Bid to buy kidney underscores urgency in transplant arena

Bid to buy kidney underscores urgency in transplant arena

07:56 PM CST on Friday, November 23, 2007

jragland@dallasnews.com

Shortly after Thanksgiving a year ago, Cyril "Butch" Morgan shook up the transplant industry by shopping for a kidney.

The middle-aged offshore oil equipment worker ran a self-financed ad campaign on a billboard just outside of Houston.

His desperate campaign drew lots of attention, as you might expect when a guy puts up a giant roadside sign that reads: "I Need a Kidney An 0+ Donor Will Save My Life."

A year later, and months after I first wrote about his efforts, Mr. Morgan still hasn't landed a matching donor.

"As to date, I'm still looking," he explained in a recent e-mail exchange. "Things may be looking up. My wife has been checked to be my donor."

His wife?

By golly, why didn't they try that before?

"Some years back, when we were living in Philadelphia, a doctor there told my wife she was borderline diabetic," Mr. Morgan said, adding that they figured she wouldn't be healthy enough and "left it at that."

But his doctor recently decided to test his wife, whose blood type is the same as her husband's.

And the doctor discovered that his wife isn't a diabetic, Mr. Morgan said.

So far, he said, her test results "have come back great," but she needs further testing before a full and clear assessment can be made.

His case is a classic example of how long and difficult a road those seeking organ donations must travel.

Nationwide, 97,012 patients are waiting for organs, according to the Southwest Transplant Alliance (www.organ.org).

And 73,476 of those are waiting for the same organ Mr. Morgan needs – a kidney.

In Texas, 7,613 were on the list last month, and 5,767 were waiting for a kidney.

So Mr. Morgan knew he had a long wait ahead of him.

And that's why his $2,000 billboard campaign didn't go over so well with those who manage the nation's transplant system.

Like Mr. Morgan told me in March, "Their concern is that it looks like I'm cheating, like I'm cutting in line."

I've said it before and I'll say it again. It's hard to fault a guy, especially a father of three, for trying to save his own life.

But I also understand the legitimate concerns of those who argue that if everyone in need of an organ starts to take matters into his or her own hands, it could undermine the credibility and effectiveness of a system that strives to be fair to all.

It's a tough spot to be in, for sure.

If someone in Mr. Morgan's own family is able to help him out, that would be great.

No one could take issue with that.

As I mentioned last March, Mr. Morgan's campaign has at least helped raise public awareness of the dire need for organ donors.

That same month, two former Dallas Cowboys players captured the public's imagination when one agreed to give his ex-teammate a kidney.

Former defensive back Everson Walls donated one of his kidneys in March to ex-running back Ron Springs.

The story has helped fix the nation's attention on the need for more organ donors.

And for a while, it appeared as though it was going to have a Hollywood-type happy ending.

And indeed, Mr. Springs' health improved dramatically in the first few months after receiving the kidney.

But he had a major setback, and he's been on life support since falling into a coma on Oct. 12.

Both men demonstrated tremendous courage from Day 1.

And I just can't say enough about Mr. Walls, who already was on my list of all-time favorite players.

In Mr. Morgan's case, he's simply trying to extend his own life. Nothing wrong with that, his unorthodox means notwithstanding.

But in the process of appealing to the public for a donor, he also reminded us all of just how precious life is.

And how vitally important our nation's transplant system remains.

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