Join us in support of Jenna at Britannia Shipyard
by Cherelle Jardine
Jenna is 36, a step mom and wife who is dying from liver failure. She has been denied placement on the BC Transplant Society waiting list. Refusal for a liver transplant is an automatic death sentence. Based on the guidelines used by the BC Transplant Society, a six month abstinence rule is used as a prerequisite for acceptance onto a liver transplant waiting list. Jenna admitted to drinking two glasses of apple cider on New Year's Eve. This is the date that they are using as the last alcohol consumption. She was further told that if she sought independent counseling with an addiction agency, and if they supplied the BC Transplant Society with a letter saying that they felt Jenna was a good risk for not relapsing into drinking, they would accept her onto the waiting list. They met again for reassessment on May the 14th after a short meeting with Jenna on May 11th. They have rejected her again based on the same criteria - non abstinence for six months - and a second one - kidney failure. Currently, the six month standard is under review as potentially discriminatory, and will likely be altered by the Ethics Committees within BC Health Authorities. Obviously, no one has let the people applying this criteria at BC Transplant Society know this important set of changes is likely pending. This guideline has been under review or set aside in many areas, both nationally and internationally. Her brother, Michael, is willing to be tested as a suitable live donor. Testing on Michael will not commence until after Jenna is placed on the waiting list. A list, by the way, that has a 30% mortality rate while waiting. Michael's testing is treated as "elective surgery." This means that if he goes for the test, and an ill person requires testing, he is automatically bumped from the tests and rescheduled. This ordeal can be a long arduous process just to get approval to proceed. BC Transplant did only two live donor transplants in all of 2008. They have done 12 regular cadaver donor liver transplants to this point this year. No live donor transplants have been done to this point this year. There are currently 32 people awaiting liver transplants, Jenna is NOT one of them. There is no recourse, you can't ask for a second opinion here in BC as it's the only game in town. We need your support, in reporting this story to help get Jenna on the waiting list, and to change the six month abstinence standard. The concert Music for Jenna is to raise awareness and funds for Jenna. Music for Jenna Concert Saturday, June 20th 6:30 - 9:00 pm Britannia Heritage Shipyard 5180 Westwater Drive Steveston, BC Rain or shine By donation with:
Special Guests For more information on Jenna, please contact: William Turner | bossfp@telus.net | 604-594-6034 For information on the concert: Laurence Knight www.tillersfolly.com Cherelle Jardine www.cherellejardine.com Babe Gurr www.babegurr.com Here is the trust office information: Envision Credit Union 8393 - 120th Street Delta, BC V4C 6R1 Attention: Lisa Black for acct: #308858 In Trust for Jenna C. Turner |
|
|
Steveston
|
||
 |
||
|
| ||
