By now, you’ve probably heard the story of the Long Island surgeon who is suing his estranged wife for the kidney he donated to her. If it can’t be returned, he wants the $1.5 million dollars he believes it is worth.
For most of us, this is just tabloid fodder, but in her latest Doctor and Patient column, Dr. Pauline Chen says the case is representative of the “extent to which money has become enmeshed with medicine.” She writes, “Many of us reading, listening to and even writing about the story, myself included — accepted the premise long enough to wonder how (they) came up with that high a figure or if it was even physiologically possible for him to take back the kidney.”
Dr. Chen goes on to describe her first kidney transplant operation with a living donor, and how difficult it is to place a value on the transaction.
The experience was nothing short of extraordinary. And like the very act of donating an organ, the kidney itself was hardly glamorous, demanding nothing in return for its miraculous work. It was a sturdy organ – pink, firm as a small rubber ball, and shaped much like the kidney beans you’d find at a restaurant salad bar…. It was, I remember thinking that morning, a gift of life. But it’s a gift, according to some, that can be assessed for as much as $1.5 million or as little as $20,000 or less.
For more, read the full column, “Putting a Price on Compassion,” and then join the discussion below.