Suspected Killer Jumps Donor Line, Gets New Liver

Looks like Lindsay Lohan isn't the only criminal who's getting special treatment these days. Right before going to jail for killing his wife on July 5th, Johnny Concepcion left New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center with a brand new liver. His old one was ruined after he tried to kill himself with rat poison.

Concepcion admitted to killing his wife after witnesses saw him fleeing their home, where she was found stabbed 15 times. He was found after family got a text message from him saying, "To the members of the family, I hope you can forgive me," and brought to the hospital to be treated for liver failure. And though he was arrested at the hospital and charged with murder and weapons possession, officials say social factors don't measure into the decision of whether or not to give someone an organ. Anne Paschke, spokeswoman for the United Network of Organ Sharing, said, "The system is designed to save as many people as possible."

There are 309 patients on the liver-transplant list at New York-Presbyterian hospital alone, some of whom have been on the list for over five years. Doctors determine "status" on the list after physical and psychological tests, but both family members and others waiting for transplants are appalled at the hospital's decision to move Concepcion to the front of the line. Kerry Sullivan has been waiting over a year for a liver, and isn't allowed on the main transplant list because he has a type of liver cancer that doesn't count as a disease. He told the Post Concepcion's transplant was "a waste of an organ. It's ludicrous. Not only did they give it to a killer, but a suicidal killer." Sullivan must continue to wait for a cadaver liver or find his own living donor.

Concepcion's wife's mother, Maria, said, "There are children on the waiting lists, people who work hard. And this guy who killed my daughter, who killed the mother of his children, then tried to take his life, gets priority over them? It doesn't seem fair." Concepcion and his fancy new liver are due back in court on August 11th.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jaya Saxena in News on July 26, 2010 3:26 PM

Comments [rss]

John L

I don't know about rejecting alcoholics because I consider it a disease but I think a suicidal killer should have definitely failed the psychological test. They say the administer to psychological tests to potential recipients but what the hell are they testing for if this monster can pass it?

Petey

Injuries/disease caused by yourself, should make you ineligible for this. You're an alcoholic, or like in this example, you tried to kill yourself, you shouldn't be able to get a new liver. You have something that you were born with, or get injured somehow, thats different.

rdayk

This is digusting. Murderers shouldn't be bumped to the top of the list and the hospital is wrong to disregard criminal behaviour - at least, violent criminal behaviour. Being suicidal also means the liver may end up being wasted if he does succeed in offing himself. The solution to this is LifeSharers organ donor exchange network http://www.lifesharers.org - If I die unexpectedly, my organs can only be donated to someone who is also registered organ donor. I don't want the precious gift of life wasted on someone who wouldn't do the same.

jaycjay

"Murderers shouldn't be bumped to the top of the list"

And... he didn't. Don't believe something is true just because you read it on Gothamist. Regardless of what silliness you might find here, it's not the case that there's a "list" with people ranked and prioritized. People are clearly being misled by what they read here.

When an organ becomes available, a decision is made as to which potential recipient is the best match for that organ. No rankings are involved; no one is just waiting in line for the next available liver or whatever the need may be.

Argue that this guy shouldn't be given consideration -- and should simply be left to die because of his criminal convictions -- if you like, but this "moved to the top of the list" stuff simply professes ignorance.

rdayk

When an organ becomes available, a decision is made as to which potential recipient is the best match for that organ.

Given that this decision bypassed hundreds of other dying people, how is it inaccurate to say that this murderer got bumped to the top? Or would it be more accurate to say that he was given priority but isn't that essentially the same thing? This is from the news wire:

The hospital's transplant team then does an evaluation, based solely on medical criteria, to determine the patient's "status" or rank on the list.

Surely he wasn't the absolute "best match" in terms of who deserves a new liver - plenty of non-killers are on that list. I'm sure he wasn't uniquely suited to receive this particular liver. Nor was he most in need of - there are over 16,000 people on the waiting list for liver transplants, and many of them are as close to death as Concepion was. I suspect it's because he's a jailbird and letting him die would have been bad PR.

Rocknrope

I wish I could kick him in the liver.

MrCow

he'll just get a new one

grandzu

The line about the children is pointless as anyone under 18 gets priority in organ donation.

As far as this goes, most people lose their liver function being alcoholics, and that behavior is as suicidal as this guy so neither should be transplanted.

otta

Wow, this is sickening. I don't think anyone should be refused a transplant because of being a criminal, but how could he have jumped the list??? I do not believe he needed it more than all 309 people on the transplant waitlist at NY-Presbyterian.

Can it be that the state was responsible for paying his medical bill, and so the hospital got much more money than they would have received from an insurance company of a "regular", non-prisoner patient?

ken

This is an outrage. We should all boycott!

Armchair_warrior

this is the reason why i don't believe in organ donation. families should be allow to choose who gets what organ, also families should be able to profit out of the donation.