Mom Claims CHOP Refuses to Give Special Needs Child Transplant

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http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news...abled-Child-Transplant-Surgery-137437788.html

Outrage flooded the pages of Facebook and other social networking sites around the nation after Chrissy Rivera wrote a blog post about an anger-inducing conversation she and her husband allegedly had with a doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The doctor told them that he would not recommend a kidney transplant for their young daughter because she is mentally disabled, Chrissy Rivera said.

"And I said to the doctor, 'is this what you want us to let happen -- do you want us to let her die?' And he said 'yes,'" Rivera told NBC10 Monday.
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The Riveras told NBC10 they got a call from CHOP on Sunday night.

“They apologized for what happened. They didn’t necessarily have any answers. They did agree with us that some things need to be changed,” said Chrissy Rivera.

The Riveras said the hospital invited them to meet with the organ transplant team.


More at link....
 
Oh wow. I can't imagine.

So since she is mentally disabled, she is not "worth" a new kidney???

This infuriates me. She deserves to be treated like any other human.
 
This saddens me on so many levels. First, no child should be turned away from medical treatment, especially life saving medical treatment, because their lives are not the same as those of us that were lucky enough to be born with higher IQ's and better test scores. So, she's mentally disabled. That doesn't mean that she can't feel joy or pain or happiness, and to insinuate that she should die because of her differences is sickening to me.

It also saddens me because it's bad for the network of medical centers that holds the Children's hospital name. I've never been to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, but I practically moved in to Children's Hospital of Detroit when our youngest son was born. His surgeon, anesthesia team, and genetic counselors were all from CHD. Luckily, my son is not delayed in any way that we have seen yet, but we all knew it was a risk just from the surgery, the meds, the extended stay in an isolette with no physical contact. It breaks my heart for this family that they had such a negative experience from people that are often so positive.

I hope that if their claims are true, the doctor is immediately fired, or moved to research, where he can posit all the crazy theories he wants, and will be largely ignored and completely underfunded.
 
The disabilities in a person with this syndrome are profound. As far as I can tell from the video the child doesn't talk and might never talk because of this condition.
 
She still deserves medical treatment.
 
Ok, so she doesn't talk. The developmental effects of WHS can be devastating, but they can also be relatively mild. As autistic children have shown, language is not as closely related to true intelligence as was once assumed. It likely isn't even possible to fully and accurately assess her delays until they have found a way for her to communicate. She is not brain dead. She is not completely restricted from all normal activity. She has a family that loves her.

She needs the transplant, and it simply is not that doctor's decision, certainly not his alone, whether she gets it or not. That's what really stuck in my craw: Who does this doctor think he really is?
 
Ok, so she doesn't talk. The developmental effects of WHS can be devastating, but they can also be relatively mild. As autistic children have shown, language is not as closely related to true intelligence as was once assumed. It likely isn't even possible to fully and accurately assess her delays until they have found a way for her to communicate. She is not brain dead. She is not completely restricted from all normal activity. She has a family that loves her.

She needs the transplant, and it simply is not that doctor's decision, certainly not his alone, whether she gets it or not. That's what really stuck in my craw: Who does this doctor think he really is?

God.

NO PERSON, regardless of gender or position, has a right to determine what quality of life another person will have. This child has just as much right to medical treatment as any other. Everyone has something they can bring to this life they are given, even if it's just bringing love to their family.

So WHAT if this child has some mental retardation? Does that make them less worthy of love? Not deserving of life? I. don't. think. so.
 
Ok, so she doesn't talk. The developmental effects of WHS can be devastating, but they can also be relatively mild. As autistic children have shown, language is not as closely related to true intelligence as was once assumed. It likely isn't even possible to fully and accurately assess her delays until they have found a way for her to communicate. She is not brain dead. She is not completely restricted from all normal activity. She has a family that loves her.

She needs the transplant, and it simply is not that doctor's decision, certainly not his alone, whether she gets it or not. That's what really stuck in my craw: Who does this doctor think he really is?

I am not saying she shouldn't get the transplant. But I can look at it from the doctor's point of view-there are not many organs available, and when the child has a severe disability (and most likely will never be able to function independently), shouldn't her quality of life be considered? Of course it sounds like the family wants to do a donation, and if they can find a family member as a donor then I believe she should get the transplant.
 
A little girl from here that had Leukemia (she's in remission now) went to CHOP & had a bone marrow transplant. Her Mom did updates and I can remember how she really did not like CHOP that much.
 
This is the parent's blog post after the meeting: http://www.wolfhirschhorn.org/2012/01/amelia/brick-walls/

Two critical points: 1) The doctor/hospital even refuses to do a transplant if a matched family member donates the kidney (i.e. this is not about a scarcity of organs).
2) Several other parents of mentally disabled children write in the comments that they have received similar denial of treatment solely based on their child's IQ.

This is disgusting discrimination of the worst kind.
 
This is the parent's blog post after the meeting: http://www.wolfhirschhorn.org/2012/01/amelia/brick-walls/

Two critical points: 1) The doctor/hospital even refuses to do a transplant if a matched family member donates the kidney (i.e. this is not about a scarcity of organs).
2) Several other parents of mentally disabled children write in the comments that they have received similar denial of treatment solely based on their child's IQ.

This is disgusting discrimination of the worst kind.

If the family donates the organ then I don't understand why they refuse. By family donating the organ some other child is not going to be denied the organ.
Is the insurance not paying for it or why exactly don't they want to do it?
 
I am not saying she shouldn't get the transplant. But I can look at it from the doctor's point of view-there are not many organs available, and when the child has a severe disability (and most likely will never be able to function independently), shouldn't her quality of life be considered? Of course it sounds like the family wants to do a donation, and if they can find a family member as a donor then I believe she should get the transplant.

I look at it from the human POV. She is a human being, whose true quality of life cannot be appropriately determined at this time. The number of organs available means nothing when there is a family donor. To me, it's a slippery slope. Today, she doesn't get her transplant because she is mentally challenged. Next week, some 50 year old man doesn't get a transplant because he'd only live 30 ish more years anyway. Next year, none of us can even get a Motrin, because we don't fit into someone's arbitrary definition of normal or desirable.

It's best that that train of thought just stop now, or the only people on earth will have IQ's above 180 and look like supermodels.
 
This is the only explanation offered by the account on the blog post:

The doctor interrupts. He puts his hands up and tries to take a stern voice with me. “These medications she has to take after the transplant, they are very dangerous. They can cause seizures. We have to get the dose exact. They may cause brain damage.”

“DO OTHER CHIILDREN WHO HAVE A TRANSPLANT TAKE THIS MEDICATION?”

“Yes, but it is different for her. She is already brain damaged and mentally retarded.”
 
This is the only explanation offered by the account on the blog post:

I think it's rather obvious she won't ever be able to take these meds by herself, her parents will have to do it for her, and presumably they can manage to do it accurately.
 
I look at it from the human POV. She is a human being, whose true quality of life cannot be appropriately determined at this time. The number of organs available means nothing when there is a family donor. To me, it's a slippery slope. Today, she doesn't get her transplant because she is mentally challenged. Next week, some 50 year old man doesn't get a transplant because he'd only live 30 ish more years anyway. Next year, none of us can even get a Motrin, because we don't fit into someone's arbitrary definition of normal or desirable.

It's best that that train of thought just stop now, or the only people on earth will have IQ's above 180 and look like supermodels.

There are all kinds of reasons why someone won't get the transplant. For instance, I believe if someone smokes or drinks alcohol, they won't be getting a transplant. Using your logic, everyone should have equal footing, regardless. That's not what happens.
 
There are all kinds of reasons why someone won't get the transplant. For instance, I believe if someone smokes or drinks alcohol, they won't be getting a transplant. Using your logic, everyone should have equal footing, regardless. That's not what happens.

It also doesn't work that one person gets to call all the shots, regardless of what the person that needs the transplant does, doesn't do, has, or doesn't have.

You believe that a smoker or drinker won't get a transplant, or you know from a verified medical source that that person won't get a transplant?I know two drinkers that have gotten transplants, and one smoker, although his need for a transplant was not related to his smoking.
 
It also doesn't work that one person gets to call all the shots, regardless of what the person that needs the transplant does, doesn't do, has, or doesn't have.

You believe that a smoker or drinker won't get a transplant, or you know from a verified medical source that that person won't get a transplant?I know two drinkers that have gotten transplants, and one smoker, although his need for a transplant was not related to his smoking.

"All transplant candidates must be non-smokers and lead a tobacco-free/nicotine-free lifestyle for at least 6 months before they are even eligible for a pre-transplant evaluation."
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/servi...ransplant_your_commitment_to_good_health.aspx
 
The doctor sounds like he is in need of a heart transplant because his heart is obviously not functioning or is made of stone.

But based upon his behavior, he should be denied a heart transplant because I have serious doubts about HIS intelligence based upon his actions.
 
"All transplant candidates must be non-smokers and lead a tobacco-free/nicotine-free lifestyle for at least 6 months before they are even eligible for a pre-transplant evaluation."
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/servi...ransplant_your_commitment_to_good_health.aspx

That link refers to that transplant centers guidelines, and although they are common ones, they are not mandates for all transplant centers. Also that link refers to lug transplant victims only.

I know that no one likes to do surgery on a drinker, especially long, involved ones, because of the blood thinning aspects, but it is not federally mandated that those people be passed over.
 

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