Monday, November 19, 1034
Daily Ncbraskan
Pago 5
v
gig me
A
L rl El J
f 7
rj -.
Ts There Life After Football? I ugly head,
think so. Let's face it, Big Red fans. WeVe
In one respect, I can divide been spoiled. We have come to
my friends into two categories: expect the smell of the kill, rather
the one3 who understand why 1 than the thrill of the hunt.
i t
love Nebraska football games, and
the ones who don't. As an Omaha
kid hitchhiking, fence-jumping
and end-zone-sitting during the
'60s, IVe loved the Huskcrs. I still
love 'em, and 111 love 'em in the
I recently lost my uncle, who
was 59. Am I supposed to be
remorseful that he lost the rest of
his life? Hell no. I rejoice that he
won his first six decades. Let's
take pleasure from what we get,
future, win or lose. That last sen- and try like hell to learn from
tence comes with more than a bit what we have lost. If IVe learned
of trepidation. IVeal.vays thought anything from either case, it is to
(and been taught) that winning appreciate the effort and the
was everything, as the late Vince striving in the battle, whether it
Lombardi reportedly said. Boy, be on the football field, in a labor
was he wrong, union, or in a hospital That's
In a half-time television inter- what sports are all about and,
view Saturday, coach Tom Os- more importantly, that's what life
borne said he has never told his is all about.
players that "they have to go out
and win this game." He just wants
the players to perform to the best
of their capabilities. Oklahoma
Thank you, Coach Osborne, for
reminding some of us Big Red fana
tics that there is a bigger picture.
It is only a game, but it's easy to
oach Barry Switzer reiterated lose one's perspective when you
this point during his subsequent pull it off as beautifully and con
interview during the half-time sistently as you have. Thanks for
close-up. Switzer said he doesn't a great season. Give the bowl
feel that bad if his team loses as your best shot and I'm ready for a
long as his team plays its hardest, few new trick plays.
A
V
1
s
1
J
&
i ''
' ) - U
.
4
;
; aw"" ' . :. V.
v
.. ..
, . .j
Almost sounds like the true spirit
of athletics might be rearing its
This essay refers to Chris Burbach's
editorial (Daily Nebraskan, Nov. 5) and
two letters to the editor from Mark Dris
coll and Robert Singer (DN, Nov. 7), all
concerning Baby Fae, who died Thursday
after three weeks of life with a trans
planted baboon heart.
Billy Shuffer
Daily Nebraskaa Sector Editor
Joel ScrtoreDsity Nsbrcskan
Den Kennedy, a UKL cheerleader, wipes tears from the eyes of cheerleader Eenee Stubble
field the Snsl secoada of the Nebraska OMahossia game Sstarday.
Before returning to UNL this summer
to complete my pre-medicine require
ments, I had spent 10 years working as a
nationally registered paramedic and as a
registered trauma specialist. During the
last three years, I spent 18 months in a
trauma center on a thorasic trauma
team and a neo-natal intensive care team.
We worked with people who had severe
chest injuries and with critically ill and
premature newborn babies.
From this experience, 1 would like to
point cut important facts that many
people have overlooked and that have
left the medical community in awe.
Baby Fae's heart condition, called hypo
plastic left heart syndrome, i3 fairly
common among newborns, affecting
about one in 10,000. The left ventricle,
responsible for pumping blood through
cut the body, fails to develop before birth.
Most babies with hypoplastic left heart
syndrome often suffer from other prob
lems. According to reports, Baby Fae also
suffered from an enlarged and under
developed aorta, the largest artery leading
from the heart, and underdeveloped heart
valves. However, Baby Fae remained
stable, stable enough to be sent home
with her parents.
Doctors normally treat such diseased
babies by surgically creating a tube be
tween the pulminary artery and the aorta.
Tnis is a temporary measure and is nor
mally effective for one or two years. Later,
doctors can directly connect the aorta
and lungs and create an extra chamber
in the right side of the heart. This is called
the Norwood procedure.
According to a Newsweek article (Nov.
12), Dr. Leonard Bailey Baby Fae's
surgeon tried the Norwood procedure
once and failed. The Norwood procedure
has a 25 to 33 percent mortality rate.
With this information, the first point to
be made is: Why wasn't the Norwood
procedure, an operation that has been
proven effective, not considered before
the baboon heart transplant? The same
Newsweek article also states that this
procedure was not even discussed with
Baby Fae's parents until after lengthy
discussions about the transplant.
The subject of the transplant itself
raises questions about Bailey's intentions.
Bailey and his staff did not try to contact
any other organ procurement centers for
Baby Fae. According to reports, as many
as two hearts were available at the time
Bailey performed the surgery.
Bailey's intentions were evident before
the surgery. As early as Oct. 23, Bailey
had begun tissue matching for the baboon
heart. The surgery was not performed
until Oct. 26. Bailey's intentions were also
evident by the fact that the Loma Linda
Medical Center's institutional review
board has never approved a human heart
transplant program, so this surgery could
not have been done by Bailey at Loma
Linda.
1 also would like to disagree with
Singer's statement that newborn's im
mune systems do not "kick in" until after
birth. On the contrary, they are almost
completely developed. During fetal de
velopment, four types of immunisation
cells have been identified, including the
cells that are leaders in preventing organ
rejection. .,..
Most of Baby Fae's chances of rejection
lay in the drug cyclosporine, which she
received intravenously. The drug has
serious side effects, ranging from organ
rejection and severe tissue damage to
kidney tissue dammage and renial failure.
Besides all of this, we have not even
discussed the size of the baboon heart,
which, if everything had functioned prop
erly and the organ had not been rejected,
probably would not have been big enough .
to support Baby Fae when she got older.
As far as medical ethics and respect for
human life go, I am all for research. It is
research that has advanced medicine to
the place it is today. But the question is
one of medical ethics, and I feel Bailey has
acted outside of s boundaries. The first
priority of a good physician and researcher
is to gather and analyze ail of the facts
before making a decision. Bailey hastily
made a desicion when there were other
proven measures available to him to save
Baby Fae's life.
If we, who pursue medical careers,
condone this type of behavior, not onlj
will we fail as professionals, but we will
also fail to gain the respect of our most
valued asset, our patients.
James E. Ruley Jr.
graduate student
pre-med
1? ty mWI pooWani? Rfq
LZid'ZrL IflflBi fcWW tJkSePfi fc-'Wi3
. Lenses Wnm
SOFT LE13SES
Ultra-Thin to Assure Maximum
Comfort and Vision
Plus Toric Lenses to Correct
Astigmatism
EXTEHDSD Xn&Xi
Lenses You Wear
While Sleeping
Lenses For People Who
Can't Wear Regular Contact
Lenses
SaMX-SCFT
New Ultra-Thin Hard Lenses lor
"Sensitive Eyes"
EZFOGAL CC2ITACT LS1ISES .
60 DAY TRIAL
FREE CONSULTATION
APPOINTMENTS
AVAILABLE FOR
VISUAL EXAMINATIONS
FINANCING AVAILABLE
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief
letters to the editor from all readers and
interested others. ,
Letters will be selected for publication
on the basis of clarity, originality, timeli
ness and space available. The Daily
Nebraskan retains the right to edit 'all
material submitted.
Readers also are welcome to submit
material as guest opinions. Whether
material should run as a letter or guest
opinion, or not run, is left to the editors
discretion.
Letters and guest opinions sent to the
newspaper become property of the Daily
Nebraskan and cannot be returned.
Anonymous submissions will not be
considered for publication. Letters should
include the author's name, year in school,
major and group affiliation, if any. Re
quests to withhold names from publica
tion will not be granted.
Submit material to the Daily Nebras
kan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lin
coln, Neb. 685S3-0448.
:K! Pim f K
pmm. -Q 'iVN
jfcLL r A ...If f rf iVv
A s.LiZ' 1ti;fyh h 1 il "Where
the health of your eyes
comes first."
000
6909 East "O" ST.