Liver Transplant

Gary Reinbach died a couple of days ago in the UK of alcoholic liver failure, aged just 22.

Not worth the trouble - the NHS's verdict on Gary Reinbach. Picture: Stuart Clarke/The Times.

His life could have been saved with a liver transplant, but Gary didn’t qualify because he wasn’t well enough to leave hospital to prove he could clean himself up and deserved a second shot at growing up.

Obviously the allocation of donor organs has to comply with a set of criteria, such is the limited supply. But it seems amazing to me a 22-year-old could be told he wasn’t worth being on the list.

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  • ted says:

    10:12pm | 12/01/10

    My dad is currently waiting for liver because of NASH. A genetic decease caused liver decease. He now lies in a bed in hospital with only weeks to live and with no answer other than a liver tranplant will extend his life. So the lad had some issues and an… Read more »

  • Sam says:

    07:57pm | 12/08/09

    It is a sad story, but criteria for the allocation of organs are there for a reason. I wonder if this case has received so much media coverage because of Gary’s age, people, generally, feel more compassion for the young, with what is viewed as a “full life ahead of… Read more »

 

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