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From the Lecture Hall to the Waiting List: When Medical Students Teach Their Own Transplant Stories.
It was an extraordinary lecture in two respects: First, organ donation and transplantation are not listed as a separate module in the medical school curriculum, as both topics are covered within various specialties; second, there had never before been a similar event where affected students shared their personal stories. The two medical students, India Heilmann and Lina Rosenboom, thus enabled their fellow students to connect their basic anatomical knowledge from the anatomy course with personal experiences and a clinical perspective. To this end, they participated in a panel discussion with MHH Vice President and transplant specialist Prof. Dr. Frank Lammert, answering questions about their lives on the organ waiting list and after transplantation. Also present was Malte Storsberg, a third-year medical student involved in a project group dedicated to raising awareness about organ donation. MHH Dean of Studies Prof. Dr. Christian Mühlfeld had invited attendees to this new lecture in the anatomy module and served as moderator.
Voluntary Event Well Received
The new lecture series was well received by many students. “I’m touched that so many fellow students showed up,” said India Heilmann during the introductory round. The 24-year-old is in her second year of medical school and has been waiting for a donor lung for five years. “I have COPA syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes scarring in my lungs. As a result, I’m having increasingly more trouble breathing and am therefore constantly dependent on liquid oxygen. When I’m out and about, I use a portable oxygen tank.” Heilmann has long been committed to this cause. “Raising awareness is important to me, because organ donation rates are unfortunately still too low.”
When she attended Professor Mühlfeld’s anatomy lecture and the “Präpkurs” (dissection course) last year, she struck up a conversation with him and wanted to introduce the topic to the students in her class as well. “Many people wondered why I ride an e-scooter from one lecture to the next. But without assistance, I wouldn’t be able to make the trips. Depending on how I’m feeling that day and the situation, I get around campus either on the scooter or in a wheelchair.” The large lecture hall fell silent as she told her story; the shift in perspective fosters understanding, which was India Heilmann’s primary goal.
A Valuable Change of Perspective
This was also important to Lina Rosenboom. “I consider this combination of basic anatomical knowledge, personal experience, and a clinical perspective to be particularly valuable and impactful.” The 26-year-old is in her fourth year of medical school. She has already received two liver transplants at MHH, the first when she was three years old. At that time, she received a partial organ transplant, but this caused problems in 2012. The connections were under tension, bacteria entered the liver from the intestines, and she suffered from recurring bile duct infections that developed into peritonitis. “I’ve given birth to two children—this was nothing compared to that.” She was placed on the so-called high-priority list and received a new liver at the MHH within a few days in 2013. “Everything’s fine now, I’m doing well, but it’s not a normal life.” For many years, she has been advocating for organ donation, including through the organization Transplant-Kids e.V.
Also on the panel was MHH student Malte Storsberg. “Two years ago, I took a part-time job at the German Organ Transplantation Foundation. In conversations with friends and my family, I realized how important it is to raise awareness about this issue.” Since then, he has been visiting schools and companies with the student project group “Organ Donation Awareness” to discuss the uncomfortable topics of organ donation and death, because: “It can happen to anyone, both as a donor and as a recipient. That’s why everyone should engage with this issue.” Rosenboom echoed this appeal: “Talk to your loved ones about organ donation and get an organ donor card where you state your wishes – no matter what.”
Insights into Transplant Medicine
“Every case is different; that’s how complex transplant medicine is,” Professor Lammert explained in his lecture. He also discussed Lina Rosenboom’s medical history: “You are experts and know that bacteria pose risks to transplant recipients and make organs vulnerable. That is precisely our challenge, which is why we continue to conduct research.” He gave the students insight into the possibilities and challenges of transplant medicine and welcomed the lecture’s aim of linking knowledge from anatomy classes with knowledge from clinical practice. Finally, Professor Lammert urged all students to register in the online organ donation registry, which has been available for two years: “Become ambassadors for digital registration!”
Further information: https://organspende-register.de/erklaerendenportal/
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Panel discussion on organ donation and transplant medicine: (from left) Malte Storsberg, India Heilm ...
Copyright: Bettina Dunker/MHH
Medical students India Heilmann and Lina Rosenboom (2nd from right) shared their personal stories du ...
Copyright: Bettina Dunker/MHH
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