WTNH News Channel 8 / News / 1999

	Family Waits for Transplant (Guilford-WTNH) _ A donor debate between state and federal officials could change who gets a organ transplant and when. Where you live could mean the difference between life or death. The waiting period for transplants varies from state to state. For instance, if you live in New England the average wait for a liver is 958-days - nearly three years. But Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi residents wait only 123-days. News Channel 8's Jayne Saffer visited with one family trying desperately to hold onto hope and life. Christopher Motzer wants to someday put his granddaughter on the schoolbus. But for him time is running out. The 59 year old is suffering from liver disease. He has Hepatitis C which he believes he acquired from a blood transfusion years ago. Christopher Motzer, Guilford: "I'm weak my voice is weak I can't walk like a used to walk to the end of the street and back." Motzer was put on the organ transplant list back in November of last year. The problem is the average wait in this area is 3 years. Cheryl Motzer, Chris' wife, started browsing the internet to get as much information as possible on organ donations. What she found out was surprising. In Alabama the wait for a liver transplant is 123 days, a lot less than the wait in other parts of the country. Cheryl Motzer, Guilford "We're going to go wherever we can get one was soon as possible whatever it takes to do that." Still for her husband it's upsetting to realize he'll have to go elsewhere to get a liver in time. Christopher Motzer: "I would definitely like to have it in my own home state. You have to go wherever you have to go." The family has reached out to the community for help, getting donations from area business and most from people they don't even know. But the race against time has taken its toll on this family, as they wait for a beeper to go off telling them the hospital in Alabama is ready. Cheryl Raffone, Daughter: "To know he has to travel so far to get something he needs for his life is scary." Under the current system organs are offered to patients who live nearest to where organs are recovered, but some would like to change that on a national level and give transplants to the sickest patients first regardless of where they live. Next month a task force of doctors and health specialists will examine the issue and make recommendations to Congress. Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

Family Waits for Transplant
(Guilford-WTNH) _ A donor debate between state and federal officials could change who gets a organ transplant and when. Where you live could mean the difference between life or death. The waiting period for transplants varies from state to state. For instance, if you live in New England the average wait for a liver is 958-days - nearly three years. But Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi residents wait only 123-days.
News Channel 8's Jayne Saffer visited with one family trying desperately to hold onto hope and life.

Christopher Motzer wants to someday put his granddaughter on the schoolbus. But for him time is running out. The 59 year old is suffering from liver disease. He has Hepatitis C which he believes he acquired from a blood transfusion years ago.

Christopher Motzer, Guilford: "I'm weak my voice is weak I can't walk like a used to walk to the end of the street and back."

Motzer was put on the organ transplant list back in November of last year. The problem is the average wait in this area is 3 years.

Cheryl Motzer, Chris' wife, started browsing the internet to get as much information as possible on organ donations. What she found out was surprising. In Alabama the wait for a liver transplant is 123 days, a lot less than the wait in other parts of the country.

Cheryl Motzer, Guilford "We're going to go wherever we can get one was soon as possible whatever it takes to do that."

Still for her husband it's upsetting to realize he'll have to go elsewhere to get a liver in time.

Christopher Motzer: "I would definitely like to have it in my own home state. You have to go wherever you have to go."

The family has reached out to the community for help, getting donations from area business and most from people they don't even know. But the race against time has taken its toll on this family, as they wait for a beeper to go off telling them the hospital in Alabama is ready.

Cheryl Raffone, Daughter: "To know he has to travel so far to get something he needs for his life is scary."

Under the current system organs are offered to patients who live nearest to where organs are recovered, but some would like to change that on a national level and give transplants to the sickest patients first regardless of where they live. Next month a task force of doctors and health specialists will examine the issue and make recommendations to Congress.

Today's News Page.

WTNH Home Page.