The Waiting Game: One Patient’s Battle to Receive a Liver Transplant
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]F[/dropcap]or a majority of the American population, the use of medical cannabis is not only accepted, but encouraged. With the devastating consequences of doctors over prescribing deadly and addictive pharmaceuticals, even the most conservative of citizens have revised their “reefer madness” mentality and accepted the validity of cannabis as medicine. Unfortunately for Justin Turley, the doctor who quite literally holds his life in her hands, disagrees. Thus, Turley has been denied the one thing that could save his life: A new liver.
Turley suffers from cirrhosis of the liver, a debilitating and ultimately fatal disease that can often result in excruciating symptoms—he accepts full responsibility for his condition due to heavily drinking for many years. Upon hearing of his diagnosis, Turley immediately entered a detox program, and then continued on the path of sobriety, and now he’s been sober for 12 years now.
“When they told me straight up, that I was dying [if I didn’t get a transplant], I went through a grieving process. I wanted to say my goodbyes and make amends; see some things I’d never seen. But for years now, I’ve beaten the odds, so to speak. So its like, am I dying or not? I could still have years left. I could be making a better contribution to society . . . if I wasn’t constantly sick or in the hospital.”
His sobriety has extended his life, but unfortunately, Turley’s doctor, a highly esteemed Hepatologist in the UCSD Health System known as Dr. Yuko Kono, has still denied him to be considered for a transplant due to his use of cannabis.
The physical pain that Turley endures on a daily basis is not for the faint of heart. The constant abdominal pain he suffers is that of a liver in process of shutting down. The pain is so debilitating, that it makes even breathing difficult. Adema, a side effect of his condition, causes his legs to swell to more than three times normal size, and bleed. Adding to the litany of his ailments, Cirrhosis also comes with another complication called Varices, in both the esophagus and the rectum. Turley is also at risk of developing Hepatic Encephalopathy, in which the liver stops filtering ammonia and other toxins, and affects the brain, causing confusion, the inability to solve simple problems and problems with concentrating while reading (Turley is adamant about reading and challenges himself to stave off the mental decline).
There is no immediate solution to the problem that Turley currently encounters, but there is a bill in the works that could help Turley and the countless other patients like him—if it passes. According to the Americans For Safe Access website, AB-258 would “help protect medical cannabis patients from discrimination in the organ transplant process. The bill will prohibit a hospital, physician or any participant in the organ transplant process from using a patient’s use of medical cannabis as the sole reason in denying his or her eligibility as an organ recipient.” As we go to print, the fate of AB-258 has yet to be decided.
While playing the waiting game, Turley decides to spend his time doing whatever he can to aid others in the cannabis community. He is active in court support efforts, regularly attending the trials of cannabis patients, providers and growers, to lend support to the people who are pivotal in maintaining his quality of life. He also attends meetings of the San Diego chapter of Americans for Safe Access (ASA). There, he has connected with compassionate people who donate cannabis, edibles and Rick Simpson Oil, free of charge. Turley pays out of pocket for the bulk of his medicine, but living on a disability check makes that difficult. However, he is blessed with friends who are currently in the process of setting up a GoFundMe campaign to help him pay for his medication.
