Questions are being raised about the case of a 36-year-old Ontario woman who died of liver failure after she was rejected for a life-saving liver transplant after a medical review highlighted her prior alcohol use.
Jesus Christ that’s fucked up. Only 36 too and stopped drinking… and had a willing living donor. What do you do in this situation when they won’t help you? Go down to Mexico?
Jesus Christ that’s fucked up. Only 36 too and stopped drinking…
From the article:
Amanda Huska died Aug. 15 after spending six months in an Oakville, Ont. hospital.
and:
Huska, he said, stopped drinking as soon as she was diagnosed with Alcohol Liver Disease on March 3
So that sounds like she was immediately admitted (which implies she was already very sick) and only was sober in the hospital. In my opinion, that doesn’t qualify for “stopped drinking” and unfortunately she didn’t get a chance to prove whether or not she was actually able to stop.
I was reading through the article and I think the policy in question is this
Transplant guidelines in Ontario and much of Canada require patients with ALD to first qualify for a deceased donor liver. If they don’t meet that criteria, they aren’t considered for a living liver transplant, even if one is available.
Also this
“The sicker someone is, the more they benefit from getting an entire liver from a deceased donor, as opposed to part of the liver from a living donor,” said Dr. Saumya Jayakumar, a liver specialist in Edmonton and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta.
“On the off chance their (living) liver doesn’t work, they urgently get listed for a deceased donor,” said Jayakumar. "We need to make sure that everyone who is a candidate for a living donor is also a candidate for a donor graft as well, " she added.
As for why that is, I’m not familiar. I’ve asked someone else and I’ll edit in more if I learn more
Jesus Christ that’s fucked up. Only 36 too and stopped drinking… and had a willing living donor. What do you do in this situation when they won’t help you? Go down to Mexico?
From the article:
and:
So that sounds like she was immediately admitted (which implies she was already very sick) and only was sober in the hospital. In my opinion, that doesn’t qualify for “stopped drinking” and unfortunately she didn’t get a chance to prove whether or not she was actually able to stop.
How much do you need to drink to get ALD at 36?
Typically, a huge amount. But genetics may have been an issue, as well.
I was reading through the article and I think the policy in question is this
Also this
As for why that is, I’m not familiar. I’ve asked someone else and I’ll edit in more if I learn more