Atlanta teen (15) denied a heart transplant because of a "history of non-compliance"? (Decatur: 2013, buy)

[BHarrison84]

This fighting over organs thing is one of the most disturbing thing about being alive.

It basically forces us to rank who deserves to live more than others.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by residinghere2007

No I don't think he should die. I think they should give him the heart. He is 15. He has (hopefully) many years of life ahead of him. And I really don't think grades should even be in the mix here. He has a heart condition and probably missed a lot of school due to that, which would make him have bad grades. I guess we should deny chemo to children who are too sick to do work.

Trouble with the law is not defined, but prisoners in many cases get better treatment than those of us who can't afford goo health insurance anyway. There have been many cases where desperate people committed crimes so they could go to prison and be treated for cancer. We can save criminal lives but not a child???

Very strange story and case this is. I hope they will allow him the opportunity to get put on the list. It is already a long shot that he would even get a heart. It is unfortunate that in this day and age children can be condemned as "unworthy" just because of some bad grades and "trouble with the law" whatever that is.

But the supply of donor hearts and availability of cancer treatments are very different. With such a scarce resource there must be rules on how to allocate the supply.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

I am 99% race played no factor in this child's decision, but the comparison to Lewis Grizzard is a bit off. He was an alcoholic. It is understandable that the chances of a person with a drug or alcohol problem would have a hard time getting a transplant given they have a highly likelihood of falling off the wagon.

As for the real reason, I think the hospital owes a complete explanation. I'm sure than there was more than just "non-compliance", but to have that as a factor is troubling to me for a child. Who's to say his poor grades and run-ins with authority were not due to his health problems? And why is it in this society we are owe so willing to cast off the idea that this is a child who didn't fully understand the consequences of his actions?

I'm glad I had no major life decisions to had to made for me based on my actions up until the age of 15. I would have been in trouble.

What I see here is that this patient (responsibility notwithstanding) was not keeping up with his prescribed regimen. Sorry, but that does not make him a great candidate for a new heart.
A friend of mine had a daughter with congenital heart problems. She died at age 21, ten years after getting a new heart and waiting for another one. Believe me, from the get-go she followed doctors orders to the letter, and appreciated every single day of life that this gift gave her.
There's no Heart Section at Wal-Mart; its a precious commodity, and evaluating the potential recipients is entirely within bounds.

[BHarrison84]

I am glad that I don't have to make decisions like who gets a heart and who doesn't. LOL

This kind of has elements of cannibalism when people start running out of food. Who should we kill and eat first. Who is least worthy of life.

[Columbuskidd92]

What a shame. There are so many hard headed kids like him,I was one. I guess because of that,he doesn't deserves a heart transplant.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

I am 99% race played no factor in this child's decision, but the comparison to Lewis Grizzard is a bit off. He was an alcoholic. It is understandable that the chances of a person with a drug or alcohol problem would have a hard time getting a transplant given they have a highly likelihood of falling off the wagon.

As for the real reason, I think the hospital owes a complete explanation. I'm sure than there was more than just "non-compliance", but to have that as a factor is troubling to me for a child. Who's to say his poor grades and run-ins with authority were not due to his health problems? And why is it in this society we are owe so willing to cast off the idea that this is a child who didn't fully understand the consequences of his actions?

I'm glad I had no major life decisions to had to made for me based on my actions up until the age of 15. I would have been in trouble.

The point about Grizzard was not his condition but that he was given an opportunity to change his lifestyle in order to receive a new heart and flat out refused to do so.
I don't see this current situation as much different.
And I don't buy the 'he's just a child' argument. There are plenty of children in this situation that are doing everything they can to preserve their lives.

[CMMom]

Guys, do we know for certain that "bad grades" and "getting into trouble with the law" are REALLY the reason he's being denied, or is that the mother's (and her attorney) spin on it? Medical noncompliance is a separate issues as I see it. Until someone can provide a citation where a hospital spokesperson confirms that's the reason for the denial, I will believe that that is the family's interpretation of what they've been told. Keep in mind that, due to HIPAA regulations, the doctors/hospital won't be able to defend their decision publicly, so all we'll hear is from the family.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by CMMom

Guys, do we know for certain that "bad grades" and "getting into trouble with the law" are REALLY the reason he's being denied, or is that the mother's (and her attorney) spin on it? Medical noncompliance is a separate issues as I see it. Until someone can provide a citation where a hospital spokesperson confirms that's the reason for the denial, I will believe that that is the family's interpretation of what they've been told. Keep in mind that, due to HIPAA regulations, the doctors/hospital won't be able to defend their decision publicly, so all we'll hear is from the family.

It's the media's interpretation of the family's interpretation. The liklihood of the media screwing the story up is extremely high.

[EdwardA]

I wonder how long he has had this condition? Could be he has a **** poor attitude because he's known he is on borrowed time.

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by Cameron H

LOL. Without details on the legal issues, this doesn't sound much different from most 15-year-old boys (including me at that age!). Since we're using rigorous statistical methods, ninety-nine percent of the kids I grew up with fell into that category and ninety-nine percent of them didn't grow up to be violent criminals.

OTOH, if the parents couldn't make sure he took his meds or showed up for his medical appointments, they should have lost their parental rights by now. I guess you can't give the kid a transplant if you aren't reasonably confident he will take care of it.

You must have low standards most 15 year olds aren't in trouble with the law or have poor grades.