View Single Post
  #1  
Old Sat Apr 13, 2013, 10:48 AM
edithr edithr is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: 30 mi West of Cleveland
Posts: 86
transplant donor backing out

Bone marrow transplants are the only organ transplant situation (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong) where you are told there is a match before they ask the donor if they will donate. I've heard of several cases where a person in need of a transplant is told there is a perfect match, and then the donor backs out. This must be heart wrenching. So, do you think that Be The Match should change their policy to asking the donor before letting you know if you have a match?

Take Joe the Plumber. He needs a heart. There is a horrible car accident, and a heart becomes available. The transplant team asks the family if they can harvest the victims heart, they say no, and that it the end of it. Joe never knows that a life saving heart (a perfect match) was there, but for the families decision, he will not get it. Is that better for Joe? Is ignorance bliss?
__________________
Edith, mom to Eric, dx 2/11 at age 15 with SAA, began ATG/CsA 3/11, switched to Tacrolimis 8/11, off all meds 9/11 and is now considered to have bone marrow failure not otherwise specified.
Reply With Quote