Young man refused life saving treatment

[Saoirse]

BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Sick youth cannot jump donor list


what are your thoughts on this?

Cos of his age do you think an exception could be made?

 

[Martyn]

i think he should get treatment immediately to save his life. Life shouldn't depend on factors like post codes and rules of hospitals. I know it must be frustrating giving treatment to people abusing their bodies but what about the Hippocratic Oath and all that? Lives should be saved irrespective, obviously except for hanging :lol:

 

[carolk]

Wasn't there another case like this recently where the young man died? I don't know whether people should be given a transplant because they are young or not, its a very difficult one as, they have every chance of to lead a full and happy alcohol free life in the future but, then where would they draw the line?

Its all very sad and I will be honest and say I would want the transplant if it were my child.

 

[Miss Money Penny]

He is so young, I think he should be given the chance, doctors have been wrong before this might not be caused by drink! George Best was given the chance even though he was an abuser!

 

[Tess]

Boy Philip, that is a toughie, the Mum in me crys out for him, I see and understand where the medics are coming from, I see Michael McGimpseys dilemma in it all.
I know a man who has been on the list for a very long long time and he is deteriorating daily. It is a hard call. I am glad I am not the one to make decisions in all of the cases, a very sad story with a not so happy prognosis for all involved.
I hope it is not for a very long time but when my time comes I would be happy for all my organs to be used to help others if they were suitable to use.

 

[Akasya]

Just a few heavy weekends, always the last to know.

Steve.

 

[carolgriffiths]

I think that as the story says this happened following a binge drinking incident at the weekend he will be assessed during the next days for other organ damage,and the situation may be reviewed..................even then a suitable organ has to be found and the decision made over who warrants the transplant most.He will be one of a number requiring the organ and many will have waited a great deal longer.
Perhaps the wake up message is the fact that drinking excessively has far more serious consequences than a hangover.

 

[tykatem]

I'd say yes okay due to his age put him on the transplant list but not at the expense of someone who's been waiting for longer

Pete

 

[Valian]

Perhaps this will be a wake up call to any of his mates who subject their bodies to binge drinking; the dangers of alcohol abuse are extremely well documented and can be deadly.

I'd like to bet that no one forced this 19 year old lad to binge drink.

At 19 he is classed as an adult and is therefore judged to be old enought/responsible enough to:

Sit on a jury
Appear before adult courts
Get married without his parents’ consent
Vote
Act as an executor of a person’s will
Apply for a passport
Own houses and land
Apply for a mortgage
Hold a licence to sell alcohol
Bet
Change his name
Buy cigarettes or tobacco
Be a blood donor
Buy fireworks
Buy alcohol
Drink alcohol in a pub

So sad as this case is, adults must learn to take responsibility for their actions and the consequences of those actions. Sadly in this lad's case, he may have to learn the hard way.

My view? He should not be allowed to queue jump.

 

[Tess]

All of the above very very true Val and you are right he is an adult. I have 2 girls one is almost 20, the other 17 and a half, regardless of what age they mature to, they are still my bairns, I'm 47 and after talking to my Mum today I know I'm still hers. As much as I know you are right it is still their boy and they don't want to lose him at any cost.

 

[shirleyanntr]

A donor liver isnt an easy thing to come by you cant just pick one up and ''give him a chance''
The next liver that comes along that could be suitable for this lad might also be suitable for another thats equally ill, equally young, with a family just as traumatised as the one we are now discussing.

İ dont think his age and circumstances come into it. He is now in a situation that faces thousands of sick people who are waiting for the goodwill of others who in life expressed a desire to donate or to families who allow their loved ones organs to be used.

the decision is a terrible one and best made by those who are involved with this heartbreak every day but who must be dispassionate when making decisions.

this isnt so much a wake up call to the kids who drink too much..or to anybody that drinks too much....this should be a call to all of us to think about organ donation.

 

[yalimart]

definitely a hard call, these livers are not off the shelf at tesco, so somebody has to make a decision that if a suitable one comes up, who gets it ? the person who has waited the longest or maybe the person likely to die 1st

glad im not playing god

martin

 

[sasa]

My first job upon graduation from uni as a qualified nurse was on the Renal and Liver unit at St James' University hospital in Leeds..

In essence i was dealing with organ transplantation..

There's no post code lottery..no one playing God..but a huge UK-Transplant database down in Bristol where each individuals info, incl the all important tissue typing, how chronic the illness and of course the longevity of an individual's life expectancy, is available.

There are always hard decisions to be made..but ultimately it is down to the individual's tissue typing (are they likely to reject the organ?) and life expectancy without the transplant. Complience of course does factor but i can assure you that in my many years of experience..it is not the overall, dominating influence in an area of medicine that has only been in it's gestation since 1969 (since the first heart transplant)..

I'll second shirleyanntr's post..don't look at this as an organ donation/binge drinking issue alone..

The sensationlist/controversial stories will always make the headlines..but i witnessed at first hand the amazing second chances in life it gave to so many individuals...and their families.