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May 24, 2013
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 Who Wants to Win a Kidney?Posted on May 29, 2007
If you thought reality television had already hit its nadir, guess again. The creators of the “Big Brother” franchise have whipped up a shocking new premise for their next hopeful hit in the Netherlands: A terminally ill woman will, with advice from viewers, choose the winner ... of her kidneys. Update: Producers at Endemol, the company behind “Big Brother” and “Big Donor,” have ‘fessed up that the supposedly sick woman is a healthy actress, but that the contestants are in need of kidneys. The show, they said, was designed to draw attention to kidney donation issues in the Netherlands.
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By Angie, June 6, 2007 at 2:43 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
It is a hoax!!
Link
I just found out today.
Report thisBy DennisD, June 3, 2007 at 1:34 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
I can’t wait for the American version. Will someone offer a donor brain for Bu$h. More must see “reality” TV.
Report thisBy anonymous, June 3, 2007 at 7:18 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Big Brother 8 starts next month!
Report thisBy Dr. Knowitall, PhD, PhD, June 2, 2007 at 7:18 pm Link to this comment
Just so you consider, if you haven’t, getting a new kidney for people whose bodies have been ravaged by long-term diabetes is not a cure. If the kindey functions properly, the patient is lucky enough not to have to do dialysis, a hell in and of itself. But the anti-rejection drugs are dreadful and cause patients great amounts of discomfort along with whatever other complications the patient might have to endure, neuropathy, cardiac problems, retina problems, etc., not to mention psychological challenges. The fact that there are relatively few people with Type I (insulin dependent) diabetes makes it unprofitable for researchers and drug companies to find a cure. As the epidemic grows, so will the chances, I think, that a cure will be found, but in the meantime, people who are unlucky enough in their lives to contract this god-awful disease will continue to suffer, along with those in their families who care for them. One of the problems is awareness; often there are no visible signs that a person has diabetes. The best hope now, despite its problems, is for people not to take their healthy organs into their graves. Mike Mid-City, you’ve got a full plate and I wish you some good hours and days. Another person I know with Type I for decades is the most courageous person I know and has been a real inspiration to me. Reading your comment makes me think you are an inspiration to your friends, as well.
Report thisBy Tom Doff, June 2, 2007 at 11:09 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
The National Association, EEET, (Ex-ENRON Energy Traders), has already formed a pool to wager on which of them will win the kidney, by conning the donor, and a secondary, more vigorous wagering pool, on how much they’ll get for it on EBay.
Should be fun to watch, big bucks at stake.
Report thisBy Crazy Dutchman, May 30, 2007 at 6:21 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
AnnaCatherine, perhaps I’m not reading into your comment the right way, but it’s not an American show, it’s Dutch.
Of course it’s in poor taste, the network airing it even says so. But in this little snippet, you don’t read about the motivation behind it.
The founder of the TV station died five years ago because of kidney failure, after spending years on a waiting list. Since then, the amount of organ donors has actually gone down, a person in The Netherlands has to wait an average of four years before they can get a new kidney. Research used by the European Commission shows that 10 people die every day in Europe because of a shortage of donors, 40.000 people are on a waiting list. And it’s not getting any better.
The one in three chance that the contestants have is waaaaaay higher than the chance of getting a kidney after being on a transplant list.
Is it in poor taste? Yes. Is it even morally reprehensible? Perhaps. But what it is doing is becoming quite clear already, there’s world wide attention about becoming an organ donor now. Too bad people only want to focus on the sensational aspect of it, and not on the real problem behind it. Thank you for playing your part in that.
So as long as you’re sitting on that high horse of yours, let me ask you this: where will your organs go when you pass away?
Report thisInstead of wasting time passing judgement on this, maybe you should go out and try to get more people to agree to donate their organs. Nothing the local government has done over the last 10/15 years has gotten more people to sign up, hopefully this will.
By AnnaCatherine, May 29, 2007 at 2:50 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
How much crap will the American people watch? I’m afraid of the answer. We are literally being entertained to death. This is in poor taste and should not be allowed to get off the ground. Please don’t anyone tell me about your rights. Thanks,
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