Teen Transplant Dies-Parents Refused Hospital Request for Heart and Lung Donation

CBS News ^ | February 22, 2003 | Mark Strathamn

[ewing]

CBS News Mark Strathman reports that before Jessicas death, the family was asked whether Jessica's heart and lungs would like to be redonated.

The family refused, and wanted another doctors opinion about keeping her on life support.

In North Carolina the familys consent is not needed to take someone off of life support.

[ewing]

Obviously Jessica is more important than the other US CITIZENS on the list..

[MizSterious]

Fine. Now offer condolences, then deport the family. I'm truly sorry for their loss, but their attitude really stinks.

[ewing]

I dont even think they have a conscience, their daughter is dead..why bring another family that pain by denying them the same chance that they had?

[InvisibleChurch]

i wonder if lawyers are advising them to keep the organs in case of future litigation

[DonQ]

I don't blame the parents, and I am very suspicious of the hospital's motives. Jessica had gotten slipshod treatment -- it's a Very Careless mistake to mis-match organ blood types - and now the hospital wanted to yank the plug and remove the evidence rather than let independent experts examine the situation.

[ewing]

'independent experts' -SHE'S DEAD! there is no blood flowing to her brain..a coroner will do just fine

[ewing]

Screw the lawyers, this is an issue of common decency.

I would get the family out of that hospital with INS guards if necessary and talke them back home to Mexico.

Let the World Court try and sue the hospital..these folks have no rights

[FR_addict]

After making a mistake that left this child brain dead, it sounds like the doctors removed the child from life support without parental consent. The parents were not ready to accept that their child was brain dead. They wanted a second opinion. The doctors could have waited until the parents were ready to accept the terrible and unneccessary death of their daughter.

I don't blame the parents for not trusting the doctors or hospital anymore. I would want a second opinion too after this fiasco. The doctors could have waited. I think they are trying to cover their tracks now by trying to turn the media against these parents. This is sick.

[livius]

I don't think organs in that state (after the effects of the reaction) can be donated. I think Duke was just trying to cover its rather large and vulnerable posterior.

[ewing]

These people should be in Mexico!

I dont care if they want a second opinion or not..they should be asking their questions from Mexico City

[philetus]

In North Carolina the familys consent is not needed to take someone off of life support.

[ewing]

Corneas can always be donated.

[Nebullis]

Assuming anything is salvageable, donation is a separate issue.

This girl did not have a right to an organ transplant. Nobody has a right to her organs.

[independentmind]

I think they are trying to cover their tracks now by trying to turn the media against these parents. This is sick.

You're right. Surely the parents' decision not to donate the child's organs should be confidential. How did this get out in the news?

[philetus]

Did an American possibly die for want of these same organs?

[independentmind]

This girl did not have a right to an organ transplant. Nobody has a right to her organs.

A rare voice of sanity in this tragedy.

[Smocker]

Back off ewing, their child died under horrific circumstances. What, you're saying if they are
latinos, they are not entitled to compassion?

[ShadowDancer]

Do you have children?

[InvisibleChurch]

ok, so the lawyer intimates to these people that the ins WILL visit them if they don't do as he 'recommends' ... do you think the INS would send these people out of the country anyway? cnn and their ilk would have a field day

[ewing]

Nope, I'm saying that under the law the family should not be here.

[ewing]

How do you feel about the two childen that were denied organs becuase of this familys selfishness?

[lawdude]

"Did an American possibly die for want of these same organs?"

By all definitions, YES!

[annyokie]

I thought the same. Will her family donate her eyes/kidneys (if viable), etc?

[ewing]

Im saying the family should have never been allowed in that hospital to begin with and sent back to Mexico City to get treatment in their own hospital

[Clara Lou]

You know, it just might be that these parents are ignorant and emotionally bereft-- not capable of making a logical or dispassionate decision. They've been through hell (even if they are illegals). Have you ever had a child undergo such serious life-threatening surgery, only to have the doctors/hospital make a terrible mistake? And, as she's lying there, she's breathing and warm, but they are telling you that she's really dead? I'd cut them a little slack and ask why whoever is responsible allowed illegal immigrants to have donated organs in the first place.

[Dialup Llama]

>Obviously Jessica is more important than the other US CITIZENS on the list..

I was wonder about that myself, but I read that non US recipients are limited to 5% of the total.

[Clara Lou]

I completely agree with you. We have enough Americans going without donated organs. Why do we have to give them to outsiders?

[ewing]

There was no blood flowing to her brain at that point, (when the hospital asked for redonation) she was already dead.

[templar]

What, you're saying if they are latinos, they are not entitled to compassion?

Reading his posts, I don't think he is saying anything like that. I think he is just pointing out that if they are latino's they are entitled to hatred.

[muggs]

Her kindeys were failing after the first operation so I don't think they would have wanted them. I read none of the organs would have been suitable for transplant but hospitals are required to ask anyway.

[whadizit]

How many lives "sacrificed" for this terrible catastrophe?

1 - the person who could've received the lst pair of organs that were improperly screened.

2 - the person who could've received the 2nd pair of organs - a person whose brain had not been oxygen deprived as a result of lst transplant error.

3 - Jessica

[ewing]

I was pointing out (as columnist Michelle Malkin does) that the family deserves a free trip back to Mexico City-nothing more, nothing less.

[whadizit]

And last, but not least, another life could have been saved had this stupid, selfish position by the family not to donate organs that were donated to Jessica.

[RoughDobermann]

I'm truly sorry for their loss, but their attitude really stinks.

And tell me, how EXACTLY would your attitude be if a hospital made such a tragic mistake regarding YOUR child?

[muggs]

I was wonder about that myself, but I read that non US recipients are limited to 5% of the total.

Yes, and with all the illegals in the country, her donated organs might have even come from other illegals. I bet most Americans on a waiting list for transplant would gladly accept organs from an illegal.

[TommyDale]

"How did this get out in the news?"

Probably the same idiot TV reporter who asked the mother last night, "Are you going to 'pull the plug' on your daughter?"

After what this family has been through, the least people could do was give them a bit of time to pull their thoughts together. And for you heartless jerks who think they don't belong here, get over it. They have been through hell -- isn't that enough?

[annyokie]

I figured the kidneys were a no-go, but still her corneas and (hate to say this)skin should be available for transplant and/or grafting for the folks in RI. Her liver, also, if not corrupted. It is the right thing to do after all she has received. That said, may God rest her.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Todd? Are you TLBSHOW on a different computer?

[Nebullis]

Will her family donate her eyes/kidneys (if viable), etc?

I can't imagine her kidneys are any good. Her eyes may be okay, but so what? The family is not obliged to donate.

[annyokie]

Of course they are not obligated. However, it is the right thing to do, don't you think?

[ShadowDancer]

Why don't you answer my question? Do you or do you not have children?

[Senator Pardek]

Wanna make the problem of organ shortage go away? Legalize human organ sales.

[countess]

Those organs could have been split up and even more people would have been helped. The survival rate is so much lower for heart-lung transplant patients than single lung, double lung or heart transplants. At Duke, the one-year survival rate is only about 1 in 3. Nationwide, in 2002 only 31 heart-lung transplants were done in the U.S. Duke only does 2 or 3 a year. To me, that sounds almost experimental. (I looked the numbers up at ustransplant.org and am assuming they are close to correct.)

I wonder what the parents said about organ donation when she checked into the hospital, before the first operation. Usually they ask about that sort of thing. I guess it's none of my business.

I feel a lot of compassion for the two families that donated these organs in a timely manner. They undoubtably lost loved ones in a sudden, tragic way and had no time to prepare emotionally - yet they did not think only of themselves.

[B-Cause]

Bump

Fine. Now offer condolences, then deport the family. I'm truly sorry for their loss, but their attitude really stinks.

You nailed it MizSterious!

Also alert INS that the relatives were harboring illegals and should be arrested!

[null and void]

IF they thought there was hope for her, and she would be killed to harvest the organs, I can see their point. I'd ask for a second opinion were I them.

That being said, from what I know F' them!

[spectre]

After what this family has been through, the least people could do was give them a bit of time to pull their thoughts together.

Excuse me, but they had enough time to "pull their thoughts together".

The plug wasn't pulled, before they "lawyered up".

sw

[null and void]

This girl did not have a right to an organ transplant. Nobody has a right to her organs.

In principle, yes. In practice VERY TACKY!

[AgThorn]

perhaps since they are not ready to take her off life support the question on organ donation is premature in their mind ... sheesh, people, little compassion please.

[SCalGal]

My daughter was in ICU and her brainwaves were flat. The Drs couldn't tell me whether she would live or not. (She's ok now.)

The first thing that went through my mind was donating organs so that another family wouldn't have to go through what I was going through. It's very selfish not to donate.