Update on University of Michigan transplant team plane crash

Still a tragic story, but at least a hopeful ending.

http://media.www.michigandaily.com/media/storage/paper851/news/2007/06/04/News/Transplant.Patient.Survives.After.All-2913463.shtml

 

That is a vague happy ending to this story.

 

Posted without comment:

"The 50-year-old patient had been waiting since November 2006 for the transplant because he had developed a condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder from years of smoking cigarettes, according to a statement released by the University Health System."

 

That is an interesting debate. I smoke and even I am not sure if a lifelong smoker should be at the top of the list for lung transplants.

 

So we're going to determine who lives and dies based on their life habits? That's a slippery slope I want no part of.

 

I just said it would be an interesting debate. I am not sure where I stand on it.

 

Seriously? Smoking is a habit? Leaving your car keys in your jacket all the time is a habit. Smoking directly contributes to the condition.

Granted, smoking is an addiction - my only addiction as a matter of fact - but one that is started despite knowing the risks and can be ended with a little help. I agree with Angola. I wouldn't want a new lung knowing that I didn't take care of the one I had and that there is probably someone waiting in line who didn't knowingly bring it on themselves.

Don't you find it interesting that the smokers are the ones taking the hard line on this? It's because we know what we're doing to our bodies.

 

Not only that, but the smoker not only is ruining his lungs, but contributing to ruining others' lungs around him with his second hand smoke.

 

I'm a non-smoker with no sympathy whatsoever for smokers but I'm solidly with Bubbler on this one.

What if the person is overweight? And if that is deemed a factor that will bump you down the list, where do they draw the line? Do they determine a set body fat percentage that is acceptable, so people know how much weight they need to lose before they deserve to live?

 

I'm confused. How does being overweight directly contribute to needing a new lung?

 

It's not a lung issue, it's a transplant issue.

Suppose it's a heart transplant. Smoking, unhealthy eating, excessive drinking and lack of exercise can all lead to heart problems. Should those things knock you off the transplant list?

 

It should knock you down the list, yes. Off? No. I'm not the morality police. I'm a guy who's done a fair share of smoking, drinking and sitting around eating double cheeseburgers but I'm not going to take some kid's liver just because I applied first.

Several hospitals have replaced first-come, first-serve with new scoring systems based on age, blood type, proximity to the hospital, etc. but I wouldn't complain if David Crosby had to wait a bit longer for a liver because he didn't take care of himself for 50 years.

There's nothing wrong with taking some personal responsibility for your own well-being. Our sense of entitlement in this country is out of control.