A transplant planned, a transplant not done
April 8, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Times have changed in how patients who are potential donors are considered to be dead and therefore able to be organ donors. I came across this story this morning of two families, two infants, and two sad stories. In a nutshell, one baby can’t live. She goes into cardiac arrest when she sleeps and needs to be brought back to life each time. Because of this, 2-month-old Kaylee Wallace lives on a respirator in the province of Ontario. Many miles away, is another infant, 1-month-old Lily O’Connor who desperately needs a heart. Lily, whose family is from Prince Edward Island, needs this heart to survive. The ambitious plan was to take Kaylee off her life support and allow her to fall asleep. Nature would take its course and her heart would stop, allowing her organs to be used. But Kaylee didn’t fall asleep and she didn’t die. There are lots of comments and arguments on both sides of the issue. Some people are horrified that Kaylee’s parents would even contemplate this, others back them up 100%. All I see is a very tragic situation and one set of parents was trying to do something unthinkable (saying good-bye to their baby) to allow another set of parents have a chance at life with theirs. You can read the story in detail at CBC.com: Baby’s risky heart transplant called off . Please let us know what you think. ~~~~ Click here to read more in this organ donation series. Image: Stock.xchng
It used to be that you had to be brain dead, with no signs of brain activity, cardiac – heart – death wasn’t in the equation. This has changed an now those who are heart dead can be organ donors but the teams have to move fast for the organs to be viable.
Actually, both babies are at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. It’s a sad but at the same time heart warming story.
You’re right Tanya. I corrected that and I apologize for the error.