People Suck

February 20, 2009 /

I just received a phone call from a tissue donation organization, wanting to know if I wanted to memorialize my mom because she donated tissue after she died.  I said no, it’s too upsetting to think about, and hung up.  But it brought that whole crappy conversation back, and made me realize, yet again, why people suck.

My mom wanted to be an organ/tissue donor, so when, a few hours after she had died, I received a phone call from said organization, I said yes, that’s what she would want, I give consent.  You would think that would be it, wouldn’t you?  Hell no, in this era of litigiousness, when no one does anything without fear of being sued to high heaven, because damn it, someone blew it and used a family and broke their hearts in some cruel way, and someone in that industry was sued, so now they have to be extra frakkin’ careful, so no, that’s not it.  No, they have to tell you in detail what every inch of skin or eye or whatever they might use will be used for, and you have to say yes, you approve, or no, you do not, who cares if you’re presently crying so hard you’re afraid you’ll throw up.  It took over an hour.  But they can’t use the organs/tissue, can’t save someone’s life/sight/skin graft without your explicit permission.  God, that is one memory I do not enjoy, and one job I would not want to have.  Making that phone call.  Putting some family member through that, no matter how good and worthwhile the cause.  It sucks.

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