wrong to get someone’s hopes up, then dash them to bits. I want to go back upstairs and talk to the doctor,” Katie insisted. “I want to know—really know—how they decide who lives and who dies.”
“But—” Josh called after her.
“I can’t think about anything but talking to the doctor.” Katie punched the elevator button impatiently and bounded inside the instant the doors opened. Josh rode with her up to the cardiac care floor. When the doors opened, she shot out into the hall. Dr. Dawson was standing at one of the nurses’ stations, writing on a chart. Katie joggedup to him and touched his shoulder. “I want to talk to you,” she said.
Looking surprised. Dr. Dawson folded the chart and put it atop the desk. “What is it, Katie?” He knew her, not only because of her involvement with Chelsea, but because she was one of the transplant center’s success stories.
“This donor heart that’s coming—who’s going to get it?”
He blinked at her, as if he didn’t quite understand her question. “You heard what I told Chelsea’s family. We’re not sure if it will be Chelsea or not. Why are you asking?”
“Because I saw Jillian Longado in the lobby, and she said she’d been beeped. That must mean that she’s a candidate for the heart too. How can you do such a thing? How can you make two people compete for the same heart?” Katie was mad; her blood was racing, and her adrenaline pumped as if she’d just run a five-minute mile.
“Katie, I don’t know who’s been notified about the possibility of transplantation. It’s all done by computer, and when the compatibility factors coincide, patients are notified.”
“But they can’t
all
get transplants,” she cried.
“That’s right. But the organs can’t go to waste either. Lots of factors go into choosing the recipient. I shouldn’t have to tell you this. We have to cross-match for maximum compatibility; therefore, more than one person might be prepped for surgery. Don’t you remember when you werebrought in for your transplant? All the tests we ran?”
“I had to wait a while,” she said, but she knew she had very little recall from that frenetic time before her surgery.
“The transplant team had to make sure you were a good candidate medically. We wanted to be as sure as humanly possible
before
the surgery that the transplant would match. Because once you got the heart, there was no going back.”
That stopped Katie cold and dampened her anger. He was right. Once Chelsea’s heart was removed, it couldn’t be put back if the new one didn’t work out. “But Chelsea needs a new heart so much. And Jillian needs—” Her voice cracked. Josh took her hand.
Dr. Dawson nodded. “That’s what I was trying to say earlier in the waiting room. We doctors have to weigh all the factors.” He held out both his hands. “Do we save the one person who needs heart and lungs?” He elevated his palm as if he were holding a weight. “Or do we save three people—one who needs a heart and two who each need a lung?” He raised his other palm level with the first. “It’s a tough call, Katie, especially when patients’ needs are equal.”
Numbly, Katie nodded. All the fight had gone out of her. She saw the medical dilemma with absolute clarity; a choice had to be made, and someone would lose. With the incoming organs, three people could be helped. Or all three organs couldgo to save only one. “What a terrible choice,” she whispered.
“Actually, although the patients’ needs may be equal, medically speaking, all factors aren’t equal.”
“What do you mean?”
“That’s why we run so many tests. Medically, someone always has an edge. It’s never equal medically. Tests help us separate and fine-tune our choices. Nothing’s worse than giving a patient a transplant and then losing him. It’s like we’ve lost two people at once—the recipient and the donor.”
His gaze said,
“You’re a survivor, Katie.”
She was
“But—” Josh called after her.
“I can’t think about anything but talking to the doctor.” Katie punched the elevator button impatiently and bounded inside the instant the doors opened. Josh rode with her up to the cardiac care floor. When the doors opened, she shot out into the hall. Dr. Dawson was standing at one of the nurses’ stations, writing on a chart. Katie joggedup to him and touched his shoulder. “I want to talk to you,” she said.
Looking surprised. Dr. Dawson folded the chart and put it atop the desk. “What is it, Katie?” He knew her, not only because of her involvement with Chelsea, but because she was one of the transplant center’s success stories.
“This donor heart that’s coming—who’s going to get it?”
He blinked at her, as if he didn’t quite understand her question. “You heard what I told Chelsea’s family. We’re not sure if it will be Chelsea or not. Why are you asking?”
“Because I saw Jillian Longado in the lobby, and she said she’d been beeped. That must mean that she’s a candidate for the heart too. How can you do such a thing? How can you make two people compete for the same heart?” Katie was mad; her blood was racing, and her adrenaline pumped as if she’d just run a five-minute mile.
“Katie, I don’t know who’s been notified about the possibility of transplantation. It’s all done by computer, and when the compatibility factors coincide, patients are notified.”
“But they can’t
all
get transplants,” she cried.
“That’s right. But the organs can’t go to waste either. Lots of factors go into choosing the recipient. I shouldn’t have to tell you this. We have to cross-match for maximum compatibility; therefore, more than one person might be prepped for surgery. Don’t you remember when you werebrought in for your transplant? All the tests we ran?”
“I had to wait a while,” she said, but she knew she had very little recall from that frenetic time before her surgery.
“The transplant team had to make sure you were a good candidate medically. We wanted to be as sure as humanly possible
before
the surgery that the transplant would match. Because once you got the heart, there was no going back.”
That stopped Katie cold and dampened her anger. He was right. Once Chelsea’s heart was removed, it couldn’t be put back if the new one didn’t work out. “But Chelsea needs a new heart so much. And Jillian needs—” Her voice cracked. Josh took her hand.
Dr. Dawson nodded. “That’s what I was trying to say earlier in the waiting room. We doctors have to weigh all the factors.” He held out both his hands. “Do we save the one person who needs heart and lungs?” He elevated his palm as if he were holding a weight. “Or do we save three people—one who needs a heart and two who each need a lung?” He raised his other palm level with the first. “It’s a tough call, Katie, especially when patients’ needs are equal.”
Numbly, Katie nodded. All the fight had gone out of her. She saw the medical dilemma with absolute clarity; a choice had to be made, and someone would lose. With the incoming organs, three people could be helped. Or all three organs couldgo to save only one. “What a terrible choice,” she whispered.
“Actually, although the patients’ needs may be equal, medically speaking, all factors aren’t equal.”
“What do you mean?”
“That’s why we run so many tests. Medically, someone always has an edge. It’s never equal medically. Tests help us separate and fine-tune our choices. Nothing’s worse than giving a patient a transplant and then losing him. It’s like we’ve lost two people at once—the recipient and the donor.”
His gaze said,
“You’re a survivor, Katie.”
She was
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