How did your Dad get sick? Was he a drinker?
No he has never been much of a drinker, it's been over ten years since he had any alcohol. When he used to, he never drank more a beer or two a month, with a (1) shot of brandy on special occasions. No one knows what happened to his liver. It just slowly stopped working. Most of the other liver transplantees and candidates we met had the same medical mystery.
Was the transplant expensive? Did insurance cover it?
What is the value of a human life? How much is another day worth? Yes, it was expensive. We were told the average cost is around $100,000. Dad had some minor complications that extended his stay a few weeks. He was hospitalized 72 days. Most patients are out in less than 2 weeks. Individuals vary. The final bill for that stay alone (including the surgery and related costs), was 42 pages long and a little over $200,000. Yes insurance covered most of it. No we are not impoverished. Your social worker and/or transplant coordinator can help you with more information.
Does the donor's family pay any costs?
No. The costs associated with the removal of the organ from the donor showed up on our bill. This is universal.
If I agree to be an organ donor, how do I know they will try to save my life?
Only after all possibilities of saving the potential donor's life have been exhausted is the transplant
coordinator (or other medical professional) called in to ask the families permission. ALL the
medical people involved in Dad's transplant from the surgeon to the floor nurses in the hospital
work ONLY with transplant recipients. There is no possibility of any ethical questions on
treatment this way. Let me also say, I have never met anyone with such a reverence for life as
these people.
Do you know who the donor was? Can you find out?
There is a mutual registry program some what like for adoptee's and natural parents. Dad could
register expressing his interest in knowing about the donor. If the donor's family has also
registered, arrangements will be made for us to contact each other. We know some very basic
information that includes how the donor died. We also know that his heart went to someone else,
because the liver team had to wait until the heart team was done. I will not list any other
information on this site out of respect for the donor's family. No, we have not yet decided if we
should pursue this. I know Dad has thought about it, but no decision has been made. I have many
mixed, strong, turbulent emotions about this and won't push Dad one way or the other.
How's Dad doin' now?
Incredible! Someone I haven't seen in ten years is back. The change has been incredible.
What about rejection?
This is not the issue it used to be. This is also one of the biggest misconceptions about
transplantation (I had it wrong too). Thanks to the anti-rejection drugs discovered in the mid '80's,
rejection is now a very minor concern. The only things that they match now are blood type and
approx. height & weight. They need a donor approximately the same physical size as the recipient
so the organ will fit in the body. And to date, Dad was not had any signs of rejection.
Will he have to take the drugs forever?
Maybe, probably. After surgery he was loaded with the highest doses. This was dropped
constantly while he was in the hospital. After coming home he started going back for twice a week
visits to the hospital, then weekly, now monthly. Every visit, he gets a blood workup done (among
other things). So far, every time, his medications were reduced. Some people eventually go off
the drugs completely
Why do you advertise other web sites? Those banners?
Good question! This is not a commercial site, so you wouldn't think I would allow it. But, the two banner exchange programs I participate in show my banner at other sites. Simply put, I show theirs, they show mine (with a link here). I feel it is important for more people to be made aware of transplantation. This is one way to 'spread the word.' I have little control over what shows up here, but I do not allow 'adult' sites to display banners here. I believe in total freedom of speech, and am against censorship of any kind....but, I do believe in 'age appropriate' and parental control. I feel some of those are not for children. The information presented here is to important to risk being blocked by a protection program.
O.K. so what's the story with the GeoCities adds on the bottom of every page?
GeoCities furnishes the space for this web site on their server FREE! Anyone can get a free web page (go to the link at the botttom). One of the stipulations of the banner exchange program is that I show the GeoCities logo at the bottom of each of my pages. I think this is more than fair.
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