My terminal patient’s only hope is a kidney transplant.
His estranged adult daughter returns after her mother’s death and agrees to be tested as a potential donor.
The test results cry, “Incompatible match.”
There is no proper way to tell either of them that she is not his biological daughter.
James Menges is a writer and photographer. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.
Good, twisty dilemma, James.
As I dialysis nurse caring for patients wanting a transplant, this happened a lot. We did not tell the recipient. We told the potential donor and let him/her make the decision to tell or not. If they did not want to tell the patient, we just said they were not a match.
This is an extremely ethical dilema.