Are you an organ donor? | yosoyrosa's Blog

Today its only 4 days since treatment, and life is back to normal, mostly. This morning we walked into church service, and we were treated a bit like celebrities.  Like most of them, I had also expected that a few days after a chemo treatment at the hospital, that my husband would be in recovery, or at the very least resting up at home.  Instead here we were, reviewing the gospel of Ephesians, strenghthening our faith and connecting in fellowship one by one with everyone around us.  

All weekend, my mind keeps turning back to a comment I heard 3rd hand, this gal's husband claimed that many Hep C patients pray for liver cancer so they can get a transplant.  I was completely taken by surprise at such a wish - such a wholly new and different perspective.

Need I remind anyone that is a Hepatitis patient (HCV) has a blood borne disease, passed through handling infected blood products/waste (beware nurses!), poorly screened blood transfusions (especially in the 60s and 70s), tattoo and piercing needles, or IV drug use?  Replacing the liver does not kill the disease!  Cirrhosis and all those other awful effects that have occurred and stressed the liver over time,  is very likely to reoccur with the new organ if the virus has not been responsive to treatment before or immediately after transplant.

Wishing for liver cancer for a transplant?  Are you nuts?  Big reminder here - Liver cancer (HCC- Hepatocelluar Carcinoma) is metastatic disease, meaning spreads throughout the body if left untreated, and is highly aggressive with studies showing tumors doubling in size every 3-4 months, hence the reason why the MELD score is based on estimated survival rate for next 90 days.  Wishing to go through the risk, the chemo, and effects doesn't appear logical to me, especially with the limited number of organs available through donation.  Any patient who hopes for the disease of HCC could quickly find themselves off the list entirely as another 'drop-out' candidate for too high a risk / too far diseased. 

Well, coming from someone experiencing this twisted turn of events of having the magic three (HCV, Cirrhosis, HCC), we're looking at this transplant thing as its is designed - to prolong my husbands time here with a quality of life worth living.  This is our only curative option for cancer, however the Hep C and its ongoing battle will still be part of our lives.  Add to that from the day of transplant we'll need to deal with the anti-rejection drugs and the risks they pose that secondary infection, disease or cancer that manifests itself while the immune system is suppressed.  

However, my 3rd hand (deluded?) friend does have a point.  If everyone was a donor, then each deadly accident we hear about on the news would not only take life, it would give life.  There are nearly 99,500 in the United States today waiting on a transplant, and over 940 on the liver waiting list at our university hospital.  Last year, only 118 liver transplants were performed at the facility, and the remaining 108 were transferred or taken off the list, with just as many new names (232) last year signing up to take their place.  Organs are at a severe shortage, and not everyone is like us that has a beloved one that has offered up live donation if it is possible.  Perhaps it is these statistics that one wish for any 'edge' to get what they believe is their only hope for this life.

In no way do we wish that someone else to die so that my husband may live, nor do we want to 'take cuts' in front of anyone else that is at the edge of life that is to be spared first.  We do not go to Sunday service just so we and others will pray to get the transplant we want, only that we understand and be prepared for the path that is laid before us.  

I told another friend who has the same GI and university center (3 transplants in her lifetime) that my husband was hoping to get on the list.  Her response was "Really?  Cool!"  I had laughed and said to her "Only you would say that." to which she simply replied "Yeah?  Well it sure beats the alternatives!"   I wholeheartedly agree.