NTX Magazine Volume 4 | Page 44

Timely Decisions for Life Wes Filer liked living his life at a fast pace. A young man studying to become a lawyer in the late 1960s, he was a busy guy with life moving at a rapid clip. But what he didn’t like was that his heart was beginning to do the same. Jan. 24 Time Undisclosed. A person, one whose identity remains protected, was officially pronounced dead. That person’s family made the decision to grant life to others through the donation of their loved one’s organs. Jan. 24, 20:23 A donor coordinator at UT Southwestern receives an offer from the Southwest Transplant Alliance, the non-profit organ and tissue donor program, of organs to be donated, through the Donor Net program. The physician on call, Dr. Matthias Peltz, is notified. Jan. 25, 20:29 The organ offer is reviewed by Dr. Peltz at UT Southwestern and provisionally accepted. 42 www.ntc-dfw.org Winter/Spring 2015 Jan. 25, 21:45 Mr. Filer, a patient who is critically ill and is on the list to receive a transplant, is in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at St. Paul. He is notified by his care team that an organ has become available and that it appears to be a good possibility for a match. Mr. Filer accepts the offer. He is then prepped for surgery and given antirejection medications. The transplant teams at UT Southwestern work quickly to coordinate a time in the operating room while also working with the Southwest Transplant Alliance.