They don't give you many details -- where the person is, what the circumstances are, probably for privacy reasons -- but that set off a process that lasted all day Friday. To wait only a week or so is truly incredible. They started the prep process in the morning -- doing blood work, etc. Dad rushed down from home, as he wasn't in Cleveland at the time. The donor was apparently a jet ride away and was donating many organs. The team of doctors that was going to inspect the heart left in the early afternoon to fly to heaven-knows-where and take their turn with the other medical teams from other hospitals who were likewise taking home an organ.
They moved mom to another floor for more prepping in the afternoon, inserting some industrial strength IVs. Every person whom she had contact with was careful to say that false alarms are common so anything could happen.
The doctors made it back late in the day so they could perform final tests on the heart before making a call on the surgery, which takes about 6 hours start to finish. Ultimately they decided though it was a match, the heart they had harvested was not 'perfect' and they did not want to use it, so game off.
This reads sort of flatly on the web page, but it was a pretty dramatic-ish day. We're glad they're picky but disappointed this wasn't The One. We're also thoroughly amazed at the process that would have ended about 24 hours after it started if the surgery would have gone to completion.
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Sue and family just letting you know that you're in our thoughts and prayers.
ReplyDeleteBob and Betty Callaghan