Click the picture above and you can read what the tabloid news and TV are saying—that life imitates art. That a recent 30 Rock episode, which had celebrities shilling to get an organ for Alan Alda, parodies real life in what seems like a very brief wait for singer Natalie Cole.
What do I think?
I think everything is a bit easier when you are a celebrity. We take care of, or have, a few well-known folks and everyone is excited—even the doctors (especially if it’s a sports hero). But the wait for a kidney is pretty structured, within strict guidelines that UNOS follows.
Okay then—how about the apparent brief wait?
She waited longer than you think. If you read our kidney group Facebook, you know that when she performed on American Idol a few weeks back, it was a herculean effort. Her dress, no doubt, hid the Tesio (dialysis) catheter in her upper chest, and her energy and radiance belied the fact that the woman had been getting hemodialysis three times a week for some time.
She was no doubt listed on the deceased donor waiting list (or credited for that time) while family members were tested. We covered earlier how her son was disqualified at the last minute from being her donor due to apparent very mild hypertension. We cannot take a chance on the donor’s health. (First, do no harm.)
If you scroll down, we covered two months ago that at many centers (e.g., University of Florida), the wait has now dropped to below one year. Why? More creative donor situations and altruistic donations (from non-blood relatives).
How her celebrity helped was that a family of a 22-year-old deceased person specifically requested the daughter’s kidney be tested for a match to Ms. Cole, whom they knew only due to her celebrity. That gave them comfort at the time of a tragic death. Should she have turned it down? What for?
Fate plays a role. I have had people on the list one week. I have had people on the list five years. Check out the archive “Insider Tips to Getting a Transplant.” Sure, blood type and antigens, etc., play a role in wait time, but so does noncompliance and weight. People don’t want to hear that. If the transplant team says, “Lose 50 pounds,” what they mean is lose 50 pounds or we won’t give you a kidney.
Some patients I have to ride like Zorro to complete their yearly round of diagnostic testing, and others are happy to comply. They often remind me when things are due to be done.
Who would you give this precious organ to? An organ that will require precision with medication and a thoughtfully lived life from then on?
It’s a decision—in the end—made by humans. And universities want to give this rare commodity—a kidney donation—not only to those who have waited longest but to those who will treasure it as it should be.
But that’s just what I think.
