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18
I hope this kid proves those assholes wrong. I hope he not only takes all his meds and "complies" with the rules, but also grows up and does something incredible with his life. Living well is the best revenge.
5
...are you saying there are people that don't want him to live well, and would be upset if he does?
8
I'd say that the people who denied him thought he wasn't worthy. I'd be willing to bet his skin color and/or socio-economic background played a factor in their decision. So yeah, I'll bet there are people who are hoping he proves them right. He was initially denied, then when the heat was turned up, they backtracked and moved him to the front of the line. I think they are hoping for a "SEE!?!? We were right!!" moment. I want them to never have that moment so they don't do that to anyone else.
4
Unfortunately there were a lot of people spouting thinly veiled racism/classism on this one who would probably be quite pleased for another icky brown person to 'prove them right.'
10
I'll take that bet.
I have family and friends who sit on the pediatric cardiology transplant board of the hospital that handled Stokes' case and you couldn't be further from the truth. The people that review these cases are a diverse group of minorities, not the group of racist old white doctors the internet seems to think they are.
Compliance is a serious thing because transplant hearts are a precious resource and noncompliance runs the risk of damning yourself and whoever might've gotten the organ instead of you. It isn't about race, or his grades, or arrest record. Socio-economic factors do come up because it is simply easier for a rich family that can hire a caretaker or a nurse to comply than it is for a poorer family that might not always have transportation or a stable living situation.
5
I just hope the next story isn't "Teen who received heart after being denied heart rejects heart because of x, y, and z."
4
because of non-compliance, of which he had a history
5
He was diagnosed last month, so no, there isn't a history of non-compliance.
I guess he could have missed an early appointment or something, which is completely understandable considering that he is 15 and was probably freaking the fuck out that the doctors said he had six weeks to live.
3
It's amazing how many of the "HE GAMED THE SYSTEM AND HE AND HIS PARENTS ARE HORRIBLE PEOPLE FOR NOT JUST QUIETLY ACCEPTING HIS DEATH SENTENCE" people couldn't be bothered to actually learn the facts of the case. Also how many people are absolutely certain that the organ donor system is perfect and cannot possibly have any issues with racism, and yet believe this supposedly perfect system is so terrified of criticism that it rolls over the moment anyone complains.
1
Right. Doctor's and administrators are, in fact, androids programmed to make decisions based on nothing but rational data collection and analysis.
1
I wish him the best and I hope that he is able to get his life on track. He is young and he has a long life ahead of him and had been given an opportunity that many people don't get. I also hope that his family will rally around him and provide the support he is going to need including making sure that he remains compliant with his meds and his appointments.
2
Are you happy now, libtard? It just home-invaded an elderly woman, shot at her, stole her car, then it ran over a pedestrian, crashed, and died. Who didn’t see that coming? Oh yeah, a bunch of NAIVE WHITE-GUILT GAWKER LIBTARDS.
I'm not happy he wasted his second chance and nearly took two innocent people with him. But I will always support giving a person a chance through transplant provided they meet the criteria. The transplant team took a huge risk. It's not one I would have taken but I've also seen some of my worst patients completely get their shit together after transplant. I've also seen people who seem perfect candidates fuck up and lose a transplant in less than a year. That is, uunfortunately the nature of transplant.
Since YOU support “giving” him that YOU should be made to pay for it.
14
My one sticking point with this story is that the kid is 15. It's the parents responsibility to make sure he sticks to his medication regime. This kid didn't miss his doctors appointments, his parents did.
4
YES. A 15 year old should, healthcare-wise, be under their PARENTS supervision. It's the PARENTS noncompliance- if there's any evidence of noncompliance with this, then perhaps a case worker who can ensure compliance should be provided.
Something that has irked me about this story -
I know there've been reports that he missed medications & doctors visits, etc, but has the family ever made a statement as to WHY? My initial thought after reading about this kid was that perhaps his family couldn't AFFORD the meds & all the visits. There's only so much insurance covers, if he even has insurance at all... I know that I walked around with a missing filling & desperately needing 2 cavities filled for a year because getting my impacted wisdom teeth removed ate up every penny my insurance would cover & I couldn't afford to pay out of pocket. In this day & age, where a single prescription pill to help nausea in chemotherapy patients can cost $350+, I really wouldn't be surprised even slightly if this kids family simply couldn't afford to spend the half million dollars it would likely cost (at least) for all of his visits/meds/xrays/surgeries.
4
He was diagnosed and denied a heart within a one-month period. There wasn't time for either he or his parents to be "non-compliant."
If there were missed appointments, that weren't followed up on? Then there was time. However im glad he got what he Needed and hope he recovers soon. I do think if evidence of mon compliance DOEs turn up, they should have a case worker following him. I would say that for ANY child undergoing major surgery- there are some parents where I work that I could THROTTLE. Have their 8 yr olds calling to make appts etc...
