Teenager faces death due to liver failure

[DaVeyWaVey]

The family of a teenager critically ill with liver failure has said it is going to mount a legal challenge to get him on the waiting list for a transplant.

Gareth Anderson, 19, from Newtownards became ill after binge drinking with friends earlier this month.

Mr Anderson cannot be considered for organ transplant because rules stipulate patients need to be alcohol-free for six months beforehand.

His father, Brian, said he was facing a race against time to save his life.

"I'm dealing with a timebomb now, I've basically two weeks to save Gareth," he said.

Mr Anderson Snr said the six-month policy on liver transplants should apply to older patients with chronic alcoholism and not a teenager who has never before needed medical treatment for a drink-related illness.

"I have to take this to the courts, what else can I do?" he said.

"In my opinion Gareth doesn't fit in with the six-month policy."

His son was transferred from the Ulster Hospital to Kings College Hospital in London at the weekend.

World-renowned liver specialist, Professor Roger Williams, who treated Belfast-born footballer George Best, has also become involved in the debate, claiming the guidelines should be loosened in circumstances such as those faced by the teenager.

A spokesman for Kings College Hospital said the teenager was in a stable condition.

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Your thoughts?

I don't understand how someone's liver could pack in after one weekend of binge drinking? :confused: He must have been out every weekend drinking or he may have underlying health problems.

Anyway, this article scared me a bit and made me think about how much I drink.

I think the rules should be revised in this case. I'm sure the 19 year old has learnt his lesson, seeing as he is on the brink of death! As teenagers, we all do things without thinking of the consequences but we are never usually this unlucky.

He deserves to reach adulthood and learn from his mistakes (as we all do).

[alan45]

I too dont believe this liver failure is as a result of one weekends binge drinking. Our local radio programme The Stephen Nolan show features this case every day.

Personally I dont believe an exception should be made for him. He is no better than someone else who has been waiting on the donor list for years.

How would you feel if someone belonging to you was bumped off the list to give this lad priority. Im sorry for him and his family but I dont believe they are telling the truth.

[Perdita]

I agree with you, as long as he has not been drinking too much for quite a while and only on the odd night out, as we all do. These stories highlight the dangers of too much alcohol and I shall certainly cut down on my own drinking habit.

[alan45]

I think the main thing people should take from this story is that EVERYONE should be a donor.

There are far to few donors around for the number of people needing transplants

[Abigail]

Liver failure doesn't result from one weekend of binge drinking, it's something that requires long term regular heavy drinking.

His age is irrelevant, he contributed significantly to the liver failure, he shouldn't get a new one when there are other more needy people who are ill through no fault of their own.

On the subject of organ donation, I believe the government should introduce an opt-out policy instead of opt-in. People who don't want their organs donating will be more proactive in removing themselves from the register than those who want to sign up.

And at the end of the day, the next of kin still have the final say in the donation of a dead one's organs. I believe this should also be changed, I would hate it if my family went against my wishes to donate my organs. I don't need them when I'm dead so why should I keep them?

[Siobhan]

Yeah.. I agree with you.. everyone should be on the donor list from birth and those who don't want it opt out.. I strongly believe in donating.. if it saves just one person then I am happy to go along with it
I was raging when they change the style of our bank cards cause my old one was a donor card and I had to hand it back.. I thought it was a great idea. everyone always carries their bank card

[alan45]

According to an interview on Sky News Gareth claimed if he got a new liver he would never drink again.


Strange then that he walked out of his hospital bed accross the road to a pub

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8220301.stm

And his father still claims his son doe not have a Drink Problem.

[Siobhan]

According to an interview on Sky News Gareth claimed if he got a new liver he would never drink again.


Strange then that he walked out of his hospital bed accross the road to a pub

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8220301.stm

And his father still claims his son doe not have a Drink Problem.

that guy doesn't deserve a new liver...

[lizann]

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/viewpoint/viewpoint-is-gareth-anderson-a-suitable-case-for-a-liver-transplant-14467028.html


The family of Gareth Anderson, the 19-year-old man who desperately needs a liver transplant, intends to go to court to challenge the Health Service’s transplantation policy.

The rules say that a patient should be alcohol-free for six months before they can be considered for the operation. But Gareth may not live that long, so acute is his condition. His family want the rules ignored in this very special case and there is not a family in the land who would think otherwise if it was their son in such a terrible plight.

This is an occasion when rules or guidelines drawn up for very good reasons seem at odds with humanity. Gareth’s acute liver damage may well be the result of over-indulgence in alcohol. He appears to have led a lifestyle which involved heavy or binge drinking on occasion. This is borne out by comments and pictures on his social networking sites. Yet his behaviour is no different from that of thousands of other young men or women and occasional heavy drinking is often regarded as nothing more than a rite of passage for his age group. What is unusual is for someone so young to be so badly affected. Therein lies the medical profession’s dilemma.

Livers, like all donor organs, are in very short supply. Demand always outstrips supply and the reasons for liver damage can involve disease as well as alcohol abuse. It is quite proper that doctors want to carry out transplantation operations on those patients who will benefit most and who have demonstrated that their lifestyle will give them the optimum

chance of making full use of their second chance. In the case of those patients suffering liver damage through alcohol abuse, it is not unreasonable to ask them to show that they can control their drinking. We all recall the tragic case of George Best, who was given that precious second chance, but still continued to drink because of his alcoholism.

Drinkers are not alone in being asked to show a change in lifestyle before being offered medical treatment for a wide range of conditions. Doctors will also refuse operations to people who are overweight or who smoke, for example, when that impairs the chances of a successful procedure.

Gareth’s case highlights two problems – the lack of donor organs and the culture of heavy drinking, particularly among the young. Periodically, politicians consider an “opt out” system where people are deemed to agree to donation unless they make it clear that they don’t want their organs used. That would increase the number of donors, but some people feel it is an intrusion into civil liberties.

Preventing binge drinking is a more difficult problem, involving more education, stricter licensing laws and curbing the availability of cheap drink. As far as Gareth and his family are concerned the arguments on how to get more donor organs or how to change drinking habits are academic at this stage. Their desire is simply to get a life saving operation for Gareth. Given his age and the acute nature of his illness, it would be tragic if rules prevented him getting a second chance at life.

[tammyy2j]

I'll be cutting down on my drinking at weekends :ninja:

[Hannelene]

This is shocking!

[alan45]

His father was on local radio today again and refuses to say his son is an alcoholic.:rolleyes: