Mind you, this might sting a bit...
Overdue and obviously called for: the U.S. government has adopted a set of basic standards that transplant centers must follow with live donors, including full disclosure of risks, clarifying to the donor that he/she can back out at any time, and providing a knowledgeable donor advocate MD who is not part of the transplant team. (Thanks, Carol, for sending the news from St. Louis.) Yea, government!
Joe's and my fabulous transplant team at Northwestern Memorial Hospital did everything right without being told they had to back in January '06 when we went through this. My donor advocate was a general practitioner who was not affiliated with the transplant team or even the hepatology unit. Granted, he was a minor character in my story, forgettable, like the Ted "the Lackey" on Scrubs, but the point is I was examined medically (complete physical) and cleared for donation by a doctor with no conflict of interest, and I was welcomed to contact that doctor with any questions or concerns, any time.
As for explaining the risks, well, yes, please, and thank you! Because it does hurt for a while, and there are real risks to consider. Now if only the Feds would mandate that hospitals recommend Chopped Liver to all potential live donors. Is that too much to ask?
Joe's and my fabulous transplant team at Northwestern Memorial Hospital did everything right without being told they had to back in January '06 when we went through this. My donor advocate was a general practitioner who was not affiliated with the transplant team or even the hepatology unit. Granted, he was a minor character in my story, forgettable, like the Ted "the Lackey" on Scrubs, but the point is I was examined medically (complete physical) and cleared for donation by a doctor with no conflict of interest, and I was welcomed to contact that doctor with any questions or concerns, any time.
As for explaining the risks, well, yes, please, and thank you! Because it does hurt for a while, and there are real risks to consider. Now if only the Feds would mandate that hospitals recommend Chopped Liver to all potential live donors. Is that too much to ask?
posted by Becky at
4:56 PM
2 Comments:
Hi Becky-
So I have to say that after reading your blog off & on for the past couple hours I feel almost as if I have already met you! I just wanted to say thank you for all of your posts & let you know, that due to the fact that just today I got the green light today to be a live liver donor for my uncle, it was really helpful to be able to read about you experience through this process!
Thanks again!!
Jana~
By
Anonymous, at 11:07 PM
Hi, Jana, congratulations on the green light! The journey you're embarking on is one unlike any other in the world, and having been there I'm happy to share my experiences any time. Don't hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions or even just want to share your news and thoughts with someone who's been there -- I'm at greatest-gift@hotmail.com. GOOD LUCK and thanks so much for writing.
By
Becky, at 8:11 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home