"Sentenced to death by my sister"

[TehBorken]

 I have been sentenced to death by my sister
[font size="1"]By LAURA ROBERTS [/font]

A cancer victim has accused his sister of condemning him to death by refusing to donate her bone marrow for a life-saving operation.  [/p]Father-of-three Simon Pretty is likely to  die from leukaemia within months unless he  receives a transplant.  [/p] [/p]His sister Helen, 43, is a perfect match but he says she has turned down the chance to save his life. Without the donation Mr Pretty – who has a rare tissue type – could be dead by the end of the year leaving his wife Jacqueline to raise their children Rebecca, eight, Jack, six and Benjamin, three.  
[/p][img style="width: 230px; height: 161px;" src="vny!://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/03_02/041SPrettyDM_468x328.jpg"][img style="width: 146px; height: 159px;" src="vny!://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/03_02/041HPretty2DM_228x249.jpg"][/p] Mrs Pretty approached her sister-in-law in an attempt to change her mind but lost her temper and was eventually arrested. No charge was brought. [/p] Jacqueline Pretty said: "She opened the front door halfway and I told her that things were desperate and the children thought their daddy was going to die. She said 'Sorry, I am not doing it'. I asked her to give me a reason and she said 'I am putting my family first'. [/p] "I explained that there were no risks involved. I was so upset and I said, 'Don't you care if your brother dies?' She said 'It's very sad', and smirked."
[/p][a  href="vny!://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=444238&in_page_id=1770"]Full Story[/a]

[ForShure]

I don't get along with my sister, hardly talk to her, but if she needed my bone marrow I'd give it to her in a heartbeat.   I can't say the same for her if I was in that situation, but at least my conscience would rest easy knowing I did all I could to help save her life.

[tenkani]

Yup. It's shitty, but it's her choice and no one can make it for her.

The brother apparently going to the press about it (if that's what happened) doesn't show a lot of class.

You asked; she said no, go out with a little dignity.

[ForShure]

tenkani wrote:
 Yup. It's shitty, but it's her choice and no one can make it for her.

The brother apparently going to the press about it (if that's what happened) doesn't show a lot of class.

You asked; she said no, go out with a little dignity.

  You are probably right the guy wasn't classy in making this family situation public, but I think when all is said and done (especially if he dies) he did a good thing making this public because others will learn from this and maybe try to mend broken family bridges because they might find themselves in the same situation.  
 

[Lil Me]

Once someone is declared terminally ill, it's time to bury the hatchet.  

[tenkani]

Yup. You guys are both right.

Personally though, I would rather someone not give me their organ than to do it because they feel shamed in front of a national audience. Um...actually that's easy for me to say since I don't have an incurable illness so maybe I should STFU lol.

[Lise]

I would donate kidney, liver... whatever to any members of my family if they ask for it. Blood is thicker.

[ForShure]

Read what is involved in donating bone marrow.  There are some cases where bone marrow is removed through surgical procedures, but the majority is done through blood collecting.  Seems pretty simple so not sure why this woman refused to do so, saying "I am putting my family first," (but isn't her brother also family?).

  You know what, now that I think of it, I'm going to check to see if I can donate bone marrow.  I shouldn't sit on my ass preaching to the choir, I should do something about it.  So even if the guy wasn't classy make this public, the publicity has made one person check out donating their bone marrow so that has to be a good thing, no?

  [A href="vny!://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/CA/00047.html"]vny!://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/CA/00047.html[/A]

  How is bone marrow removed from your body?

[FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffbf"]Bone marrow is usually collected through your blood[/FONT], although it can also be collected through a minor surgical procedure.

[Lil Me]

lumbar puncture.  

[ForSure]

Not sure how lumbar puncture would occur when it is the back of the pelvis where the marrow is collected, not the spine.

[Marik]

wow what a selfish hag! More like Helen (not so) Pretty.  

[ripper]

Hopefully one day she or someone she loves dearly, find themselves in a desperate situation and is turned away. Then she will know the pain and desperation of her brother. Karma is a bitch.