After his death, misinformation about Steve Jobs' liver transplant in 2009 once again surfaces and claim that Steve Jobs received a liver transplant by bypassing the waiting list due to his notiarity and wealth which is impossible because the organ allocation process does not identify the potential recipient. A transplant center can be put on probation or even shut-down by United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) for not abiding to the rigid policies and protocols. Transplant programs who have violated organ donation policies have been swiftly closed forever (St. Vincent Hospital in Los Angeles- Liver Program), just to name one.
How did Steve Jobs get transplanted so quickly?
Steve Jobs just did what many Americans are doing if their insurance policy permits it; they would select the hospital that gives them the best opportunity to be transplanted quickly. This is why he went to Methodist University Hospital in Memphis. Their transplant program performs about 120 liver transplants a year with great outcomes: 90% of their patients are alive after a year with the national average being of 84%. The main reason patients select a transplant center is because of their short median wait-time; Methodist University Hospital is 2 months. The average wait time for a hospital in California for a liver transplant is 5 years.
UNOS policies allow a transplant candiate to be wait-listed at more than one transplant center as long as the patient meets the second transplant center's acceptance criteria.
It is illegal in the United States to sell or purchase an organ.
Steve Jobs, a passionate donation advocate would be extremely disappointed in those who misinform the public on this topic.
To learn about donation truths and the allocation process please visit UNOS.
To register to be an organ donor, please go to OrganDonor.gov
1 comment:
question did steve have cancer when he recieved the kidney?
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