativehas to be flown 800 kilometres, with no family, for organ removal.

Well,theregoes maybe eight, 10lives. Who knows how many livesDad could have impacted?- Shawna Park's husband

A family in York Harbour, in western Newfoundland, cameup against a change in provincialprotocol when they made the difficult decision to donate their father's organs, and decided insteadto have him cremated.

On The Go20:50NL family questions organ donation policy

A NL family questions a government organ donation policy that requires people to put their loved one on a plane, with their heart still beating and send them off to St. John's.

Derek Park, 61, ended up in thehospitalin Corner Brook last Aprilwhere aCAT scan revealed a major bleed inside his skull afterhe suddenly developed a severe headache while working.

Doctorsdetermined therewas nothing they could do for Parkother than make him comfortable.The blood soaking into his brainwould eventually cause it to swell, leading toorgan failure.

His family decidedto put him on life supportand tosedatehimto lessen the stress on his bodywhen the swelling started.

Eventually, his condition deteriorated to the point wherea doctor "who was completely gentle and understanding" talkedPark'sdaughter-in-law Shawna and her husband about his wishes regardingorgan donation.

"My husband [Aden] and I had discussed it earlier, and my husband said, 'Well, I know Dad would want to donate his organs.' He said. 'Ithink he signed his donation card'andhe said, 'Dad would give anyone anything,'" she told CBC Radio's On The Go.

'Maybe we can save more lives'

Shawna Park said the family agreed, saying, "His death may be in vain but maybe we can save more lives here."

The familythoughtDerek Park would be declared medically dead.

Withmachines tohelpkeep him alive, he would be taken into theoperating room still warm,his organs would be removedand his body would released for his funeral.

Instead, the doctor returned five minutes later after she notifiedthe organprocurement office at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's.

"She said, 'There's been a change inpolicy. They no longer fly into Corner Brook anddo the organharvesting. She said now what happens, we have our own team here in Newfoundlandandnow they will fly out byair ambulance. They will stabilize Derek's body and they will transport him by air ambulance back to the HealthSciencesCentre where in the next day or so they will retrieve his organs and then his body will be sent back to Corner Brook.'" Park said.

"We stood stunned."

The doctor checked again, butwas told Derek Parkwould have to be flown toSt.John's

'A strange hospital, a strange city'

Park said the family was upset thatthey would want to take Derek's body 800 kilometresto St. Johns alone.

"To a strange hospital, to a strange city,without his family there, to die basically," Shawna Park said. "Even though we knew he was brain dead, he was still alive. His heart was still beating, his lungs were still moving, whether or not it was machines or medicationskeeping him alive, he was still our family member."

The family couldn't travel to St. John's on the air ambulance since there was no room, family members were too exhausted to drive and even if they could theycouldn't afford financially to drive down and pay for a hotel.

"My husband and sister-in law and mother [in-law] just kind of looked at each other and I jumped in and said,'No, absolutely not, they've been through enough.' I said, 'We believe in organ donations, I have my card signed, we all have our cards signed. I said, 'No,we cant' do this,this is too much."

DerekPark died without his organs being harvested. His body was taken to the morgue and cremated.

That night they returned to York Harbour and went to Derek Park's former home.

"My husband said, 'Well,there's goes maybe eight, 10lives. Who knows how many livesDad could have impacted?His organs are all going to be [burned]now.' He said, 'That's so sad.'"

Organ donation week

ShawnaPark said herhusband became even more upset afterhe made a discovery while online.

"'This is organ donation week,' he said. 'Yesterday, the minister stood in the House of Assembly and made a statement about 'How we can get more Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to donate their organs?'They're saying it's so important and asking, 'How do we do it?''"

"He said, 'We want to do it and they're not making it feasible for us.'"