[Vision2020] Legistlative update V from Rep. Trail - Feb 7-11

Sun Feb 13 23:21:47 PST 2005

Hi Pat,

Thanks for the clarification as I, too, had misinterpreted your comments.  I
*sincerely* appreciate your clarification, and I encourage you to jump right in
& straighten me out whenever I misunderstand.  And, I *sincerely* appreciate you
sharing some of your *personal* perspective, and I send my prayers for you &
your sons -- if there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask
me.  I understand the hardships (and necessity) of dialysis -- I have an older
(diabetic) brother whom I fear will be there sooner rather than later.

I don't want to shock you, but it seems that you & I are agreeing on a few
things  :-)  Should it ever happen, I'm a donor, as is my dh, and we both know
how strongly we feel about the issue.  I won't donate my whole body to "medical
science," but nothing would make us happier than to have any of our "parts"
(including skin & corneas -- which are often overlooked) help others!

So, thanks for the opportunity tell folks:  PLEASE give serious thought to going
through the simple process to become an organ donor AND make your wishes clearly
known to your loved ones!

And, with your heartfelt explanation, I find no error in your logic:  one
family's tragic loss can be a gift of life for another.  I lost my mother a few
years ago, and to this day, I wish the circumstances had been such that our loss
could have helped another family.

Life is so very fragile!  I find it interesting that you mention kids riding in
the back of pickup trucks because I don't think many folks realize how dangerous
this is.  Back in my younger days in CA, I knew of a young girl (she came
through the ER) who was sitting on the trunk of a car moving from the street
into the driveway and fell off, hitting her head on the curb, resulting in brain
death.  The car wasn't moving faster than 10 MPH max  but . . . it was truly
tragic.

Had she had any "extra" protection like a helmet, the tragedy would have been
avoided.  I always think of that young girl when helmet discussions come up,
even though she wasn't on a motorcycle.  And, perhaps that young girl's death
influences my favor of helmet laws (although it wouldn't have applied to her).
If that's the case, so be it -- while I can't recall her name, her tragic death
and her family's agony have never left me.

So, if I'm correctly understanding, we both support helmet laws.  We understand
that a helmet law won't prevent all such tragedies, but we recognize the value
of such a law.

And, we both want to URGE folks to seriously consider becoming organ donors (I
don't want to urge, I want to mandate <g>) *AND* to make sure our loved ones are
aware of our wishes  :-)

Common ground!  I'm sitting down, and I hope you are, too  :-)

We may not agree on anything else ever, but I sincerely THANK YOU for your
clarification *and* for sharing your perspective!

Saundra Lund
Moscow, ID

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do
nothing.
-Edmund Burke

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On
Behalf Of Pat Kraut
Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2005 10:35 PM
To: vision2020
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Legistlative update V from Rep. Trail - Feb 7-11

You have misread my comment because of a lack of knowledge. I shall now
enlighten you...I am all for helmet laws. I also don't like people riding around
in the back of pickups. If I had my way no one would get hurt in any manner that
lead to brain death. However, people won't wear their helmets and they do ride
around in the back of pickups and get brain dead no matter how we try to stop
them. Now for the other part of the story. I have two sons who have totally
failed kidneys so I am very aware of the agony of families who wait for 'parts'.
Most of those who need liver transplants are children under the age of ten and
they die before they get the transplant. Those waiting for kidneys must suffer
the indignities of dialysis in a variety of ways that most of you couldn't watch
without becoming ill. So, even though I am a Christian I want you to know that I
never and I do mean NEVER pray that one of my sons get the transplant he needs
no matter how sick he is because it means that I am asking God to take someone
else's loved one to save mine. You cannot even come close to knowing or
understanding how tough it is. I only pray that people will WEAR THEIR HELMETS,
seatbelts and not ride in the back of pickups (I believe that my youngest son
got his first transplant from a fifteen year old who was riding in the back of a
pickup and fell out hitting her head on the curb. It was instant brain death. I
won't even try to tell how I feel about this.). But people will do those things
so I only ask that they sign their organ donor card and tell their families that
they really mean it. And then yes we could use one tragedy to help someone else.
I am aware it may sound ghoulish to you but it is only because you don't live
where I live. Now, is all this logical? Probably not, it is probably pure
emotion but maybe you will stop being so sure that you can read my 'conservative
Christian' mind. And you can be very grateful you don't work in the ethics
department of a hospital. Now, what color would you make this??

	----- Original Message ----- 
	From: Tom Hansen <mailto:thansen at moscow.com>  
	To: 'Pat Kraut' <mailto:pkraut at moscow.com>  ; 'vision2020'
<mailto:vision2020 at moscow.com>  
	Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2005 9:19 PM
	Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Legistlative update V from Rep. Trail - Feb
7-11

	Ms. Kraut -

	You are obviously against motorcycle helmet laws.  As your posting
states:

	"There is a reason than [that] transplant surgeons call them
donorcycles. We could save lots of people if they would donate."

	You are suggesting that there will be more "donated body parts" if more
and more people rode motorcycles without a helmet.  These donated body parts
could then be used to save the lives of those patients in need of transplants.  

	Your logic (for lack of a better word) can be simplified to:

	"More lives will be saved if more people are killed on our highways."

	Spoken like a true conservative.  You go, girl.

	Tom Hansen

	Moscow, Idaho

	We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some
are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all
exist very nicely in the same box. 

________________________________

	From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Pat Kraut
	Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2005 9:05 PM
	To: vision2020
	Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Legistlative update V from Rep. Trail - Feb
7-11

		All I ask is that those who ride without a helmut sign their
organ donor cards. There is a reason than transplant surgeons call them
donorcycles. We could save lots of people if they would donate. 