10 year old girl denied transplant lung..to young by two yrs

[deziloooooo]

Jun 17, 2013 22:35:03 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Jun 15, 2013 13:10:26 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

For myself, the donation of organs is a selfless act of giving done in the spirit that they will be implanted in a person selected in a selfless way. If the recipient is selected in a way that is less than selfless, I feel that the spirit of the gift is violated. It would particularly bother me if there was any indication of a financial consideration. If anyone is going to benefit financial (which I don't think should happen), then it should be my heirs who receive that benefit. In this case, that some suffered the pain of a death while others benefited from emotional manipulation does not feel good to me. I have no problem with a "**** you" to those who would abuse my gift for their selfish gain.

So.... you are ok with discriminating against children, or a certain group of people who need the organ(s)?
When I signed my donor card on my driver's license, I never saw an exclusion line included to make sure my organs did not go to a specific group, that I might not consider, "worthy".
And there was nothing that asked if I wanted the organs to go to rich or poor people.
As a matter of fact, it did not ask if the recipient even had to be an American citizen.

And before you ask, no, I do not care who gets my organs (if they will be viable) even an illegal in our country would be ok with me.....
Ok, I admit I would prefer a terrorist in Guantanamo would not qualify, but that is not something I can control.
All I ask, is the transplant works out well, and that could be a crapshoot too.
It's kind of like the old slogan, Give Peace a chance. We have to try to save as many as possible with transplants.

I couldn't have said it better if I tried.... ....

[billisonboard]

Jun 17, 2013 22:35:03 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Jun 15, 2013 13:10:26 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

For myself, the donation of organs is a selfless act of giving done in the spirit that they will be implanted in a person selected in a selfless way. If the recipient is selected in a way that is less than selfless, I feel that the spirit of the gift is violated. It would particularly bother me if there was any indication of a financial consideration. If anyone is going to benefit financial (which I don't think should happen), then it should be my heirs who receive that benefit. In this case, that some suffered the pain of a death while others benefited from emotional manipulation does not feel good to me. I have no problem with a "**** you" to those who would abuse my gift for their selfish gain.

So.... you are ok with discriminating against children, or a certain group of people who need the organ(s)?
When I signed my donor card on my driver's license, I never saw an exclusion line included to make sure my organs did not go to a specific group, that I might not consider, "worthy".
And there was nothing that asked if I wanted the organs to go to rich or poor people.
As a matter of fact, it did not ask if the recipient even had to be an American citizen.

And before you ask, no, I do not care who gets my organs (if they will be viable) even an illegal in our country would be ok with me.....
Ok, I admit I would prefer a terrorist in Guantanamo would not qualify, but that is not something I can control.
All I ask, is the transplant works out well, and that could be a crapshoot too.
It's kind of like the old slogan, Give Peace a chance. We have to try to save as many as possible with transplants.

That last statement is a great one. I fully agree "(w)e have to try to save as many as possible with transplants." It is simply my contention that having a very fair system for deciding who is to receive organs is the best way to reach that goal. If it is felt that organs are handed out on something less than an impartial basis, I would contend that there are people who will not donate organs. Thus your goal of maximum lives saved will be compromised. You can argue all you want that it shouldn't have that effect and/or that it doesn't have that effect on you, but that does not alter the fact that it will have a negative effect.

[Value Buy]

She received her transplant and was being brought out of the induced coma.
Hopefully all is well.

[Jaguar]

Jun 25, 2013 22:05:34 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

She received her transplant and was being brought out of the induced coma.
Hopefully all is well.

Having gone through lung surgery myself just 4 weeks ago tomorrow, I wish her all the best. It will be a hard road, but I'm hoping this wasn't for naught.

[zibazinski]

Here in this town we have a PA who needs a transplant. There have even been fundraisers for her. But because she's an adult, she must be low on the list for transplants.

[Angel!]

Jun 26, 2013 11:32:41 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

But because she's an adult, she must be low on the list for transplants.

That makes no sense.  On the adult list, your condition is what determines where you are on the list. 

This girl got bumped to the front of the list because of her condition, not because she was a child.

[zibazinski]

Or because of the news media. Who really knows for sure? I didn't even know they let anyone with terminal illness on organ donor lists. 

[Angel!]

Jun 26, 2013 12:57:25 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Or because of the news media. Who really knows for sure? I didn't even know they let anyone with terminal illness on organ donor lists. 

It depends on how you define terminal.  Anymore the average survival is around mid 30s for someone with CF.  I don't really consider something that can take 3 decades to kill someone as really terminal.  It is just a disease that causes someone to have a lower life expectancy than a healthy person.  A lot of diseases cause a shorter lifespan - MS, diabetes, sickle cell, etc.  I don't think we should write someone off because they have a disease that will cause them to die sooner than average.  Especially if something like a transplant might give them another 10 years.

[zibazinski]

Too bad organ donors can't decide where their organs go. Wonder if there will be a backlash against organ donations?

[Angel!]

I wouldn't think so, if anything I would think this whole fiasco would create more awareness for the need for donors. 

But, then I am not angry about what happened.  I don't necessarily think it was right, but I would have done what this girl's parents did if it was my child.  They saved their little girl & hopefully this will give her another decade or two - I can't hate on that.  She did get lucky that an organ came through so quickly before the hearing, who knows what would have happened if this had actually gone through the courts.  She might have gotten taken off the adult list & died.

[mmhmm]

Dying girl, 10, received two sets of lungs after national debate:

NBC News


The first set of lungs transplanted were rejected, so a second set of lungs was transplanted within days of the first surgery.

[Jaguar]

Wow and the second set had pneumonia in them and that was two weeks ago that this second surgery happened.

[mmhmm]

Yep.  So far, things are looking good for the little girl.  We'll have to hope that continues.

[billisonboard]

Jun 29, 2013 13:08:54 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

Yep.  So far, things are looking good for the little girl.  We'll have to hope that continues.

And let us not forget about the others who are still in need of donated lungs.

[mmhmm]

That's something I never forget, billis.  My whole family are donors.  These transplants, however, are done deals.

[resolution]

Has there been any information about whether the first transplant would have been successful if the lungs had gone to an adult? I read an article where the mom said they accepted a poor set of lungs because her health was so dire, but it didn't really say if the fact that the lungs had to be modified to fit had anything to do with the failure of the first set.

[thyme4change]

Wow - sounds like this gal is getting chance after chance.  Now the guy who didn't get any lungs must be really concerned.  How often do lungs come up for transplant?

[deziloooooo]

It seems even though the area where the lung had Pneumonia was removed she has now reaquired a case of pneumonia...concerns here.....