kikipeepers asked
In June 1995, Sue McVey Dillon got the phone call every mother dreads: Her 14-year-old son Michael was being rushed into surgery for brain trauma after he plunged to the ground when a makeshift rope swing snapped. The boy who loved rock climbing, girls, track and fishing was 'one of those kids who went to bed at night recharging for next day,' Dillon said. 'He was into everything.' Learning the brain damage was irreversible, the family spent an agonizing weekend asking 'a million questions' and consulting a trusted family doctor. Ultimately, the family decided to withdraw Michael from life support and asked about organ donation. Michael was the first patient in Philadelphia's Gift of Life program to donate an organ after cardiac death — even though he was not yet brain dead. The ventilator was pulled, his heart stopped, and several minutes after death, Michael's liver, two kidneys and two corneas were removed to help five people. Organ donation by cardiac death — known as DCD — is not new, but it is gaining momentum nationwide at a time when a record number of adults and children are waiting for kidney and liver transplants...
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