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St. Patrick's Day, March Madness, and Steve Jobs' Liver

Posted by timothy on from the human-organs-enclosed dept.

Many Americans are probably rubbing their temples and wandering around with a bit of a post-St. Patrick's day hangover. Reader theodp writes with a sobering statistical consequence of traditional heavy-drinking holidays: "Keep in mind that this time of year has traditionally been very good to those awaiting organ transplants, including the late Steve Jobs, as Walter Isaacson explained in Jobs: 'By late February 2009 Jobs had secured a place on the Tennessee list (as well as the one in California), and the nervous waiting began. He was declining rapidly by the first week in March, and the waiting time was projected to be twenty-one days. 'It was dreadful,' Powell recalled. 'It didn't look like we would make it in time.' Every day became more excruciating. He moved up to third on the list by mid-March, then second, and finally first. But then days went by. The awful reality was that upcoming events like St. Patrick's Day and March Madness (Memphis was in the 2009 tournament and was a regional site) offered a greater likelihood of getting a donor because the drinking causes a spike in car accidents. Indeed, on the weekend of March 21, 2009, a young man in his mid-twenties was killed in a car crash, and his organs were made available.'"

5 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. Fortunately for Jobs by Snufu · · Score: 4, Funny

    Organ donation was open source.

    1. Re:Fortunately for Jobs by buchner.johannes · · Score: 3, Funny

      If it were GPL, every recipient would be required to pass his organs on upon his death. And the organ would perpetually be passed on, because organs want to be free.

      Actually not just the organ he received, but all his organs, because the other components require the one received. Although I guess you can argue a generic API.

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      NB: The message above might reflect my opinion right now, but not necessarily tomorrow or next year.
  2. March liver season by srussia · · Score: 2, Funny

    Sure, the quantity is great, but the quality not so much...

    --
    Set your phasers on "funky"!
  3. Re:Jobs is rich - why not do a deal for an organ? by plopez · · Score: 4, Funny

    Great Free Market solution! If you hadn't posted anonymously I would have given you the "Obvious Simple Common Sense Libertarian Post" Award. It is people like you who made America what it is today!

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    putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
  4. Re:Jobs didn't promote the cause of organ donation by bitt3n · · Score: 5, Funny

    Christopher Reeve did paralysis.

    Christopher Reeve didn't so much as raise a finger to promote awareness of his condition.

    --
    how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?