General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Dying Teen Is Being Denied A Heart Transplant Because He’s Had Trouble With The Law [View all]Ms. Toad
(34,137 posts)Because maintaining a donor organ requires a lifetime of careful compliance with the medical community (taking meds, keeping appointments, etc.) one way they judge is by your ability to comply at the time you are most motivated. If you are deathly ill (as you are leading up to a transplant), and cannot keep appoints or be compliant with what is usually a much simpler medication regime than post-transplant - it is likely that once you are feeling better you will be less motivated.
With my daughter (and others with her disease), anytime she disagrees with what a doctor has told her to do (or not do) we go through the routine of talking with the doctor, discussing the disagreement, and having him sign on to what she wants to do in order to make sure there is nothing in her medical record which suggests she won't (or will be unable to) be compliant with the post-transplant regime.