Saturday, March 31, 2012

Donate Your Brain for MS Research

As a person living with multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, my options for organ and tissue donation are limited.  Earlier this week, I posted regarding organ donation in general and RA.  Many of the same rules which apply to RA patients also apply to MS patients.  In general, we cannot donate bone marrow or most tissues for transplantation.  The ultimate donate-ability of our organs would be determined after our death by the organ transplant team.

The donation of blood, organs, and tissue help to save and improve the lives of countless people each year.  However, the donation of brain and spinal cord tissue may hold the key to curing multiple sclerosis one day.  Persons living with MS, and their family members, may choose to donate their brain and spinal cord tissues, spinal fluid, other specimens to an MS-specific tissue bank.  Planning ahead is vital as brain tissue must be recovered and prepared within four hours after death to be suitable for use in research.

Read this post in its entirety:

Multiple Sclerosis Tissue Donation: Your Brain on Research

2 comments:

  1. I've long been planning to donate my brain and spinal cord! Even though I hope/plan to be around for quite some time, I know I need to make arrangements for this now - thanks for the reminder!

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  2. I am a card carrying donor - my entire spinal column and brain have already been spoken for. It felt good to get this done, even though I plan on using both for a long time to come. Thanks for spreading the encouragement, Lisa.

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