Anyway Here Is The Argument:
if life in the womb is equal to life outside the womb, then I am curious about whether you think your principles should apply outside of the womb. If a child falls ill, to save their life should a parent be FORCED to give up a kidney, or part of their liver, or a leg? Is it okay for them to be forced to give up everything and anything except where it would cause their death? What if this meant they could no longer work to financially support the child, or if it meant that it would cause mental health issues that would render it impossible for them to care for and love this child as they should? Should they be forced to sacrifice their health to make sure this child lives? This is what you are asking when you are suggesting that there should be no law allowing a woman to have an abortion where her health is being impacted , regardless of how grave this health impact is or how it may affect the rest of her life or the childs as long as life is preserved. If life inside the womb is the same as life outside of it, then why should these principles not apply? Why should a parent be only allowed autonomy over their body once a child is outside the womb?
Well written. Well argued. And yet, not convincing.
One Family Two Surgeries
The morning of surgery, May 22, Nick gave a barely-awake Charlie a quick kiss on the cheek before checking in to University Hospital.
Alexis Buckley remembers the nervous anticipation of both her husband and daughter undergoing surgery at the same time. While a team led by transplant surgeon Chris Sonnenday, M.D., worked to remove Nicks kidney, a surgical team at Mott led by Magee prepared for Charlies surgery.
The transplant required an experienced team of anesthesiologists, nurses, technicians, nephrologists, social workers, dieticians, pharmacists and psychologists.
It was a very emotional day, Alexis says, teary-eyed.
And as Alexis and Nicks mother, Cathy Erskine, followed Charlie to the surgical floor of Mott, they briefly caught glimpse of a red cooler being pushed on a cart down another hallway.
Inside was Nicks donated kidney, which registered nurse Janine Robinson had transported across the hospital.
That was pretty crazy, Alexis says.
Charlie would later tell the story of how her new kidney even traveled by the cafeteria before reaching her.
Why Compatible Pairs Can Benefit From Using The Nkr
Paired exchangewhen a donor donates their kidney to another recipient in exchange for a compatible, or better-matched, kidney for their loved onewas originally created to overcome cases of donor-recipient incompatibility, when the donor could not give directly to the intended recipient.
However, compatible pairsdonor-recipient pairs where the donor can donate directly to the patientcan also greatly benefit from entering paired exchange.
Through paired exchange and the Kidney for Life initiativewhich utilizes the latest generation in DNA sequencing technology to assess the histologic match between patients and donorscompatible pairs can find excellent matches, and the recipient can potentially reduce their immuno-suppression dosage and have a transplanted kidney that lasts longer.
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Incompatible Living Donor Transplant
Ideally, to be eligible for transplantation, kidney donors and recipients should have compatible blood and tissue types. Too often, however, willing live donors do not meet these medical criteria. While it remains preferable to receive a kidney from someone who is fully immunologically compatible, recipients can be successfully transplanted from a donor with mismatched antibodies.
When antibodies are present, the blood of the recipient and donor react to each other, much like an allergic reaction. In the past, this reaction has caused the recipient’s body to reject the donor organ. Today, we can successfully transplant from an incompatible donor if the recipient’s blood is first “cleaned” of antibodies through a process known as plasmaphereis.
First, the amount of antibodies present must be quantified. This level helps to determine the number of treatments required. Next, the recipient’s blood is separated into cells and plasma . The plasma is removed and replaced with a commercially available plasma substitute. Removing the plasma removes the antibodies. In essence, plasmapheresis is similar to dialysis it removes antibodies just as dialysis removes waste products.
Depending on the level of antibodies present, plasmapheresis may be performed anywhere from 2-10 times. Most patients receive the treatment every other day, for up to three times a week. Once the quantity of antibodies drops to a low enough level, the recipient can undergo the transplant.
Transplant Procedure
How Old Is Too Old
At many institutions, donors over the age of 60, 65, or even 70 are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Between 1990 and 2010, 219 people over the age of 70 donated kidneys, and researchers say the number of donors in this age group is on the rise.
Surgeons will make their decisions for this older group based on a potential donor’s health and how well their kidneys work. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or are overweight, you probably won’t qualify to be a donor. Even if you don’t have health complications, the surgeon who would operate on you would make the final decision on whether to allow you to donate a kidney.
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Are Transplants From Living Donors Always Successful
Although transplantation is highly successful, and success rates continue to improve, problems may occur. Sometimes, the kidney is lost to rejection, surgical complications or the original disease that caused the recipient’s kidney to fail. Talk to the transplant center staff about their success rates and the national success rates.
Donating A Kidney To A Family Member Can Dredge Up Some Knotty Emotional Issues
Families are complicated, and they get even more so when you go through the kidney donation process.
The transplant center understands this, which is why early in the process, they tell you that if you decide against giving, the recipient would never know that was your decision. Instead, they would just be informed that you did not qualify as a match.
The role of the spouse is also incredibly hard. Meghan has a good relationship with my parents, but our family and our kids are her priority. My mom, sister, and brother were all of the same mindset: Dad is sick. How do we help him? Meghan was thinking something else: What is best for our young family, and are we putting all that at risk? I was in the middle weighing both.
And it was harder for her than for me. She had a veto: If she was strongly opposed, the panel would not have approved the surgery and my parents would never know. But what would that have done to our marriage, especially as my father got sicker? The spouse has a choice but they dont really. Meghan had her reservations, but to her credit, she never once in the entire process said no.
I had to accept that I was doing this because it was the right thing to do, and that it would not magically turn my parents into people they were not. I made this observation to the social worker, who said this was quite common. We like to say we specialize in kidney transplants, not personality transplants, she said.
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How Can I Help My Child
Having a chronic condition can be hard for kids. Dialysis, surgery, and immunosuppressant therapy can add to the stress. Talk to your child about these changes and how you will work them into your routine. Make sure to find time to do fun things together with family and friends.
For teens, immunosuppressant therapy can be a challenge. These medicines can cause:
- getting acne or having acne that gets worse
- weight gain
- problems with increased blood sugars , sometimes requiring insulin
- high blood pressure
- increased risk of infection
These side effects are a major reason why teens are at risk for not taking their medicines after a transplant. This can be dangerous and even lead to rejection of the new kidney. Do not change or stop any medicines without talking to your doctor or nurse. In some cases, medicines can be changed to ease the side effects and still be effective and safe. Talk to about the importance of taking all medicines as directed, and help your child to do so.
To help:
What Can I Expect From The Living
When donating a kidney to a child at Childrens Colorado, the adult donors surgery is performed at the University of Colorado Hospital. Both hospitals are located on the Anschutz Medical Campus within walking distance from each other.
The operation is done with a minimally invasive partial laparoscopic technique which lets donors have smaller scars and less pain after surgery. Once the donors kidney is removed, it is carefully flushed, packaged and transported to the transplant surgeons performing the .
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You Dont Have To Be Related To Someone To Donate A Kidney To Them
In fact, one in four living organ donors is not biologically related to the recipient . Spouses, in-laws, close friends, church members, and even members of the same community can all be living donors.
It’s true that family members have a higher chance of being a good match. But living donor transplants are more successful compared to kidneys from deceased donors because these kidneys come from living donors.
How Long Will It Take To Get A New Kidney
There is no definite answer to this question. If there is a matching and healthy living donor, your child may be able to get a transplant in a few weeks or months. If no living related donor is available, it may take months or years on the waiting list before a suitable donor organ is available. During this time, your child will receive close follow-up with his or her healthcare providers and the transplant team. Many support groups are also available to help you during this waiting time.
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The Nhs Organ Donor Register
In the UK, consent is required before organs can be donated. A person can give their consent to become an organ donor after death by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register or by discussing their wishes with loved ones.
Alternatively, a person’s organs can be donated if consent is obtained after their death from an authorised person, such as a relative or friend.
Joining the NHS Organ Donor Register is quick and simple, and will only take a few minutes of your time. You can remove yourself from the register at any time, and you can specify what you’re willing to donate.
Page last reviewed: 20 August 2018 Next review due: 20 August 2021
Every Year Approximately 250 Kidney Transplants Are Performed In Quebec Thanks To Living And Deceased Donors This Number Should Be Much Higher
Many patients in Quebec and Canada need an organ, but not enough Quebecers and Canadians have made plans to donate. In fact, our organ donation rates are lower than those of many other countries, including the United States. We can do better!
Anyone is a potential donor. Age is less important than the health of your organs and tissues. To find out more about how to become an organ donor, visit Transplant Québecs website.
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What Is Involved In Kidney Transplant Surgery
Once an organ becomes available to your child, you and your child will be immediately called to the hospital. This call can occur at any time. So you should always be prepared to go to the hospital, if needed. Once at the hospital, your child will have some more final blood work and tests to confirm the organ is a match.
Your child will then go to the operating room. The transplant surgery may take several hours. But this will vary greatly depending on each individual case. During the surgery, a member of the transplant team will keep you informed on how the surgery is going.
How Long Do Kidney Transplants Last
There are a number of factors which affect how long a transplanted kidney lasts.
These include whether or not the kidney came from a living donor, how well the kidney is matched in terms of blood group and tissue type, and the age and overall health of the person receiving the donation.
If you have a kidney transplant that fails, you can usually be put on the waiting list for another transplant. You may need dialysis in the meantime.
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Secondly The Parents Kidney And Other Sacrifices Are Not The Only Way To Save The Childs Life
The kidney could come from another donor. The child could be placed into the care of a grandparent or even foster home. The parents could be given financial aid from the government. The point is, the childs life could be saved by other means, if the parents were not able to do it.
On the other hand, it doesnt take much brain power to realise that the child in the mothers womb kinda needs the mother at that point, and no other person can do that for her.
So the principle is the same: We always do everything we can to save the childs life . But once outside the womb, we dont need to force the parents to do it. If they cant or dont want to, we find others.
And before you say, what if there arent others? there are. Were a pretty rich society. The average number of children per family in Australia is lower than the number of children people say they actually want. Read that again. Thats a fact look up fertility rates versus desired fertility rates. We could, if we really wanted to, rescue both the children and the parents in the situation youve just described. So, because its a human life, instead of just passing a law allowing it to be killed, our lawmakers and community groups ought to be finding ways to get the mothers in those situations every ounce of support they need.*
Blood Type Incompatible Kidney Transplant
This program allows patients to receive a kidney from a living donor with an incompatible blood type. To be able to receive such a kidney, patients must undergo several rounds of plasmapheresis, which is similar to dialysis, before and after the transplant. Plasmapharesis removes antibodies from the patient’s blood that can lead to rejection of the transplanted kidney.
Patients require multiple treatments with plasmapheresis before transplant, and may need several more after transplant to keep their antibody levels down.
Some patients also need to have their spleens removed at the time of transplant surgery to lower the number of cells that produce antibodies. The spleen, a spongy organ about the size of a person’s fist, produces blood cells. Located in the upper left part of the abdomen under the rib cage, the spleen can be removed using laparascopic surgery.
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The Alternatives To Kidney Donation Can Be Grim Not Just For Your Loved One But For Everyone Around Them
Heres what would have happened to my father if I did not go through with the surgery. He would go on a waitlist for a cadaver kidney. Given my fathers age, the chances that he would get one were low. Moreover, cadaver kidneys do not have the same longevity and do not function as well as live kidney donations.
And the years of waiting for one would be tremendously stressful. He would be on dialysis, spending 12 hours a week on a machine that cleans his blood, and much of the rest of his time feeling tired. Dialysis is not a permanent solution. Its a stopgap, and life expectancy on it is five to 10 years.
This reality was drilled into me when a colleague told me about how her father had had kidney disease when she was young. Her mother and some of his siblings offered to donate, but he refused. He did not want to burden his loved ones. Instead, he spent years on dialysis. He had to go on disability, and his family watched him deteriorate. He finally received a cadaver kidney but had numerous medical complications and died young. His decision had put a greater toll on her family than just having a loved one give him a kidney.
Not donating a kidney to a loved one in need can come with its own costs to you and your family. And refusing to accept a kidney from a loved one who can help is not necessarily a brave act of self-sacrifice. It may do more harm than good.
Tests Before The Transplantation
Your child will need many tests to make sure he or she is ready for a transplant. These include a series of blood tests, as well as some imaging tests , especially to check that his or her heart and blood vessels are healthy. Sometimes other tests are needed. These tests often start during stage 4 CKD when your child is preparing for treatment for stage 5 CKD. Your child will need to continue going back to the unit for further tests while he or she waits for the transplant often up to a year or longer.
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Positive Crossmatch And Sensitized Patient Kidney Transplant
This program makes it possible to perform kidney transplants in patients who have developed antibodies against their kidney donor, a situation known as “positive crossmatch.”
The process is similar to that for blood type incompatible kidney transplants. Patients receive medications to decrease their antibody levels or they undergo plasmapheresis treatments to remove the harmful antibodies from their blood. If their antibody levels are successfully reduced, they can then go ahead with the transplant.
Blood type incompatible kidney transplants and positive crossmatch/sensitized patient kidney transplants have been very successful in the United States and internationally. Success rates are close to those for transplants from compatible living donors and are better than success rates for deceased donor transplants.
UCSF Health medical specialists have reviewed this information. It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or other health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your provider.