Family’s grief as alcoholic son dies after being denied a transplant

Family’s grief as alcoholic son dies after being denied a transplant
Rebecca Lowe and Danny Brierley
20.07.09

A young alcoholic who began binge-drinking at 13 has died in hospital after being denied a life-saving liver transplant.

Gary Reinbach, 22, was given just weeks to live after developing one of the worst cases of cirrhosis his doctors had seen.

He was admitted to hospital with alcohol damage for the first time ten weeks ago and was too unwell to be sent home.

But health chiefs ruled he should not be exempt from strict transplant criteria that require a “dry” spell of at least six months before organs are donated.

Today his family in Dagenham, east London, attacked the decision as they revealed his slide into alcoholism started at age 11, when his parents split up.

The break-up triggered years of heavy drinking that began at school and ended with his death at 5pm yesterday in a critical care unit at University College Hospital.

His mother, Madeline Hanshaw, 44, said: “He was in a wheelchair for the past two months, he couldn't eat, he couldn't talk. How could he have discharged himself to show that could stay off the drink?

“These rules are really unfair. I'm not saying you should give a transplant to someone who is in and out of hospital all the time and keeps damaging themselves, but just for people like Gary, who made a mistake and never got a second chance.

“It never occurred to him what would happen. He was just a sweet, normal boy with a heart of gold, who never hurt anyone. And now he's gone. He was scared. He was 22 but still a kid. He thought when he went to hospital they would just give him some tablets and he'd be ok. He was desperate to recover and did everything the doctors asked of him, but he went downhill so fast.”

Gary lived with his brothers, Luke, 18, Tyler, 16, and his kitchen assistant mother on a housing estate. His father, also called Gary, moved away and now rarely sees his sons.

He used to play golf and football, and was an avid supporter of Liverpool FC, but he had little energy for hobbies in the last few years of his life and spent most of his time drinking beer, whisky and vodka with friends.

His family claimed he had recently being trying to quit and signed up for Alcoholics Anonymous weeks before being admitted to Queen's Hospital.

Had Gary received a liver transplant, doctors predicted he had a 75 per cent chance of survival.

His brother Luke said: “It is completely unjust, a complete joke. Gary was only a child when he started drinking and he had no idea what he was doing. He wasn't a bad person, he just made a mistake. But they never gave him the chance to show he could change.

“It all started when my parents split up when he was 11. We moved to Dagenham from East Ham and he got in with a different crowd. Then, a couple of years later, he started drinking.

“When he didn't have a drink, he was lovely. He never said anything bad about anyone. He just got into the cycle of drinking and he couldn't get out. It has been terrible knowing he could have been saved and he wasn't.”

The death will re-ignite the debate about organ transplant and the rules surrounding them.

Four years ago former footballer George Best drank himself to death aged 59 after he returned to alcohol only a year after being given a donor organ in 2002.

There are about 330 people of the liver transplant waiting list and about 100 die each year without ever finding a suitable donor.

Sarah Matthews, campaigns manager for the British Liver Trust, said doctors may have made attempts to find an emergency donor when his condition deteriorated.

Ms Matthews said: “It is a very difficult situation, one that we are sorry to hear someone found themselves in.

“There are strict criteria for transplants, particularly for people that have problems with alcohol. I don't know if they looked for transplant when he was in a critical state, they could have been looking for a suitable one when he died.”

The hospital would not comment on the final hours of his life or the level of treatment given.

A spokeswoman for University College Hospital said: “Our sympathies are with his family at this time.”
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Here's a sample of the latest views published.

If this young lad was in hospital, why wasn't he detoxed there? Or was someone supplying him with alcohol whilst he was in hospital?
He could have been 10 weeks alcohol free and showed that committment to changing his life that was being 'requested'.
And why on earth wasn't any intervention given to him at the age of 13? If his parents had stepped in and approached local youth services, someone somewhere could have helped.
I find it so difficult to see a young life claimed by alcohol but even more so to think that nothing was done in the 8 years from him starting to drink and him passing away.
I hope his family and friends can find some solace now he's no longer in pain and that he rests in peace.

- Elle, Aveley, England

People don't seem to realise that the NHS has a limited pot of money. My father-in-law's district nurse has to cope with a caseload of 80, all of whom should be visited daily at home (he has terminal cancer). I waited 18 months for a follow-up consultation on bowel problems which could have been serious. Elderly people are having to wait for eye treatments or hip operations to the point that during the period they wait, their general health seriously deteriorates due to lack of mobility.
The NHS is not an organisation that should just fork out regardless - it cannot do that. It is a fund that taxpayers pay for, and has its limits. People need to start keeping themselves as healthy as they can, and only call on the NHS when something unavoidable happens.

- Lin, Cardiff UK

What a waste , but i wonder how all those people that bought him alcohol feel today? They are really the perpetrators of this persons death, along with the parents who put there own egoistic needs first when getting divorced.Lets face is what the hell was a 11 yr old doing buying booze at that age??Hope the people that sold him the grogg pay for his funeral...RIP you are lucky to get away from this sick world..

- Peter, Oslo

This would never have happened under the Tories.

- Cyberman, Berkshire

Thank you Rod, you couldn't give a better message. As a liver transplant patient (not because of alcohol) I did see patients dying because of shortage of organs. I could have been in the same position. Thanks to all people who are on the organ donor list.

- Maria De Witte, London

So sad this young man has died.
As I read it he was never "denied" a transplant but like all alcoholics he would have been required to adhere to the 6 week alcohol free program like any other alcohol dependant individual he was so far down the road his liver was so diseased with the abuse he died before he could ever embark upon the program.
My son received a life saving liver & intestinal transplant when he was just 3yrs old...I think for parents of children awaiting a liver transplant through no fault of their own, should take priority over patients with self inflicted liver disease.

- Cat, Peebles

Humans have (2) parents for 18 years. For a reason.

Because he shoowed the symptoms of his broken childhood through his liver, does NOT make the NHS responsible for it.

It would have been nice if a few pills could have fixed that. His liver wan't his problem; it was it's victim.

I am sympathetic. Truly.

**** happens. Then more and more **** happens.

But layig the responsibility at the wrong door, is as pointless as laying the wreath on the wrong grave.

Lets send the right messages to young people about life, ****, and the safe way to deal. Parent from without as well. Now.

- Helen, Reading

The real problem is a shortage of donors. If everyone who has expressed sympathy made sure that they are on the donor registry and persuaded all their friends so that we had more donors, then more livers would be available and less restrictions would be needed.

- Rod Griffiths, Worcestershire

Our healthcare bureaucrats can pass a death sentence on the sick, but not our judiciary on a murderous criminal.

What a grotesquely sick society we live in.

- Trebor John, London, UK

It's very sad that this has happened but even if he had been given a liver transplant he would have continued to drink it had gone too far. Speak to the doctors who have to pick up the end results of alcohol abuse they all say they are going to stop when they are at death's door but don't - they know they see it everyday.

- Kez, London

Sad business for that young chap.
Rather than blaming the N.H.S maybe the parents should have a thought of why their child was already a boozer at the age of 13.
The parents should be prosecuted for child neglect.
Not always the kids'fault,maybe the parents should be investigated.
Irresponsible parents,they can only blame themselves now

- Ciaran, London.uk

As sad a case as this is, he absolutely should have been denied a transplant. Organs do not grow on trees and it isn't as if when one needs one, the hospital staff just plucks it out of their garden. Livers are rare, and it is that reason we have criteria that must be met to make you eligible. We can't just be allowing everyone to have a transplant--that would be wreckless. We can't give a liver to every sad case if they will just wreck it when a better candidate could be better served. My father died waiting for a liver, and it wasn't because of a self-inflicted disease. I think anyone on here who say they are outraged would be furious if they had a loved one who was a match for a liver and was doing everything they should, had that liver given to an alcoholic who hadn't stopped drinking.

- Maya, Chicago, USA (ex-London)

It is a shame that the kid died. This seems like a clear case of parental neglect, where the parents ignored their child's condition (and I assume provided the funds to purchase the alcoholic beverages) for several years.

Given the limited resources (spare body parts) of the NHS there must controls on who qualifies for the spare parts. (until they grow human organs in factories the resources available for operations will always be limited!).

- Lorenzo Wood, London

It is such a tragedy that young people are able to access alcohol so easily. It's such a shame that this young boy felt so alone and so inwardly upset that he found his only solace in drink. I wonder when, as a country, we will be able to know our family and neighbors so well that we will be able to be involved in each others lives in a real community so that we will find others to share our burdens and others to receive help from, knowing that true community finds its members to be accountable to each other so there is no room or need for alcoholism.

- Audrey Jones, UK

Yes an 11 year old is a child - under the law .
In these modern times children of this age watch television read magazines with ' celebrities ' such as Pete Docherty , Amy whinehouse etc . As I said previously - even at that age they know the consequences .
As for being a ' man of the world ' I can ensure you the 30 years in the police force gave me a very realistic view of life .Lets face it - If George Best hadn't been a celebrity , he wouldn't of stood a hope in hell's chance of receiving a liver . Sorry about the spelling . My A level english obviously didn't kick in ....
Nice try -- sorry won't work !!! I stated that the death was tragic - in that somebody didn't have the balls to lock him in his bedroom , put him into care , contact a support group or bring him up correctly in the first place .
But as I said - it's always somebody else's fault ...

- Nigel, France

RIP bonny lad.

- Gran, sittingbourne uk

One thing the article failed to mention was whether or not a partial liver transplant was even considered. There is a procedure where a close relative,like a brother, can donate a portion of their liver to the patient. The procedure is not without risk to both the donor and the patient. But I am curious if this option was even considered. Anyhow, this is the fear of most Americans with Obama's socialised health plan. Doctors should make these decisions, not some autonomous bureaucracy. RIP, as twenty two is just too young.

- Tim, USA

to all you cold hearted people out there !!! Gary was my friend !!!and a good boy !!! he didnt want to die and he didnt deserve to suffer as he did ,, its all about money these days and not about life ! i cant belive he isnt even in the ground yet and all these bad comments are being left on here, i hope to god that you ******** have a slow and painfull death just to show you all how it feels ..... thanks for the nice messages people its nice to hear that some of us do still care ,, maddys been there as a mum and friend to gary 4 as long as ive known him ! to think that money would save him is just making me feel sick ime sorry but the system stinks !!!!REST IN PEACE LITTLE BRO THE PAIN AND SUFFERING IS NOW OVER ill never forget you little man till we meet again xxx DEAN ALLSOP DAGENHAM ESSEX

- Dean, essex

If his drinking was so bad, then why was action not taken sooner to remedy the situation. I think someone needs to look at the standard of parenting. If the mother knew her son was drinking at 11 years old, where was she as a mother to protect her son. And thats the same for the father. My parents got divorced when I was 16. I went a little off the rails but as soon as my mum caught wind of it, she stepped in and did her parental duty. I think the parents have played a large part towards the death of their son due to their shoddy parenting.
I think UCL hospital were correct in declining a liver transplant. That liver should be there for someone who has bothered to follow the rules. Lets remember this was not a child. He was a 22 year old man who had 4 years (as a legal adult) in which to mature and seek help before it was too late. Smokers who get lung cancer, don't get a second chance, they too only made a "mistake". Whats to say he wouldn't have been another George Best? A complete waste of a liver who took the opportunity away from another person. I say well done for standing your ground UCL.

- Ricky, Marylebone, London

This is sad, but it's the tip of a huge iceberg. Alcohol abuse in the UK is completely out of control. I could not belive the abuses I saw on a recent sojourn there. It appears to be destroying your society.

- Reg, San FRancisco, CA, USA

Tragic circumstances yes: But you can all do something about it :

Please read this link and think: YOU can save someones life:

http://www.anthonynolan.org.uk/media/randb/

- Dawny, London

He drank himself (Quite litteraly) to death.

Doctors will not, and should not, give a healthy organ to someone who has proven they can not be trusted with it.

- James, Weymouth

Gary needed help 11 years ago, and during all that time nothing was done, my nephew died from a brain tumor 18 months ago, and his mother died 10 years ago from breast cancer, neither drank or smoked, in my sisters case her PCT was one of the ones witholding tamoxifen, but it must have been their time, the same way it wasn't for the 15 girl who suvived the Yemeni plane crash. It is very sad for Garys family but as previously posted its not all black and white, you have waiting lists, matching and god know what else and George Best, a perfect example of a waste of a transplant.

- Anon, Sussex

Matt, (Frankfurt / London)
You have the nail on the head there my friend - how very dare the NHS attach terms and conditions to all of it's procedures. That really screws things up for all of us doesn't it? I mean for example, I work in a pharmacy where (expensive) controlled drugs are signed for at each and evey step (damn policies and procedures). How much easier my job would be if I could just hand them to a random patient to deliver, saying, "here take these, you're passing that way anyhow aren't you?"

I also worked for the territorial army years back and had to go through such gruelling training to learn how to assemble, dismantle and operate an SA80 rifle. Why ther couldn't have just given it to me and said "Here, have a play about with this" I'll never know.

Darn rules are everywhere in society nowadays.

- Kathryn, Hereford UK

Hadith - Al-Tirmidhi #580, Narrated AbudDarda'

...don't drink wine for it is the key to every evil.

The Noble Qur'an - al-Baqarah 2:219

They ask you (O Muhammad ) concerning alcoholic drink and gambling. Say: "In them is a great sin, and (some) benefit for men, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit." And they ask you what they ought to spend. Say: "That which is beyond your needs." Thus Allâh makes clear to you His Laws in order that you may give thought.

The Noble Qur'an - Al-Ma'idah 5:91

Shaitân (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allâh and from As-Salât (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain?

Hadith - Abu Dawood; Sahih Bukhari

Abu ad-Darda reported that the Prophet said: "Allah has sent down both the malady and its remedy. For every disease He has created a cure. So seek medical treatment, but never with something the use of which Allah has prohibited.''

Hadith - Al-Tirmidhi #2776, Narrated Anas ibn Malik

Allah's Messenger cursed ten people in connection with wine: the wine-presser, the one who has it pressed, the one who drinks it, the one who conveys it, the one to whom it is conveyed, the one who serves it, the one who sells it, the one who benefits from the price paid for it, the one who buys it, and the one for whom it is bought.

- Resab, Vienna, Austria

Can't believe the NHS has stood by and let someone in need die..this is appauling ...who are they to play God, they have to help people to survive..they do not play God so shame on them not helping this young man who could have turned his life around....God bless him.

- Rachel, Conwy

Such a dreadful loss at such a young age. I truly hope you have some peace now mate.

Shame on those of you who feel that life is so black and white and that there should be no help for a young lad who lost his way, it could have been any of our sons or daughters.

My deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Gary Reinbach. May time heal your loss.

Bomber
x

- Bomber, Carmarthenshire, Wales

Alcohol is more damaging than heroin. A lot of you blame a kid for getting hooked on a drug more dangerous than a class A drug and I think that is just awful. It is obvious that a lot of you know nothing of Alcoholism and I suggest you do more research before pointing fingers.

A bit of advice - which doctors wont give you- for those who do drink. Kudzu is a natural remedy which increases the feeling of drunkeness and it can help you drink less. Milk Thistle is another natural remedy which helps your liver. You can buy these over the counter at places like boots and health food stores.

- Andy Bugden, The Hague, Netherlands

Common sense must prevale here and is it right to give a transplant to a addict or would it be better with a non addict ?

- Joe, Swanley Kent

For a doctor this will always be a lose-lose situation. You have one organ yet two or more people urgently need it.
If you were a doctor faced with giving this man a liver or giving it to,say , a 9 year old with liver failure which would you choose?
Unfortunately for Gary the choices he made - whether he knew what he was doing or not - dictated his fate and the people who loved him should have done more to help him.

Had he been given the organ and another patient on the waiting list didn't and subsequently died, suffering from non self-inflicted problems, there would be absolute uproar.

The right choice was made in my opinion - which is exactly what this is - people expressing their own opinions as they are entitled to do

- K Oldman, Hereford UK

It is very sad that this boy died. As someone who had a succesful liver transplant,but never did drink,do I wish he could experience the same outcome, as I am very well today. But this case also shows that people who are so kind to put their name on the organ donor list know that there are strict critera for patients who need a liver transplant due to alcohol abuse.There are criteria and those criteria are there for the best possible outcome for every patient who need a transplant.
I mourn for this boy because he was so unlucky to be born in a non functioning house and I do not blame anybody.Sometimes things can go very wrong and this was the case for this boy.

- Maria De Witte, London

Sad though this is, it does show how difficult it is to deal with someone who has an addiction. An alcoholic has to want to give up before they can make any progress in the AA system. He was probably already too sick by the time he sought medical intervention for the damage he'd caused to his body. I suspect he didn't know his addiction was little more than a slow way to commit suicide. Was he offered counselling at the time of his parents' divorce?

- Nora, London, UK

nobody but his family and close friends know the reason for Gary to end up an alchaholic, I suggest if you do not know the reason then leave the family to grieve for their son and Brother .And just think there but the grace of god.and perhaps the press could leave the family alone as they are hounding them.Let them grieve.

- Glynis Cavell, Dagenham Essex

I am sorry that this young man died, but, as someone with an alcoholic in the family, I really feel that those who have NOT contributed, knowingly, to the destruction of their own liver should take priority.

- Scots Lass, Scotland

Very sad, but there will no doubt be many similar cases in the coming years.

- Steve Goodwin, Leeds, UK

Very, Very sad story, such a young life gone forever, RIP young Gary. May his family find peace.

- Mrs, London UK

One could argue that heavy drinkers/smokers should be given priority for life saving operations since they have contributed so much in tax and VAT over all these years. A 20 a day smoker pays approx £ 1.600 per year in duty. If he smokes for,say 30 years ( not allowing for inflation) that amounts to £ 48.000! A 40 a day smoker pays almost £ 100.000 in taxes over the same period.They also keep people in employment who make/sell their cigarettes and the doctors and nurses who have to operate on them. I am a non smoker and moderate drinker.

- Adrian, London

This young man has not even been dead 24 HOURS and you are slating him for a disease that began when he was a child and which he could not control.

If you feel so strongly about society's problems why don't you do something constructive about instead of making cruel, unnecessary and inappropriate comments as you are?

SHAME ON YOU ALL!

- Tl, Dulwich

Should have changed his name to George Best!
Transplants are for people who are ill, not for wasters

- Kerry, Purley

Gal was a good friend of mine. People keep saying where was his mum, Madaline is a good mum and gal was a good man what teenage lets there mum no they are drinking that is the fun of it hiding it.All gals other friend are ok and drunk he didn't drink at 11 he tried it at 13 and he never drunk loads it started to get bad bout 17.I'm getting sick of people being horrible on here didn't no one ever tell u's if i you have nothing nice to say don't say it at all. everyone can have there own thoughts but don't put them on here. Gals two young brothers and mum don't need to see this. Everyone who has put something nice thank you and everyone else i think u's are all MUGS and need to get a life.

- Grace Slater, dagenham

some of you people need to wake up and smell the coffee!!! parents cannot always be held responsible for there childrens actions , anorexia can go missed exactly as can alcoholics, it's all so easy to sit and criticise, but each persons life is different and each individual deal with situations differently, a young man has died, yes he made a mistake, which caused his fatal end, but have a heart, do not criticise his mother, she is in a very sad place at this moment she has lost her baby, i believe in karma what goes around comes around, so to all you jumped up ignorant in human uncaring people keep your nasty comments to yourself and let all the family and friends of gary grieve in peace. R.I.P gary, thinking of you always!!!!!!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

- Paula Palmer, dagenham

His family should have lied and said he gotinjured fighting for the taliban against British troops in Afghanistan and he would have not just got his treatment but probably a large cash pay-out too.

- Russell, London

There aren't enough livers for all the people who need them which is why the nhs have to have these afwul quotas, it's not done to punish anybody. I'd like to know how many of the callous, mean sprited people who have commented on this young man's horrible death own a donor card and keep it with them at all times, it's not enough to have one 'somewhere'.

- Nu, london uk

There are X amount of organs available for any transplant and probably 3x (at least) the number of prospective patients. it's important that those with the likelihood of the best outcomes get priority. While I have every sympathy for this individual I expect there are many more in need of a liver with a more promising chance of survival.

- Paul, London

Why oh why have we become a nation of when anything and I mean anything goes wrong we blame the government and expect them to do something about it! When will people stand up and be counted and take responsibility for they're actions.
I for one cannot praise the NHS enough I speak from major surgery experience.

- Glennda, Berkhamsted UK

Where's this kids parents ..... they should have done something when he was 11 not 22.

- Adam, Sydney, Australia

It is sad that this has happened and that eleven years has passed since he originally started to drink.

Perhaps, this is one of those cases when social services should have intervened many years ago.

Although I feel sorry for the family, we cannot just think that doctors will sort everything out, no matter how much we abuse our bodies.

I've yet to read a story when they are not really lovely person, salt of the earth and didn't deserve better.

- Charles, Kennington

They have processes for reasons that are outside of the (subjective) 'fair' categorisations. Alcoholics who have transplants and then go straight back to drinking because they remain addicted WILL have liver failure again - with the probablity that the transplant will fail from word go. THAT is the reason why there is a six month 'dry' period required. New livers don't grow on trees and they can't afford to potentially waste them when they do become available. Doctors DO have to specifically select their patients for this surgery.

That isn't a cruel and indifferent slight on the guy or his reasons for his addiction. It isn't a nasty comment to the family. It certainly has nothing to do with the NHS. It is simply a reflection on the reality of what was being asked, and what could be given.

- Rogan, Irving

Without question the parents are to blame,if they did not know their son was binge drinking when he was 13 they must have had their heads in a cloud.There are lots of indicators,smell of boose,slow speech,arguements, stays in room,his friends and a lot more if you can be bothered.
In this country with boose and drugs so cheap to obtain and you have teenagers it is no good saying"my little darlings are not like that"it is odds on they are,you have to assume this, you are the parents its your problem.

experienced parent.

rayc london

- Ray, london

Very sad BUT l am afraid to many people are given Liver Transplants after a lifetime of drinking OK give up drinking then you might get one but you cant expect a liver transplant if you have no willpower to give up. look at Georgie Best, Transplant then straight on the booze not fair for others who have given up

- Sue, Turkey

i was in the same position no hope ,they tried a tips
procedure on me which was last resort. it worked but the
lucky thingisto be in a good specialist hospital
they have different guidelines,but i was refused a transplant a that time and they wellthougt i neede one
i also had no chance abstain as i was hopitalized for
eight months
so its a hit and miss for some doctors transplant and
they still drink,or transplant and they die on the table
it a tough choice for them
but thoughts go to th family and imsre the doctors and nurses on his ward fell awful aslo
but from my view the right choice was made

- Philip Jackson, lanchester

As someone has already stated on here, all the arguments boil down to one thing, and that's whether you believe that transplants are a right or a privilege. I think they're a privilege and not a right, hence why I agree with the fact that the transplant was refused. Of course, if you believe that they're a right then you'll disagree entirely.

- Ted, London UK

The guy is dead and his family grieve. I grieve too, not out of simpering sympathy, but for the absolute waste of a young life, which, in different circumstances, might have yielded promise and fulfilment.

- Ted, London

I agree with Roz and Nigel. The truth hurts,doesn't it.This is only the tip of an iceberg,all you binge-drinking happy hour people out there.RIP young man.

- H., London

Very sad story, it is also responsibilities of the parents especially mother to look after the children. But this is free life in the civilised society. Family broken system is another factor in the community.WE are away from the religion teaching and dont know the responsibilities in the society.
This is the life. God rest his soul in peace. (AMIN)

- Chishty, London

Nigel, since when do kids at the age of 11 make sensible adult decisions. They don't. So, no I do not think a kid aged 11 realised the harm he was doing drinking alcohol. His mother should have though, and if she failed to do anything, the child should have been looked after/treated by social services/doctors...etc.

So you blaming an 11 year old kid for his actions is about as stupid as his mother for failing to get this issue resolved.

- Dom, London

This tragedy is the fault of the NHS. When will people realize that the NHS simply DOES NOT WORK. It attaches terms and conditions to nearly all of the more expensive treatments it gives out nowadays, even after all the national insurance everyone pays, because there's never enough money to go around for health care after paying all the nurses and staff and bills. It is an outdated communist style health service and just like it used to be in communist eastern Europe, the government decides who gets what and there are waiting lists for nearly everything that is expensive or costly. Refusing someone a transplant like this would be unthinkable in countries like France or Germany.

- Matt, Frankfurt / London

The underlying problem is that there aren't enough donated livers to go around - if there were, we most likely wouldn't have such restrictive guidelines. Here, very sadly, a young man who took up drink well before the age where most people are capable of making rational long term decisions and was rejected on the same basis as someone who took up drinking as an adult in full knowledge of the possible consequences. The problem is, had he been given a new liver, it would have been at the expense of someone else who could well have been a more deserving case (how about someone who took up drinking at 14 rather than 11 for example).

It's very sad but it's hard to see how ignoring the current rules and giving him a transplant (assuming a suitable organ became available in time anyway) would definitely produce a better outcome overall when you include the impact on whoever got pushed down the list as a result.

The best thing everyone reading this can do in response to this story is to put their names on the National Organ Doner Register (google it) or the local equivalent in their own country.

- Derek, London

Its always horrendously sad when someone dies before their time. Perhaps if he was given specific psycological therapy, when a habit was detected, then perhaps he might have turned his life around.
For me a new positive approach needs to be taken by the health community, with addicts given compulsary therapy first up, to try and find the emotional triggers that lead people to self abuse. The theory is that once you get a handle on those habit provoking triggers, then you've got a chance of changing behaviour.
We shouldn't be asking whether this guy's life was worth saving, who are we to judge, what we should be asking is, what funds and structures are going into our mental health clinics across the country. If we don't pay more attention to addiction in this country soon, the next generation of alcoholics (who are presently fuelling their own habits on our streets on friday & saturday nights), will be filling very similar headlines in five to ten years time.

- Harsh But Fair, London

i was in the same position as ths guys i had a
the same stor wastold that transplant wouldnt happen
and had a prodccedre were it was last optioniwas at the best hospital the freeman in newcastle,
you cant blame the nhs you cant blame the doctors
hold your hands up and blame yourself
im lucky best doctors and god family
if theres one thing goo that can come out of this is the binge culture of britian if people dont take note of whats said, you have been warned
rip

- Philip Jackson, lanchester

I think the whole binge drinking culture really started with the introduction of alcopops.

- Sam, Gravesend, UK

To Nick from Dagenham

I am sorry for your loss. Please try to rise above the ignorant if not actually quite evil comments of certain people posting here. One day they will perhaps lose someone unnecessarily like this and then they will be shaken out of their smug little existence.

- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx

This is a terrible tragedy,it must be remembered also that not all transplants are successful,if the poor lads liver was finished,its possible that his kidneys and heart were also damaged,having said all that his parents cannot put the blame on the NHS or anyone else,the buck stops with them.Some of the comments posted here are disgusting,- to all the nasty posters,show some compassion and hang your heads in shame.

- Jacob, Canterbury England

Over 100 people die in Britain every year waiting just for a liver transplant alone. Many wait for years in poor health, and unlike this boy, not from a self-inflicted disease. They die quietly without blaring headlines - victims of the disgraceful organ donor shortage in the UK. Why do you think the transplant criteria are so strict? Because there are so few donor organs. How many people reading this and making comments, especially those attacking the NHS and government, actually have organ donor cards? Do something in memory of this boy and for thousands more, sign up right now at: www.organdonation.nhs.uk

- Marian Neary, London N1

Alcoholics make very good translplant subjects, as there is rarely any other condition than the diseased liver. They have to abstain from booze for 6 months so they are usually very healthy when they get the new liver and progress very well. The clinical outcome is better than it is for old people or those with Hep C or liver cancer.

- Neil, London, London UK

Scotty - this was not red tape. The protocol is needed for 2 very important reasons - to try to ensure that the patient will stay off alcohol when a new liver is transplanted and also to ensure that the body is in the best possible condition for receiving the transplanted organ. Had a suitable liver become available (and there is no mention and there is no guarantee that a suitable liver would have become available in the time required anyway) without this being done almost certainly the transplant would have failed - a waste of a valuable organ that could, and probably did, go to a patient that had a higher chance of survival.

- Andy, london

Sad as this is - surely as parents his mother and father should not have been allowing him to drink at 11 and should have been able to control the situation by exerting parental control. I am the mother of an 11 year old boy and would know if he was drinking.

- Hazel, harrow

"Alcoholism is an illness"
Interesting point of view, but is therefore ANY addiction an illness?
Smoking causes illness, but is the ADDICTION to smoking in itself an illness.
What about addiction to fast food - that`ll kill you eventually, if the addiction is an illness, should we view it differently.
I guess people use this argument because it makes the inevitable symptoms of their addictions/lifestyle choices(?)not "their fault" IF it`s deemed an illness.
Maybe addiction should be deemed a mental illness, then, leading to physical illness later.
If so, how do we deal with the mentally ill addict?
These are the questions we need to ask in order to move foreward - do something.
Should the addict be compulsarily institutionalised until they are "cured" – many say, especially for hard drug addiction, they should.
Should a pregnant women who is addicted to cigarettes get the same for the good of the child - is this a form of child abuse?
Finally, should scarce resources and organs be given to addicts, or non-addicts as a priority?
These tough decisions have to be faced up to - and always the loss of a loved one is sad for the family - but that fact doesn`t change the need to coldly and concisely debate the real issues.
Mothers have a duty to do right for their children, and adults have a duty to those who care for and love them to do right by themselves.

- Darius Midwinter, London UK

While I have sympathy for the man & his family, let's not forget what a transplant entails. You are literally asking another family to give up a piece of their dead relative; and the decision to give an organ to one person means possibly withholding it from someone else equally needy (as well as there only being so much transplant staff resource). So "Give 'im a chance" isn't like, say, taking your carrier bags back to the supermarket or passing old clothes on to your friends--it takes effort, consideration, and has profound implications.
For that reason, while I understand the family's grief, I find their air of 'entitlement' a bit grating. A transplant is a privilege (that plenty of people with none self-inflicted conditions don't get), not a right. One can't help but wonder if the alcoholism in the lad was a manifestation of wider issues of reflection and self-awareness in the family.

- Liz, London, UK

there are a lot of elements at play here, and its sad in so many ways. but sticking to the basic facts, he needed a transplant urgently, and he was denied because of bureaucratic red tape. they chose to let him die, because he had not been clean for 6 months, but the time his condition became apparent that was not possible.

that, and some of these abominable comments, are about deciding who lives and dies.

- Scotty, london

This will prove to be one of many such deaths in exactly the same circumstances. The incidence of advanced liver disease due to excessive alcohol consumption amongst people in their 20s is rising at a truly horrific rate. Blame can be located in many places, and each story will be unique, but there is new social phenomenon happening here. Liver damage that was once the preserve of middle aged and elderly alcoholics is now seen in far too many 'ordinary' young people who behave in ways which are viewed as normative if not acceptable.

My condolences to his family. He will come to be seen as one amongst many, not as a unique figure, and that is wretchedly sad.

- Kit, Nottingham, UK

Very sad for the family but hardly the fault of the NHS. And some people on this website blaming Gordon Brown?!! For crying out loud he's not to blame for EVERYTHING.

If it rains this afternoon I fully expect the same people on this site going "It would be sunnier with David Cameron".

- S T G, London

People like Nigel highlight the little Hitler, narrow-minded pompous hypocrisy of so much of middle England. He can't spell and doesn't understand grammar but insists on passing judgment. Nigel, a strongly held but dogmatic opinion isn't a substitute for sensible, rational thinking.

The sad fact is that someone's son has died so sympathy to the grieving relatives. And then again, you have to wonder where they were for 11 years watching their son drink himself to death. And finally, the odds are that having equipped him with a new liver he'd have messed that up too because serious addiction lasts longer than convalescence. People like George Best and Larry Hagman drank on in spite of their treatments...

- David, London

There was a similar case afew years ago of a 15 year old in Lancashire (?), who had a bad reaction to an Ecstasy tablet and required an emergency liver transplant. Much the same things were said then. I don't know what's the answer given the scarcity of suitable organs, problems of rejection and altered future behaviour. It's very sad, whatever the solution is.

- Sue Rochester, London

Why is it when someone dies its always someone elses fault and not that persons.

He chose to drink, he chose to binge drink, he did this after medical advice not to.

So his parents split up, big deal thousands of children have had that happen to them.

Why should he have got the transplant over someone who had not drunk or smoked.

Time for people to face up to their reponsibilities.

- John Ward, Swindon, England

On compassionate grounds surely the medical team should have arranged for a transplant - or would it definitely have failed had Gary not been "dry" for 6 months?. Alcoholism is a disease, and there was not time to get Gary to have the magice 6 mmonths. What is Gordon Brown's view of this? - especially as New Labour has done so little to try and curb binge drinking among the young and has if anything helped create the conditions that encourage it. What if the patient had been a celeb with a drinking problem, such as Amy Whitehous? Rather more sympathy would have been shown. Condolences to the family.

- Susi, London, UK

Jim - do concentrate, it was his liver not his kidneys.

The more I read comments on this site the more I think that there are some very negative and bitter people out there. Where's compassion any more?!

- Jb, London

A tragic case, but it´s pointless blaming the hospital. The lad should have been properly helped long before he reached this stage. It may not have occurred to him what might happen, but surely his mother was old enough to know. I had a dear friend who died of cirrhosis of the liver about a year ago. As much as we loved him, we recognised that he only had himself to blame, not the medical profession. Ditto Gary Reinbach.

- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands

gary was my friend and to say these horrible comments the day after his death is insensitive an sick.his mother has just lost her child and people saying he deserved it are completely out of line and i hope one day they suffer as much as his family are.Gary wasn't an alcoholic at 11 that was when he first tried drink as most young boys do.he wasnt thick it was a disease that took hold of him and got worse as the years went on and no-one really knew the extent of his drinking until it was to late.he deserved a chance to prove he could stop he didnt want to die and if he had been given a transplant this would have been a reality check for him.he wouldnt have abused it he would have gone onto living a better life.he didnt hurt anyone or do drugs or carry knives like a lot of young people these days he deserved a chance and the cowards that have been so disrespectful should shut up.
R.I.P GAL YOU WILL BE LOVED AND MISSED FOREVER

- Nick, dagenham

Whilst I am appalled that the UK has reached such a sorry state of affairs, I think the lad's mother blaming the NHS even now says it all. His family has had 9 years to sort this out and they now complain because the NHS didn't/wouldn't/couldn't act in the last 2 months. She really doesn't 'get it' that SHE left it too late to persuade him to stay off the drink in order to get a transplant. Doctors cannot just 'fix' things - it won't be just his liver that was damaged: when your health is ruined the whole body is affected. And as is typical with a system of healthcare that is free at the point of use, his mother seems to be oblivious to the fact that someone else has to die to produce a transplantable liver and as a consequence they are in short supply: would a patient and family with this terrible history of self-abuse and neglect really be the best use of such a valuable thing? The story wilfully misrepresents the situation to suggest that there was a liver no-one else wanted and that this young man was denied it through spite, beaurocracy or both. I don't think it is even right to blame poor education on health matters: this is purely a question of personal responsibility - that of his mother and family and, as he grew older, the patient himself. Shrugging off responsibility, not accepting consequences and not admitting fault is at the root of the demise of UK society.

- Roz, France

Where were the parents when he was 13 - how did he finance binge drinking. George Best was his own worst enemy and the transplant abuse killed off sympathy for this lad. To lose a child is dreadful but to throw one away beggars belief. Speak out and if you cant save your own take that experience to others and save them.

- Amazonmothe, hasting

Started drinking at 11 years of age! Where was his family? Where were his friends? Did his teachers not spot a 'hung over' pupil? Where were social services? The problem seems to me to be that nobody really cared, until, it was to late, but that again is typical of the 'society' we now live in!

- Kevin Sullivan, Roehampton, London.

Very sad but I really don't think he was an appropriate candidate for a liver transplant. When there are is such a shortage of organs, and an already overstretched health budget, there needs to be extremely tight criteria to determine recipients. All the individual stories may be heart-rending, and they are, but the process has to be objective.

- Sian, Australia

His family should take a strong look at themselves before pointing the finger. What kind of mother allows her child to drink from 11 years old?

What about personal responsibility?

- Stephanie, London

I agree with Nigel of France that too many people blame everyone but themselves for what goes wrong. The parents in this case should be prosectued for child neglect. And, David Crocket of Bradford, lets not be sentimental, this boy was hardly likely to have gone on to do "great things" - he was drinking at age 13 and an alcoholic by the time he was in his 20s. Its the parents who are responsble for this sad loss of a young life.

- Damozel, London UK

Any parent who is serious about looking after the children will, once kids arrive home on an evening, have a quick 5 minute chat with them to ascertain whether they have been drinking, smoking, donig drugs, etc..

I utterly refuse to believe that any child can pull the wool over the eyes of an adult who knows that they are looking for in terms of substance abuse.

It might just be that said paretns are in a pub plying themselves with alcohol while their kids roam the streets doing it.

- Ian Gilbertson, Newcastle

What is so revealing is that this young man had been a 'kid' not so long before. Had he still been a 'kid' he would have had all the NHS resources possible to keep him alive. But what for? To grow up so that when he's grown up he can be discarded. And this young man's case is symptomatic of what's happening in society. Only kids count until they reach their sell-by date. Unfortunately, though even 'kids' grow up.

- Judith C, London, England

Nigel - it's a bit rich of you to complain about someone lacking education immediately after composing a sentence reading "he must of been a bit thick". Or am I missing some satirical point?

- Michael, London

It is very sad when a young person dies in such circumstances. However, he was drinking right up until he was admitted into hospital and though he looked like he might be turning his lift around he made that decision too late for the help to be given to him. He needed to be "sober" for six months. It is a sad situation and he had was suffering from an illness but he never sought help for that illness until it was too late. The responsibility falls to him.

- Rachroo, London

It must be lovely to live in your black and white world Nigel, but someone's son has died here, or did you miss that bit? Also, if you want to begin a conversation about someone being 'a bit thick', your own grammar and punctuation could do with a serious once over before you throw stones from your glass house.

- Ruth Darby, Hampton, UK

A person must be off alcohol for almost 6 months for a transplant to have any chance of working. Some transplants fail for reasons still unclear. Transplants are often not a magic cure as they can be rejected by the body.Why did no one stop an 11 year old drinking? Unfortunately the NHS have to make life saving and/or life enhancing decisions every day. Can you imagine the row if a healthy 22 year old was denied a kidney to save this lads live? Kidneys dont grow on trees and often deserving patients have to wait years for a suitable match.It was entirely this lads decision to take alcohol and all youngsters are warned of smoking and drinking.So you must be responsible for your own body and health.

- Jim, London

Why should a healthy organ be given to someone who would more than likely abuse it. The right decision was made. End of

- Adam, London, UK

I find it all disgusting,he was still only a boy

- Linda, italy

This a sad and tragic story.

- P Staker, London

if my 22 yearold NON-alcoholic child was dying and didn't get a healthy liver because this boy had got it instead wouldn't that be a CRIME or UNJUST...rather than not wasting a liver on this drunk?

- Daveb, london

What were the parents doing when this child started drinking? I accept that they had split up but were neither of them paying him any attention at all or seeking medical help? This problem should have been picked up and stopped at 11 or 12. Sad though it is his death is it is absolutely right that he should not have been given a transplant.

- Andy, london

Sorry Nigel it must be very lonely up there on your pedestal - whatever your views an 11 year old is a child.

- Wallytrader, London

This sentence, quoting this poor man's mother, says it all;

“It never occurred to him what would happen. He was just a sweet, normal boy with a heart of gold, who never hurt anyone. And now he's gone. He was scared. He was 22 but still a kid. He thought when he went to hospital they would just give him some tablets and he'd be ok. He was desperate to recover and did everything the doctors asked of him, but he went downhill so fast.”

His family seem to share the view that you can abuse your body from the age of 13 drinking alcohol.. and then expect the NHS to sort it out with "some tablets".

What were they doing when he started drinking at the age of 13?

- Alan Combe, London

Right said Nigel

- V, Londonium

This is a bloody disgrace, this young guy of 22 years, should have been helped, not condemned to death by a bunch of over paid Bureaucrats, alcoholism is a illness, and can plant itself on any family in the land, and in many cases can be cured, but it needs a lot of understanding and care, my God, I am shocked that this poor boy should have been refused a liver because he did not meet the criteria, the persons that made this decision should be arrested and charged with something serious.
There has to be something positive done about alcohol and drugs in this country, it seems we are all playing at preventing our kids getting hooked, its nothing to do with price, its total zero tolerance that is needed, close shops, and pubs down for good without warning, if they are caught selling anything underage kids, if a kid is found to be drunk, bang them into rehab, no questions asked,if kids are going out from home half cut, charge the parents with allowing a minor to consume alcohol, lets clamp down hard on this, or its just going to get worse.
Its the same with drug use, it has to be zero tolerance, jail the distributors and carriers for many years, and bang the users, (even if its half a joint) into rehab, no questions asked.
Do not forget Gary Reinbach, only 22, he could have gone on to great things, if helped, he could have been our son, its so sad, such a loss, my thoughts are with his family.

- David Crocket, Bradford , UK.

Nigel,

You're not exactly a 'man of the world' are you?
Are you fit to judge 'how long' he could have been saved for?

Someone's son has died. Think a bit more deeply eh?.

- Ged, Blackheath, London

Apparently the parents aren't taking any responsibility here (yet again!) or have I missed something?

- Marianne, SW France/London

Sorry - no sympathy at all . If an 11 year old didn't realise that he would harm himself by binge drinking then he must of been a bit thick . If he didn't realise then why didn't the mother educate him --Oh no sorry -that's the states fault . Yes , he could of been saved- but for how long . Six months , a year .

It's about time that modern learnt that we are all liable for our actions . In this modern world it's always someone else fault .
Any death is tragic - but I'm afraid giving this liver to anyone but a patient who had the chance to live a long life, in good health is wrong .

- Nigel France, France

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23721474-details/22-year-old+alcoholic+dies+after+being+denied+liver+transplant/article.do