Parents Give Life--Again : Great skill and courage converge in lung transplant case

What parent wouldn’t give a kidney, bone marrow or a portion of a lung to save a dying offspring? Parenthood requires many sacrifices, though not many as dramatic as these. But just such a choice came to Barbara and Jim Sewell on behalf of their critically ill daughter. Their sacrifice--and the heroic efforts of the pioneering Dr. Vaughn Starnes and his team of surgeons at USC University Hospital--is deeply moving.

The Sewells had the following options. They could watch cystic fibrosis kill their daughter, Stacy, while hoping for an organ donation. Or they could take part in an experimental operation that would transplant lobes of their own healthy lungs to their daughter. They chose as most parents would.

The transplant operation has worked, so far. But some medical ethicists question the use of an untested procedure that put at risk the lives of three people: the two donors and the recipient. It’s a valid question--and limits may need to be established for similar surgeries.

Ethicists perform a valuable role as medical technology forces choices that were unthinkable years ago. But in the case of the Sewells, the choice to take a courageous chance to save the life of their daughter wasn’t difficult. As Stacy’s mother said: “What’s to think about?”