Boy's plight points to organ-distribution flaws

Danny

February 28, 1998
Web posted at: 4:44 p.m. EST (2144 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Danny Canal is only 13, but he's already running out of time.

Canal, of Wheaton, Maryland, is one of about 60,000 people in the United States waiting for an organ transplant -- but he needs a triple operation.

"I'm waiting for three organs: a small intestine, liver and pancreas. And I've been waiting on the transplant list for five years," Canal told CNN.

Part of his long wait may be due to the way donated organs are distributed in the United States. Currently, organs are first offered to the region in which they become available. If no match if found there, the organ is offered nationwide.

But the emphasis on treating local transplant patients first means that many people who may be sicker, or who may have been waiting longer, have to keep on waiting.

CNN's Jonathan Aiken reports on how changes in the way organs are distributed for transplants could help patients 2 min., 8 sec VXtreme video

Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala has sent a letter to 89 congressional members, who have expressed an interest in the issue, urging a change in the current system, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

"We can assure Americans that organ allocation policies are equitable, and that those who need organ transplants will be treated according to medical need, no matter where in the country they may be hospitalized," the letter reportedly read.

Shalala's office has yet to publish new organ rules, promised by December 1996.

Fighting for change

Canal and his peers are turning up the pressure on health officials in Washington.

Earlier this week, he and about 350 protesters -- including his 8th-grade classmates -- rallied outside the HHS building, urging a change in the prioritization of organ distribution.

The demonstrators delivered 1,000 daffodils to the building, which they said symbolizes patients who have died waiting for transplants during the last three years.

Not all doctors want revised system

It is generally the nation's larger hospitals that favor a change in the organ distribution system. Smaller hospitals want to leave the system alone.

"The current system that's been successful has allowed local programs to thrive, and patients are able to get transplanted close to home," said Dr. John Rabkin of Oregon Health Sciences University.

But the current system is subject to manipulation by patients who can afford to move to another region to improve their chances of getting a transplant.

"We've got to do what's best for him," Danny Canal's mother, Lorrie Canal, told CNN. "If getting an organ quicker means moving someplace where you have a better chance -- you know that's what we're gonna have to do."

The Canals say the teen was a healthy, growing boy until his small intestine suddenly twisted and the tissue died. Doctors removed part of his bowel, but that means he cannot digest food.

He's fed intravenously, and it's the extended IV use that has damaged his pancreas and liver.

Reporter Jonathan Aiken contributed to this report.

Related sites:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• TransWeb - All About Transplantation and Donation

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

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