this post was submitted on 21 May 2024
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A 10-year-old boy who was swept into a storm drain while helping his family clean up storm debris is being kept on life support so that his organs can be donated, according to his father.

The boy, Asher Sullivan, "officially passed away" on May 18, but remains on life support to facilitate the organ donation process, his dad, Jimmy Sullivan, wrote in a Facebook post.

"It’s 100% an 'Asher' type thing to do in continuing to be selfless," Sullivan shared  on Facebook. "He will have an honor walk at the hospital in the next few days and be celebrated as he is, a hero!"

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[–] cyborganism@lemmy.ca 124 points 5 months ago (7 children)

What kind of awful title is that?????

[–] tiredofsametab@kbin.run 58 points 5 months ago

I mean, why else would you sweep children into drains?

RIP little dude. My cousin died around the same age and also became an organ donor.

[–] gedaliyah@lemmy.world 20 points 5 months ago

I thought I was the only one. Careless use of the word "to."

[–] BruceTwarzen@kbin.social 13 points 5 months ago

I thought it's an onion article. We need new organs. Sweep some 10 year old into a storm drain

[–] iAmTheTot@kbin.social 6 points 5 months ago (2 children)

What's awful about it? Unless you mean that it's a ten year old passing away, that is sad.

[–] puppy@lemmy.world 45 points 5 months ago (4 children)

The unambiguous title should be,

"10-year-old swept into storm drain will become an organ donor, dad says"

The title used kinda sounds like the boy willingly swept into the drain "to" become an organ donor.

[–] Undearius@lemmy.ca 17 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (5 children)

"is". They literally just needed to add the word "is" to make it clear.

10-year-old swept into storm drain is to become an organ donor, dad says

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[–] Chainweasel@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago

The title makes it sound like the storm drain is some sort of organ harvesting machine and he was purposefully placed in there so his organs could be donated.

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[–] robocall@lemmy.world 67 points 5 months ago (6 children)

The kid is going to save a lot of other lives by being an organ donor. I have no idea why people would opt out of being a donor.

[–] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 52 points 5 months ago (5 children)

People are convinced that if you are an organ donor doctors let you die on purpose.

People are morons.

[–] 5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 5 months ago

It's kinda the opposite, because for the fire brigade and emergency services the existence of organ harvesting incentives even 'lost causes' to be saved.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 10 points 5 months ago

If you're in the sort of country where people will kill you for your organs, I don't think they're in the habit of asking permission first...

[–] shani66@ani.social 6 points 5 months ago

Even dumber when you realize the hospital absolutely doesn't need a little card to let you die.

[–] Mantis_Toboggan@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago

Yeah, for decades I’ve heard that theory too. I’ve always thought of it as an urban myth.

[–] Thunderbird4@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Are you in the US? I wouldn’t dissuade anyone from being an organ donor, it’s obviously a great necessity and saves thousands of lives, but I’m always amazed that the bottomless skepticism of our for-profit healthcare system dries up on certain topics.

We all love to moan about greedy health insurance companies and hospital administrations putting profit above the actual health of patients and outcomes of procedures, so why is it taken for granted that, when faced with a decision to go to extraordinary lengths to save a badly injured, uninsured person, or get expensive organs for 3 or 4 insured people at the top of the recipient list, that the responsible parties will make the right decision? Hell, even without a profit motive, that can be a difficult decision that can be influenced by personal beliefs and biases.

I certainly don’t know enough about exactly how these decisions are made to have a strong opinion, but I don’t think it’s fair to characterize potentially warranted skepticism as moronic.

There's just never been evidence to suggest (in any meaningful way) a doctor made a decision compromising the life of the organ donor to make use in other patients, that would be medical malpractice and the first people looking to sue you after a loved one dies are the ones signing the papers giving permission.

Calling the opinion moronic may not be nice, but the idea is something I'd say is foolish. Like if you went through life thinking vaccines are some kind of conspiracy for profit, the evidence just isn't there and there's enough of it on the contrary that to suggest it would be foolishness.

[–] bitchkat@lemmy.world 30 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Don't forget you can also donate your corpse to medical schools!

[–] cobysev@lemmy.world 28 points 5 months ago (2 children)

My father did this. He signed up for his body to be donated to science. He always told me, the minute he passes, there's a card in his wallet with a phone number. Just call them and they'll come out to pick up his body. That's it; no funeral or anything. He didn't believe in wasting money on a funeral or burial plot/coffin after he was dead. When they're done with their research, they'll return his cremated remains to us.

Sadly, I had to call that number a few months ago.

[–] bitchkat@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Your dad was a smart man. I too plan on avoiding the scummy funeral industry!

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago

I too plan on avoiding the scummy funeral industry!

Uh... well.. about scummy industries... I have what is perhaps slightly depressing news on that.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 4 points 5 months ago

Your father is helping train the next generation of doctors!

[–] iAmTheTot@kbin.social 15 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (5 children)

In the US, at least, I believe you cannot specifically donate to medical schools. Generally you indicate that you'd like to be used to medical research or teaching, but that can be a wide variety of things.

To be clear, I still support and advocate for this, but believe people should be informed.

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[–] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That came across as if you were being facetious, but maybe I'm wrong. Tone is difficult to assess over text

[–] bitchkat@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

Not facetious at all. At my local university, they pick up the body, use if for whatever and when done, they will cremate (mass) and return ashes to family if they want. Every dollar that doesn't go to the funeral industry is a benefit to mankind.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 13 points 5 months ago

It should be be an opt out system rather than an opt in.

[–] theneverfox@pawb.social 2 points 5 months ago

I hear "the doctors will give up on me more easily" if they even have an argument they can put into words. Which seems ridiculous to me - if they even bother to check, it seems like they'd be more willing to put time and effort into keeping your body intact, giving you a better chance to bounce back despite long odds

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[–] rayyy@lemmy.world 50 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Due to increased hurricanes and flooding we probably need a law that specifies storm drains have some type of safety grate. This isn't that rare either - years ago a friend's daughter died after being sucked into a drainage pipe.

[–] PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de 47 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Kids dying this way is 100% expected given the braindead design of US storm drains

[–] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 42 points 5 months ago (8 children)

I never actually thought about this.

Why exactly are storm drains designed like that with a opening for little kids to get sucked in?

Do other countries (with similar weather) have the same problems?

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 45 points 5 months ago

We have the grate in the floor, but not the massive openings that clown monsters live in.

[–] PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de 22 points 5 months ago

The one on that picture is actually okay, I've seen way bigger openings.

Never seen them outside North America.

[–] Zorg@lemmings.world 19 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

This 3 foot pipe is also considered a storm drain. Unclear in the article if he was sucked down a street drain with unnecessarily large opening, or a drain for a creek.

[–] IsThisAnAI@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

To lessen debris getting stuck. No idea if it's effective.

[–] Sasha@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

We have similar drains in Australia, I don't think it's particularly common but I have seen them get completely clogged in a big storm. Nearly flooded our friends house because they lived at the bottom of a hill.

[–] IsThisAnAI@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

I did say lessen. I've seen many sized drains get clogged in flooding haha.

[–] Scrollone@feddit.it 8 points 5 months ago

Why don't they add a grid? That's completely unsafe

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[–] Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca 31 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

As a father of a four-year-old, this story makes me want to fucking puke. Swept into a storm drain is one of the most horrific ways I could imagine losing my little girl.

[–] PorradaVFR@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago

What an amazing gesture and selfless decision by a family living my worst nightmare. That is achingly beautiful.

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