Transplant Surgeon Called Dibs On Steve Jobs' Home

theodp writes "The Commercial Appeal reports that Dr. James Eason, the surgeon who performed Steve Jobs' liver transplant, found himself grilled at length Monday by Shelby County Commission members. The Univ. of Tennessee-Methodist Transplant Institute, which Eason heads, is in a bitter dispute over the distribution of human organs. Pressed for details by Commissioners West Bunker and Terry Roland about the 2009 liver transplant that Eason performed on the late Steve Jobs, Eason acknowledged that he's now living in the Memphis home that Jobs used during his convalescence. Bunker asked, "Was that a deal cut to get him a transplant here locally?" Eason: "I understand. It's a fair question. Absolutely not." Eason said a company lined up the housing for Jobs. "I took care of him and visited him in that home. And when I learned that it was going to be going on the market, I asked him, I asked the administrator of the LLC, if I could purchase it." So, is it time for Apple to shed some light on The Mystery of Steve Jobs' Memphis Mansion? It was reported that Apple lawyer George Riley, reportedly a friend of Eason's, helped Jobs with the arrangements for the Memphis mansion, which was acquired at a bargain price of $850,000 from the State of Tennessee by the mysterious LCHG, LLC on 3/26/2009. LCHG was formed on 3/17/2009, apparently just days before Jobs received his liver (on 3/21/2010, Jobs noted he was coming up on the 1-year anniversary of his transplant). Records show that title to the mansion was transferred to Eason in May, 2011, about three months after the National Enquirer painted a grim picture of Jobs' health. LCHG, LLC was dissolved in February 2012."

Mysterious...?

[Anonymous Coward]

Clearly LCHG means "Livers Can't Hinder Greatness" - he wanted limited liability for his failing organ.

Re:No idea

[SethJohnson]

Not only that, he wasted a liver that could have been used for a lifetime by a person who should have gotten it

Most assuredly, this liver was used for a lifetime by Steve Jobs.

Seth

Artificial organ scarcity

[ShanghaiBill]

That's pretty much how the world works.

And that is the way the world should work. People should be able to use money to buy things they want, encouraging more people to supply them. The problem here is that we have decided this shouldn't apply to organs, so the supply is severely restricted. If organs were treated like a normal commodity they would be far more plentiful because way more people would be donors. I have the donor dot on my drivers license, and was paid exactly $0 to volunteer.

Another problem is motorcycle helmet laws. By preventing lethal head injuries on otherwise young healthy individuals, we are removing a great source of organs. Maybe anyone who has volunteered to be a donor should be allowed to ride without a helmet.

Re:karma?

[moderatorrater]

There are problems with the American system, but this isn't one of them. The organs have to be transplanted within hours of being harvested. Steve Jobs was willing and able to travel thousands of miles at the drop of a hat to get there in time. It's not reasonable or feasible to do that for everyone.

Prohibiting him from getting the organ equally makes no sense. It's based on need, so he was the one with the most need who could get there.