Captain’s Infirmary
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James Joyner | Saturday, January 29, 2005 |
Captain Ed Morrissey reported last night that his wife was in need of a pancreas transplant and that a match had apparently been found. Unfortunately, the donor organ was a no go.
Pancreas transplants are more problematic than kidney transplants. For the most part, as long as the donor is or was healthy, the kidney will make a good transplant. Pancreases are more sensitive, both in condition and age, and the donor was just at the outer edge of the age band anyway. Not only that, but the surgery for the recipient is more extensive and tougher to ensure that rejection doesn’t occur. When the organ was removed, the doctors decided that the health of the organ would not be worth the risk to use for a transplant, for the First Mate or anyone else.
We have only been on the pancreas transplant list for about four weeks, so the call came as a complete surprise to us. We expected to get to the top of the list sometime in the summer. While we’re disappointed that this one did not work out, we’re not crushed and we’re actually optimistic that we will get another one soon, and hopefully that one will work out.
Hopefully, indeed. The Morrisseys have it all in perspective, though:
Meanwhile, a family on the East Coast (as specific as the transplant team got) mourns the loss of a loved one. Please pray for comfort and support for them today.
Best wishes to both families.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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