There are currently more than 106,000 Americans waiting for lifesaving organ donations. Huntington High School students enrolled in Personal Law II recently learned more about issues surrounding organ donation from a familiar face.
Recently retired Dean of Students Paul Caleca visited business teacher Suzi Biagi’s students virtually, sharing his experience of donating a kidney to his sister in 2008. He explained the process through which he was approved as a donator. It included a detailed lesson on organ compatibility and moved on to an initial blood test and allele matching (the host and parasite alleles must match to successfully resist infection) to a lengthy physical exam and psychological profile designed to verify there wasn’t any coercion or duress exercised. The process determined Mr. Caleca was a willing participant and a good match biologically.
Retired dean of students Paul Caleca
Mr. Caleca reviewed all aspects of his donation experience. “If I was asked this once, I was asked it at least 20 times: ‘Why do you want to do this? Are you sure you want to do this?’” he said.
Mr. Caleca said it was the “right decision” for him to make and he would do it all over again if he had the chance.
“Paul shared his sister’s medical plight, the frustrating path one has to take when needing an organ and the emotional bond the experience forged upon his family,” Ms. Biagi said.
Students in the half-year, half-credit business course are currently studying probate law and organ donation along with creating their own mock wills, health care proxies, living wills and engaging in estate planning.
“My goal with this course is to expose me students to the many different types of legal issues that will come their way as they grow into independent young adults,” Ms. Biagi said. “Anything that I wanted my own kids to know about as they were growing up, I put into the constantly morphing Personal Law curriculum here at the high school.”
Students were captivated during the discussion on organ donation, crafting additional questions for Mr. Caleca before he had time to answer previous ones.
About 170 million Americans are currently registered as willing to donate their organs.