Slashdot Mirror
Todd Need[ed] a Liver
Mr. Christmas Lights writes "According to this CNN article, Todd Krampitz's liver transplant operation was a success. What is significant about this is how he used a multi-media campaign to get a donor - this included billboards stating 'I need a Liver. Please help Save my Life' that all pointed to his web site at ToddNeedsALiver.com where you can read more. Certainly a novel use of the World Wide Web."
does this mean that the person who is able to finance a media blitz will be first to receive a liver or other major organ?
I find it utterly unbelievable that relatives of organ donors can designate a recipient. Only medical criteria should matter. Otherwise, people with the money/wit to start a public relations campaign will be more likely to get an organ. And all that without the approval of the donor! I know that I would have hated to find my liver in this guy.
Isn't everyone supposed to have an equal chance at getting an organ? Remember Mickey Mantle who pickeled his liver with many decades of hard alcohol? He got a liver ahead of many people then promptly died a few months later. I guess this just proves yet again that some people are more equal that others (namely those with money).
... I'm happy he's alright, and that the transplant was a success. However, what worries me is the number of people repeatedly passed-over for transplants based on questionable justification.
Speaking from experience, the donation and subsequent dole-out process is supposed to be on a first-come-first-serve priority, based on compatibility and/or severity. Any attempts to get around this process are not only unfair for those that wait (painstakingly) in line, but also for the unfortunate soul that may have been bumped back a position in favour of the media-savvy Todd.
Unfortunately we may never know their name, they did not invest in billboards or an online advertising campaign.
I only hope that the next available donation arrived in time.
Your right, I don't think he can personally "buy" an organ, but by him driving a campaign forward and raising awareness of the issues,they will hopefully allow more people to become donars. More donars means more organs, and hopefully the list will get shorter.
It does not say on his website exactly how he became the recipient, but I find it hard to believe it came from a direct donation specifically to him.
I believe simply his age and other attributes made him a better donar recipient than (say) a 98 year old guy with other chronic problems, but I may be wrong.
From the "Donatealife" website, they say the following:
While donated organs and tissue are shared at the national level, the laws that govern donation vary from state to state. Therefore, it is important for you to know what you can do to ensure your decision to be a donor is carried out.
He has certainly raised awareness, and I wish him the best of luck in the (now much brighter) future!
liqbase
I bet someone else was first in line for that liver, and died. One mans life for anothers...
As someone who is seperated by only one degree from Todd and his family (one of our best friends is also good friends with his wife) we've been following this for some time now. You can damm well bet that if it were my family or close friend, I wouldn't not hesitate to do the same thing they did. Only a fool would fail to capitalize on whatever assets they have in order to stay alive.
*Fortitudo, aequitas, fidelitas.*
In a perfect world, there would be new organs for all who needed them. In the imperfect world that we have to live in, there are waiting lists. Todd jumped the queue, the donor's liver would otherwise have gone to the number one on the list. One life saved at the expense, possibly, of another. I wish Todd and his family all the best, but I have nagging doubts about the ethicality of this thing. The precedent it sets is potentially nasty. It reminds one of drowning men climbing on each other's shoulders to get to the surface, drowning those beneath them.
----- One learns to itch where one can scratch.
This also means, if you have money, you can go to the head of the line. Corrupting the other image of the "Web", as the Great Equalizer.
...where you also can't buy a baby
but you can buy the sperm, you can buy the egg,
and you can rent the uterus.
...Rob
The American Dream isn't an SUV and a house in the suburbs; it's Don't Tread On Me.
I work in the medical industry and know it to be fully driven by the same financial considerations as most other industries.
I am an organ doner, happily. I am an organ doner because I hope that if I die, my organs can be used to the most needy recipient. If they go to a person who has the cash to bend the rules, then I think they better just pay me or my family.
By the way - his girlfriend is hot. Too bad they seem like a couple of religious nuts.
Mods: I don't know about you, but this seems a lot like flaimbait.
Seriously, I don't understand why this type of speech is moderated up on slashdot. Saying it's "too bad" that someone "seems to be a religious nut" because they have one frickin bible verse on their web site borders on bigotry. It's one thing to disagree with someone's views, but to pity someone because they have faith in a higher power... would this be modded up if it read "He seems really nice, it's a shame that he's gay"?
The poster has every right to say it, but should we really be promoting these kinds of things with our mod points?
Justin
P.S. I'm no big fan of political correctness but sometimes the anti-religious bias on this site drives me crazy.