Photo Courtesy of Johnson-Tate family via Philly.com
Kim Kamara of Germantown wasn’t pleased the day her 18-year-old informed her that he had gotten his driver’s license and had checked a box marking his intention to be an organ donor.
“We don’t do that,” recalled Kamara, who is African American. “You die with your body parts.”
I mention race because it can be a factor in whether a person agrees to donate organs. Historically, blacks have been less trusting of medical institutions, and also worry about getting proper care once doctors learn that they have registered as potential donors. I’ve fought similar fears myself, although I eventually overcame them and am listed as an organ donor.
“I tried to talk him out of it because I didn’t believe in it,” Kamara, 48, told me Tuesday. “Because I just felt like people were going to steal your body parts. I just felt like he was making a big mistake.”