The flag on your FB profile will likely mean nothing officially, but practically it will mean more than the driver's license because your family is more likely to see it and be aware of it.
Some of the folks I talked to touched on anecdotes where even though the family was 'aware', there's still a lot of potential for hesitation if they're not absolutely sure that it's something you've thought about and have conviction behind.
I think stickers and Fb flags are great, but these conversations are really the best way to ensure your decision is carried out.. and they have the added benefit of really making people internalize and think about organ donation very seriously.
Congrats on the donation. I'm working through the evaluation process myself. Do you have any advice to share?
RE: License sticker, it can't be overridden by family in a first-person consent state; it's the driver's decision to be a donor, and her wishes can't be overruled.
RE: Facebook organ donor status, it's a fantastic way to spread the word about your willingness to be an organ donor, and when no driver's license registration exists, it can help families exercise more accurate substituted judgment.
In general agreement that there's "no better plan than for your family to understand and be on board with your decision." Designating yourself as an organ donor at your nearest BMV makes your decision legally binding.
Even if this is technically true, I'm not sure it's practically always the case. Again, my info is anecdotal and a decade old but I was given the impression that the family is still a part of the conversation, and if they protest the fear of litigation can cause the donation to be avoided. Presumably the hospital and clinical folks involved have a number of decision points for whether or not harvesting will be followed through on. Your family is capable of suing, but you no longer are.
> Congrats on the donation. I'm working through the evaluation process myself. Do you have any advice to share?
Thanks! Congratulations on considering becoming a donor! As for advice.. that's a pretty broad question. It's a pretty long, scary, emotionally draining, and incredibly rewarding process. One of the things that I didn't really understand going in was that it's not a decision you really have to make before you get started (and even if you think you've made a decision, you'll likely find yourself re-making it many more times over)... For me the donor team was amazing at educating and preparing me to make a decision at the end of a lengthy evaluation process rather than the beginning. They do a really great job vetting you physically and emotionally for the process.
If you (or anyone else) has any other questions, definitely feel free to drop me a line. Contact info's in my profile, and I'm happy to answer anything.
Eventually I could see the same with bone marrow and blood type where it's a donation that you can make and keep living, but where millions of people die because there aren't enough donors.
P.S. Go register to be a bone marrow donor: http://marrow.org/Home.aspx
When you're gone it'll be easier for them if you have explicit instructions about what to do. One more data point of "they wanted to donate/not donate their organs" can only make their decision more clear.
The "living" part is redundant.
Donor status on Fb sounds like a great idea for raising awareness and encouraging others to think and talk about organ donation (living and non). That said, during my process I talked to a number of professionals in the field and repeatedly got the same feedback: The sticker on your license (and likely the flag on your Fb profile) doesn't mean much in the end. If you've got living family, they'll be asked and their answer is going to hold weight. The most important thing you can do as someone who wants to be a donor is to make sure you're family is aware of your decision and willing to give the go ahead if that time comes.
Registrations like the one mentioned in the article seem like an awesome idea, but I'd still be interested to know how often they're contested by family. Bottom line is that there's probably no better plan than for your family to understand and be on board with your decision.