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Originally Posted by capnhowdy
Not. Not to be selfish or self centered, but I would feel pretty damn stupid if I did that and one of my immediate family came up needing one. I wonder why Gold's family didn't heed to the cause? Maybe the poor guy has no family.
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It's apparently not usual for the situation to be "no family willing to donate," especially when the intended recipient is African American. Tissue matching across races is much less likely, from what I understand from a friend's wife who used to be a transplant coordinator. This may be why the fellow had more early problems with possible rejection.
From "
Living Legacy Registry"
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Can organs be given to different racial groups or individuals of opposite sex?
In most cases, race and gender are not factors. However, organ size is critical to match a donor heart, lung or liver with a recipient. Genetic makeup is a crucial factor when matching a kidney or pancreas donor and recipient. {emphasis added} Therefore, an individual of Asian descent may match better with a kidney donated from another Asian versus a different race—as will an African American to another African American. Cross-racial donations can, and do, happen with great success when matches are available.
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