magazine about liver health

[JulieAnn]

I've spent some time thinking about the issues I brought up on this thread, and also talking about it with my husband, and I now realize that my frustration and anger are really because I love my brother so much, and because I have concern for others that are struggling with these issues.  But now I realize my feelings were totally emotional and not dealing with the practical reality that there are a limited number of organs available for transplant, therefore, there has to be a process to select the best people to receive those organs. 

[DougV]

JulieAnn,

Emotional or not, you are still right.  Did you read 'bout the guy who was gettng medicinal marijuana and was denied TP?  Yes there does have to be criteria but those should not be political or moral, they should be medical only.

Doug

[robin]

The real problem is lack of enough donors. For some reason, too many people either are ill-informed or aren't approached for donation. If people donated their no longer usable organs there would be more than enough to go around. What people don't always understand, when they say they are taking their organs with them...the embalmbing process totally destroys and the  internal organs. So we need to education on organ donation...keep your spirits high...robin

[Hank's mom]

Hi All -

Sorry I've been on the absentee list lately - I'll share what I learned when getting put on the list and since then. First of all the criteria is two-fold - to insure the best possible scenario and because it would just be wrong to give someone a liver based on money or if e or she flaunted the rules and didn't make a firm commitment. I'm in agreement with that and sorta wish when I am in one of my dark moods that the same should apply to those getting tx.

Anyway - the main thing as Robin said - there just aren't enough to go around and there are so many variables for the right liver for the right person that even if you are in state with a faster wait in general, it doesn't mean you will get a match so much sooner. It was explained to us that the country is divided into regions, though the national bank is available as well. Some areas have greater populations, tougher helmet laws - sorry bikers - better removal systems.

Last week at the Liver Life Walk in Boston I started to run out of steam and asked Dj to get me a bar or something ASAP. A very nice man, about 65-70, heard me and asked if I needed some sugar. He was pulled a wagon stuffed with a cooler full of beverages, candy bars, protein bars, etc. He got his liver last Jan 10th, and he was walking with vigor, I might add, pulling this wagon that he loaded down - wow. Turns out he has the same team as I do. He was given his last rights almost daily for the week before his tp and there was a little woman who was doing the same - both needed a tp or each would die. A young man died in Main, the surgeons flew up there, harvested several things from the young man, but unfortunately the liver was wrong for the woman who died right about the same time as he was in surgery. Her story is tragic - but of course I don't think she was denied of a liver for anything other than she was a difficult fit.

This is the real mind blower - his MELD was 38!!! I have felt from day one that I'm really too well, aside from my liver and HCV, to need a tp right now. When I first went to orientation at the hospital, my biggest problem was having to pee from the diuretics, but as I looked around the room broke my heart. With Paul's, the tp man, story - the importance of sticking with the center, providing that you have faith in the team, makes sense.

Just my opinion.

Susie