O.C. Man’s Kin Go Public in Search for Liver
- Share via
Hepatitis contracted during minor surgery 35 years ago has a Yorba Linda businessman clinging to life at USC’s University Hospital as his family scrambles to find the one thing that might save him--a new liver.
In an unusual appeal, the family of Donald E. Mehr, 65, has been papering hospital waiting rooms with fliers seeking a liver donor. Mehr is on the national United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waiting list, but his family fears he might die before a liver comes through.
So they’ve launched a campaign of their own, using laws that allow families to skirt the national network and seek donors who will designate a specific recipient.
“We’re doing as much grass-roots stuff as we can--fliers in the hospitals, that sort of thing,” said Susan Mercier, Mehr’s daughter. “It’s really an ethical thing. We’re at the point where we don’t want to chase ambulances. You feel like a vampire. People are grieving. But it’s hard to sit on your hands.”
Joel Newman, UNOS spokesman, said the nonprofit organization does not oppose appeals such as the Mehrs’, but pointed out that UNOS was created to find an equitable way to distribute donated organs to needy patients. Still, he said, such external appeals help the entire process.
“If one person can put a face on the needs of 7,000 nationwide, then that is a benefit,” Newman said.
The Mehrs’ campaign coincides with controversial changes that went into effect this week on how UNOS determines which patients will receive livers. Top consideration, called Status One, goes to people suffering acute liver failure--usually brought on by sudden illness--over patients such as Mehr, who suffers from chronic liver disease. If no Status One patients are ready to receive a liver when one becomes available, it goes to a Status Two patient.
UNOS made the changes to give preference to patients who have the highest chances of surviving; formerly, priority was given to those closest to death. UNOS estimates the changes will lead to 200 more transplants over the next three years, and 100 fewer deaths.
The changes come amid a dire shortage of organ donations, which earlier this month had some 7,460 people waiting for transplants, according to UNOS reports. In 1995, the last year for which data is available, 3,925 liver transplants were performed.
When announced last fall, UNOS’ decision drew fire from some in the medical profession because it knocked longtime patients--such as Mehr--from the top of the list.
“No matter how bad my father is, he, because he has a chronic liver disorder, will only be able to be Status Two,” said Sandra Mehr, another of Mehr’s four adult children. “It’s very frustrating. I didn’t even know this was all going into effect until the ninth hour. It’s not fair. It’s not like my father brought it on himself.”
Mehr, a bail bondsman, contracted hepatitis C 35 years ago from a blood transfusion during a tonsillectomy. The infection slowly attacked his liver, and over the Christmas holidays he fell critically ill, Mercier said.
“There’s no cure for it,” Mercier said. “It’s just a progressive thing. We’ve known this was going to happen for a long time. But we didn’t know how bad it would be.”
Mehr entered the hospital Jan. 6 with liver failure. The family at first didn’t suspect liver disease was behind his illness, believing he had contracted some generic bug.
“Not that we knew the symptoms,” Sandra Mehr said. “We still have Christmas presents waiting for him when he gets home. He was just in really bad shape when he went in. In retrospect, we certainly waited too long.”
Mehr’s condition has improved somewhat and he’s been moved from critical care.
“He continues to be weak,” Sandra Mehr said. “He goes in and out of being confused. But they’ve been able to get his body in balance.”
The family said that even if their campaign doesn’t yield a liver, they hope it alerts people to what they see as a dire need: more involvement in organ donor programs.
“We’re finding how hard it is to get an organ, and we’re in a fight against time,” Mercier said. “It just points to this huge problem. Every day organs are going into the ground while people are dying.”
For more information, contact the Mehr family at (714) 774-9276.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
Signing Up as Donor Easy, but Few Bother
Signing up as an organ donor is simple, yet few people bother to take the necessary steps, said Elizabeth Flynn, spokeswoman for the Regional Organ Procurement Agency of Southern California.
“You can get a donor card from us or the Department of Motor Vehicles, and just sign it and carry it,” Flynn said. “Make sure you tell your family you’ve made your decision. They’re going to have to carry out your wishes and give consent for you.”
Despite the simplicity of signing up, demand for organs far outstrips donors. In recent years the number of donors nationwide has hovered around 5,300, while as of Jan. 15 there were about 50,000 people waiting for organs, ranging from kidneys to livers, Flynn said. Each donor can supply up to seven organs, she said.
In the Los Angeles area--including Orange County--there were 334 patients waiting for livers, out of 2,724 total patients waiting for organs, as of Jan. 6. The annual number of donors stands around 300, Flynn said.
“The need for organ transplants . . . can hit anybody from newborn infants to somebody in the prime of their lives,” Flynn said.
Donor cards can be obtained through the DMV or by calling Flynn’s office toll-free at (800) 933-0440.
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.