Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. donor (n.) – a person who gives something important in order to help others
Example:
Donors gave money to help
children.
2. incompatible (adj.) –
cannot go together; not matched
Example:
Two people who have different ideas may
be incompatible.
3. recipient (n.) – a person or a thing
that receives
Example: Donations
were given to the rightful recipient.
4. diagnose (v.) – to find a problem in
someone or something
Example: Experts
diagnosed what is causing the patient to be sick.
5. transplant (v.) – in medical surgery,
to transfer one part of the body to another person
Example:
The man gave away his kidney to be transplanted to someone who needs it.
Article
Read the text below.
In the US, a total of 30 patients received kidneys from 30 living donors, setting the world record for
the longest chain of organ donations.
People in the chain wanted to give a kidney to a family member or
friend, but were medically incompatible
with the patient, so they donated to someone else instead. The family of the
patient who received the kidney then donated a kidney to another patient. The
process took four months to complete, and involved 44 hospitals across 11
states.
Rick Ruzzamenti started the chain when he decided to donate his
kidney to a stranger. The recipient's
family then donated a kidney to someone else. The chain continued until the
kidney of the last donor was given to a man named Don Terry.
Thanks to the chain, Don Terry no longer had to wait up to 10 years
in the organ donation waiting list. He was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and was at risk of dying from
kidney failure. Terry was not able to continue the chain, however, as his
only brother is dead, and his parents are already elderly.
Out of the 400,000 Americans undergoing treatment for kidney
disease, 4,500 die each year while waiting for a kidney. Doctors say an organ
donation chain is the best and fastest way for patients with incompatible
donors to have transplants.
As for Ruzzamenti, he says helping friends and family is easy, but,
if people would show such kindness to strangers, all world problems could be
solved.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
●
If
you can donate one part of your body to another person, what would it be? Why
is that so?
●
How
can doctors encourage people to donate body parts?
Discussion B
●
Would
donation chains work successfully in your country? Please explain further.
●
What
do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of organ donation?