Kelli’s medical struggles began on December 7, 1983, the day she was born, in Chula Vista, California. She was cyanotic—there wasn’t enough oxygen getting to her blood, causing her to turn blue. This can signal many conditions, some of which are more serious than others. But “no one gave us any kind of alarm,” says Kelli’s dad. In fact, her parents only learned Kelli had a serious heart condition by chance. When the baby was about three months old, her mother, Ana, took Kelli and her older brother, Chris, to visit family in Guadalajara, Mexico. On the airplane, Kelli’s breathing became very labored.
When they arrived, Ana’s sister took them to the air force base in La Paz, where her husband was commander. One of the physicians there examined Kelli and discovered that something was wrong with her heart. “They told me it was really serious and that she probably wouldn’t live that long,” says Ana. “But I thought, No! My daughter’s a fighter. She will stay alive.”
Finally, in October 2003, Kelli’s cardiologist broke the bad news: Her liver was failing. She needed a liver transplant as well as a new heart if she was going to survive. Heart-liver transplants are both difficult and rare—only about 50 people in the United States have had this double transplant. Plus, the few hospitals equipped to do the surgery are extremely selective about whom they take. The patient must be sick enough to need the transplant yet not so sick that she’s unlikely to live through the hazardous procedure. Kelli hovered perilously on the borderline
There was also the problem of insurance. At the time, Kelli was covered through California Children’s Services (CCS), a state-run program for chronically ill children whose family has a yearly income less than $40,000. The Jaunsens qualified because Robert, a former deputy sheriff, had suffered two massive heart attacks and was forced to retire on a small pension. But while CCS had previously paid for everything, it didn’t cover this type of double transplant.
Kelli was put on the transplant waiting list on November 30, 2005, when she was 21. “Being on the list is no guarantee of getting an organ in time,” says Dr. Colquhoun. The problem is that the number of patients who need transplants greatly exceeds the number of organs available. “So people die on the list,” he says. In fact, about 18 patients die every day waiting for organs.
The waiting finally paid off on February 1, 2007one year and two months after Kelli had first been listed. Robert Jaunsen got the call on his cell phone at about five in the morning. “This is it,”
The first half of the operation was performed by the heart team. Then, once the heart was in place, the liver team took over. Even by transplant standards, says Dr. Czer, it was tricky. “With congenital heart disease, the blood vessels are huge, because of the pressure. So it was like operating in a minefield.” Plus, Kelli’s blood would barely coagulate because of liver problems, so there was the risk that any bleeding couldn’t be stopped. The surgery lasted 18 hours, and then Dr. Colquhoun came out to the waiting room—everything looked perfect, he told Robert and Ana.
Main questions
Q1.how did you feel after reading this article?
Q2.what do you think of parent's unconditional devotion to child
Q3.if you were terminally ill consuming huge money that become overburden on
your family , how would you do?
Q4.what do you think of korean health care system?
Q5.what is your idea about illegal organ-trading? is it inevitable?
Q6.have you ever considered donating your organ?