You should have let him die: Daughter hits out at doctors who gave suicidal man a liver transplantBy Andrew Levy
Last updated at 7:34 PM on 26th May 2009
A daughter has hit out at the NHS after doctors saved the life of her manic depressive father following an attempted drug overdose.
Nadine Woods, 29, said her father, David, was given a liver transplant without her family's consent when the organ was seriously damaged by the suicide bid.
The father-of-three recovered but was left with brain damage from the painkillers he swallowed, leaving him 'trapped' in a specialist care home where he receives round-the-clock treatment and still 'obsesses' about taking his life.
Miss Woods accused the NHS of wasting a healthy liver on her father when it could have been used to save the life of another patient.
The case has reignited the debate over people's right to die, with pro-euthanasia organisations demanding patients' wishes are respected, while pro-life groups said doctors should always fight to save people in their care.
Receptionist Miss Woods, from Papworth Everard, Cambridgeshire, said: 'I never wanted to lose my dad but I also never wanted him to be saved.
'It is shameful that a donor has wasted his liver and it's horrible to think someone else could have been enjoying a healthy life.
'My dad has not had a day's happiness since the operation. All he thinks about is wanting to die. He is obsessive about it.'
Miss Woods added the distress caused by her 56-year-old father's suffering means she is now considering taking him to the controversial Dignitas assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland where he would be able to end his 'abysmal' quality of life.
The clinic has so far helped more than 100 Britons to kill themselves.
'I keep saying that I will give him another year but most of the time I think it's the kindest thing I could do to my dad. Every day is torture for him. I am prepared to go to jail if necessary,' she said.
Former office furniture salesman Mr Woods has suffered from bipolar disorder and depression since he was 16.
He and his wife Margo, also 56, separated in 1991 and divorced a few years later.
Last night she said she was astonished a liver had been made available for him after his suicide attempt.
The care worker added: 'David fully intended taking his own life because he'd had enough of the condition he was in.
'He has had a wretched existence for the past 18 years as he deteriorated.
'He's certainly not better off than he was before he took the overdose. In fact he is worse because of the brain damage.
'The doctors knew there would be brain damage but went ahead anyway.'
A suicide attempt - described as a 'cry for help' - failed in June 2006 but in December that year he took a massive overdose of painkillers.
He was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge where doctors estimated he was going to die within 24 hours from liver failure.
Miss Woods rushed to the hospital with her brother Ashley, 27, and sister Laura, 21, but were told the operation had already gone ahead by the time they arrived.
It later emerged surgeons had acted on the advice of a psychiatrist who said Mr Woods had a good quality of life when healthy.
A few months later, 'living wills' came into effect under the Mental Capacity Act, allowing patients to refuse treatment such as hydration and nutrition.
Miss Woods claims her father would have written one if they had been available when he took the overdose.
Mr Woods spent six weeks in a coma after the operation before he was transferred to a psychiatric unit.
He was then moved to a £260-a-week specialist care unit in Littleport, near Ely, in February last year, because the brain damage had robbed him of skills including cleaning or cooking for himself.
Miss Woods added: 'Over time, he slowly started to remember what happened and realised he was ten times worse off than before.
'I love my dad and don't want to see him die but I can't bear to watch him suffering like this.'
Pro-euthanasia group Dignity in Dying criticised doctors for going ahead with the transplant and advised people to make living wills to indicate their wishes in life-threatening situations.
Campaigns officer Jo Cartwright said: 'Mr Woods' case is a tragic example of a patient not having his wishes respected.
'It is very important that vulnerable people are protected but it is also important for the patient to be at the centre of health care decisions wherever possible.'
But Andrew Fergusson, of pro-lifers Care Not Killing, said: 'It is always right for doctors to presume in favour of life.
'The medical picture was complicated by the question of David's depression and whether wishes he may have expressed reflected his genuine capacity and were therefore valid in law.'
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust, which appoints psychiatrists in the area, said: 'If someone comes into A&E having decided to take their own life, they are referred for a mental health assessment by a psychiatrist.
'Doctors might not be able to get the patient's consent for transplant. They would ideally consult the family but it is not the family's decision and sometimes there is simply no time to wait.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1187949/You-let-die-Daughter-hits-doctors-gave-suicidal-man-liver-transplant-wasting-organ.html#
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