Jeanne Policastro Gagliardi Specian: 

“Organ donation is a sign
of Spiritual as well as
human evolution”

Our interviewee this week is a member of the Transplant Centre of
 the Brazilian city of Londrina who talks about the shortage
of organs for transplants
 

	In March 2010, I quoted in my column “Stories that teach us” in The Immortal newspaper a comment by the great Brazilian medium and benefactor Divaldo Pereira Franco. Divaldo said: “One day Humberto de Campos dictated to me an interview he made with St Francis of Assisi in the Spirit World. He asked him whether  St  Francis  would
embrace poverty if he returned to earth reincarnated. Francis said he would not. He would use the most modern resources available on the planet to disseminate the message of the Gospel. But he said he would not need to own the resources he used. He would encourage detachment from material things. To use them without owning them.”

I made an analogy with our physical body, which does not last forever. And I posed the question: If not even our body belongs to us in this world, why then are we reluctant to donating our organs once our physical life comes to an end. After all, we could use them to save other lives?

I decided then to interview Jeanne Policastro Gagliardi Specian (photo), married for 28 years and mother of two children. She works in an organisation dedicated to collecting organs and tissues from donors. Jeanne is a Spiritist linked to the Spiritist Centre Hugo Gonçalves, in the city of Londrina. 

Jeanne, where were you born, what is your academic background and where do you work? 

I was born in Jaboticabal, in São Paulo state. I am a trained nurse, with a degree. I also have a post-grad degree on Public Health and the management of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Aids in the Health System. I have worked for the Health Secretary of Paraná State for 28 years and began working on organ donations nearly eight years ago. 

Do you come from a Spiritist family? 

My parents were linked to Umbanda, an Afro-Brazilian religion that is also linked to Spirituality. I met Spiritism and began attending regular meetings some 25 years ago. I stopped attending for a while, but came back bringing my husband with me. 

What are the main problems faced in your work with organ donations? 

I work at the local Transplant Centre. The main challenges we face are the lack of awareness, the lack of knowledge and even will from some doctors who work in Intensive Therapy Units to monitor the process of brain death (even if not necessarily for the ultimate goal of organ donation). Another problem we face is the high turnover among health workers. Many leave the hospital once they are trained and made aware. And there is a general lack or awareness amongst the general population. 

Do you think that us, Spiritists, should do more and get engaged in campaigns to encourage organ donation? Why? 

Yes, I believe Spiritists should get engaged in such campaigns. That would be a way of showing solidarity to those who need an organ to survive. As we know, the body is just a shell for our Spirit. If the organ is healthy, why not donate it for those someone else who needs it? That would show true detachment from a Spiritual perspective. 

How should be that engagement of Spiritists? 

We would need, firstly, to clarify and explain to Spiritists and non-Spiritists what brain death really is. And we should organise and promote regular debates focusing on the Spiritist approach to this issue. 

How do you think the family of someone who has just been informed that their loved ones have passed away or have brain death be approached? 

The recommended procedure is to keep the families informed at every step of the process, making it easier to approach the family once doctors conclude that the patient is brain dead. By proceeding that way, you establish links and give several opportunities to family members to donate the organs of their loved ones. 

How does your team deal with those issues? 

We need to know a bit about the life story of that person, including his or her habits, in order to find out whether the organs can be donated. Very often we are faced with strong stories that stay with us for many days. And it is very rewarding to find out that those organs will save the lives of people who have been waiting on the queue for hours or days. 

Jeanne, I would like you to leave us with your final thoughts on this issue. 

We go on and on about the development of human beings! Well, organ donation is a sign of Spiritual as well as human development. It shows that we have developed from a human, material perspective because not long ago we did not know that someone’s heart could continue to beat in someone else’s body, prolonging his or her life. It also shows development from a Spiritual perspective because there’s a change in attitude: from having to being and donating, easing the pain of others and showing, with that, unconditional love for our neighbours.

Talk to your family members and get them to make a formal commitment to donating their organs. That way it will be easier for them to make a decision when the time comes.