What happened? I'd read Kina's journal and the last update said that her lung function was in the 40's and she was looking forward to moving to Germany.
CF is such a cruel disease and the reason I am an organ donor is because of Eva.
She was found unresponsive (sometime yesterday afternoon, possibly... those who posted about this might have been in slightly different time zones), not breathing, no heartbeat. Paramedics were called, and based on what I've read, they were able to get her heart beating weakly until they got her to the emergency room. They couldn't keep her alive any longer, though.
She was coming near the point where she would have to have made the decision between hospice or re-transplant, although her lung function was a bit too high for her to begin the process of listing for re-transplant then. I also read that she was kept on life support long enough for organs to be harvested.
(I became an organ donor because of Eva as well, and since having been accepted as a friend by both Kina and Meg on Facebook over the course of their lives have become increasingly more outspoken about organ donation and getting people to get on the organ donation registry/get their organ donor card.)
I've been more outspoken as well. I used to think that my body = I can do whatever I want. Then after seeing the film, I realized how selfish that attitude was. It's not I'd have any use for my organs after death, and I signed up to be an organ donor after the US premiere of 65_Redroses.
Third transplants are never really done so that might not have been an option even if her numbers were lower.
It's sad and shocking to hear about Kina's passing.
This would have been her second transplant, I think. But I have done some reading, and third transplants do seem to be unbelievably rare. It's sad, and it speaks volumes about how organ donation rates need to raise. Life should never be measured in the number of how many organs you're eligible to get or do get.
I've always been the sort of person myself who, if I don't need it, like my organs after death, I would want them to go to someone who could use them. If I could ever be some sort of living donor for someone, I wouldn't say no to that if I were close enough of a match to them, I could give the organ and they could receive it with minimal risk. (I've also been identified on the bone marrow registry as having a rare tissue type, so if someone needs something from me, they might really need it from me and not have that many other people to get it from.)
I didn't really get close to Kina, I personally have a hard time getting close to other CFers myself due to the varying degrees the disease goes through.
I however did chit chat with her on a few occasions. I have to go and be evaluated for transplant myself to see where I am in the line of things. Functions are in the 30-36% range. It's really really frustrating since I was in the mid 40's a year ago but had a lot of sudden issues. Major one being my left lung collapsed 50% in Feb.
I'm holding out hope for the new medicine coming out next year but it doesn't repair damage to the diseased parts of the lung. It just helps stop it from spreading. But here's hoping.
I'm happy Kina got those extra years that she had wanted though.
Comments 9
What happened? I'd read Kina's journal and the last update said that her lung function was in the 40's and she was looking forward to moving to Germany.
CF is such a cruel disease and the reason I am an organ donor is because of Eva.
Reply
She was found unresponsive (sometime yesterday afternoon, possibly... those who posted about this might have been in slightly different time zones), not breathing, no heartbeat. Paramedics were called, and based on what I've read, they were able to get her heart beating weakly until they got her to the emergency room. They couldn't keep her alive any longer, though.
She was coming near the point where she would have to have made the decision between hospice or re-transplant, although her lung function was a bit too high for her to begin the process of listing for re-transplant then. I also read that she was kept on life support long enough for organs to be harvested.
(I became an organ donor because of Eva as well, and since having been accepted as a friend by both Kina and Meg on Facebook over the course of their lives have become increasingly more outspoken about organ donation and getting people to get on the organ donation registry/get their organ donor card.)
Reply
Third transplants are never really done so that might not have been an option even if her numbers were lower.
It's sad and shocking to hear about Kina's passing.
Reply
This would have been her second transplant, I think. But I have done some reading, and third transplants do seem to be unbelievably rare. It's sad, and it speaks volumes about how organ donation rates need to raise. Life should never be measured in the number of how many organs you're eligible to get or do get.
I've always been the sort of person myself who, if I don't need it, like my organs after death, I would want them to go to someone who could use them. If I could ever be some sort of living donor for someone, I wouldn't say no to that if I were close enough of a match to them, I could give the organ and they could receive it with minimal risk. (I've also been identified on the bone marrow registry as having a rare tissue type, so if someone needs something from me, they might really need it from me and not have that many other people to get it from.)
Reply
I didn't really get close to Kina, I personally have a hard time getting close to other CFers myself due to the varying degrees the disease goes through.
I however did chit chat with her on a few occasions. I have to go and be evaluated for transplant myself to see where I am in the line of things. Functions are in the 30-36% range. It's really really frustrating since I was in the mid 40's a year ago but had a lot of sudden issues. Major one being my left lung collapsed 50% in Feb.
I'm holding out hope for the new medicine coming out next year but it doesn't repair damage to the diseased parts of the lung. It just helps stop it from spreading. But here's hoping.
I'm happy Kina got those extra years that she had wanted though.
Reply
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