Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 29

METRO 7 THE OAKLAND TRIBUNE SUNDAY December 3 2006 hl 1 'Z able) rel Kate SCANNELL Kate Scannell is an East Bay physician and syndicated columnist 1 The concept of brain death emerged from circumstances created by the ad vent of transplantation and respirator technologies during the prior century That is we all needed to decide when a person on a respirator actually became dead and transplant surgeons needed to know when that death occurred to justify taking organs under the dead donorrule We could talk a long while about the scientific controversies that surround our legal and medical deflnitions of death as well as our varied cultural personal and spiritual beliefs which 1 challenge these concepts We could also focus on ambiguities concerning the testing methods used to substan tiate heart and brain functions or what one means by the term or functions of the entire However with limited column space I want to concentrate on yet an other modification of the death expert ence being introduced by expanding transplantation practices 1 tnlnk you ought to know about irst return to our epi sode to reaffirm certain understand ings Although the patient had severe neurologic impairment she did not fulfill criteria for brain death and so was not considered dead also be cause her heart and lungs continued to function she was nbt dead by tradi the surgeons were pit dwith the organ Under most Donation after Death protocols when an alive but seriously ill patient with viable organs or his family makes the difficult decision to withdraw life support within an hour i or so the hospital contacts an organ procurement official who arrives on scene and approaches the patient's family about donating organs This sobn to be regular request to bereaving family members of not yet dead loved i ones certainly marks a major cultural shift in the expected experience of dying that deserves considerable atten tion and comment The protocols still adhere to the dead donor rule organs are not re covered until after the patient dies But the death occurs in the operating room where the life support is with drawn so that organs can be swiftly processed Here the family may bid farewell as they and the transplant team await their loved ex pected death surrounded by the tech2 nologlcal readiness to retrieve his organs when the clock ticks five min utes after he is declared dead Readers what do you think aboutthis? Are we crossing lines blurring boundaries or simply redefining the landscape on which we live and on which we die? vMrt: arfn in an of a group oi transplant surgeons were waiting in the operating room to remove the organs from a seriously injured woman who was expetfed to die within minutes after ber life support was removed HoWevef the woman did not die as an I Changing the boundaries of organ donations tional cardiorespiratory criteria The surgeons adhering to the dead donor rule did not take this living woman's organs But what did viewers think about the transplant surgeons' inquiry to the husband? Were the surgeons crossing a line or Just staking a new boundary Justified by to save 1 the lives of others on the transplant waiting list? A public debate over the meaning 1 and definition of death and the values we use to determine ethical medical practice is long overdue Too often medical innovations and political im peratives seem to drive our funda mental notions concerning life and death at speeds literally of by the general public And now as we approach the New Year we look to another transplant practice called after Cardiac which will be Implemented in most US hospitals by force of our major hospital accrediting agenev The intent of this practice is to increase the organ supply for the thou 1 sands of people on the transplant waiting list Again depending on your perspective it either crosses a line or stays a quietly held norm Regardless it profoundly alters the experience oi dying within hospitals and it needs the awareness and input vdle pit stage in real launder the law dur land there are actually only two: you can die either "by your head Or your That isi you can be de dared dead if you have sustained ei Mher cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions (death by cardiorespiratory criteria) or as added in1 the late 20th century cessation of all functions of the entire brain including the brain (brain death by neurological cri teria) Since ancient times people have tended to believe that death occurs when persons have become pulseless 1 and stopped breathing But public per ception of death by the more modern concept of brain death has remained somewhat confused: a brain dead body hooked up to a respirator looks like a body that still somehow breathes te discomfited doctors at led the patient's distressed hus id asked him to decide whether ipuld remove his organs: still alive medical academiciaifel and philosophers condone the taking of organs from live human beings who have suffered severe and irreparable i neurologic impairment by and large our society has not embraced that practipeather in this country am at this pbffirth jffine we adhere to the "dead donor rule" which permits organ donations only from the dead The rule reflects our moral and legal prohibitions against murder and I am grateful for it whenever I step into a hospital either as a patient or doctor But when is somebody actually While professional actors claim there are thousands of ways to EE? ICT 1 f' if113 eSS I MMliwiilJ I TrS BwwWlvlunHlIBBBBHEHI mwmI I Bte BBB VI ME OAKLAND built in 1 91 2 is a landmark on the Lincoln Highway begins in Illinois and ends here in the Bay Area Life is a highway: ree program to explore a coast to coast relic OTED trails expertGregory ranzwa presenting a free program about the JL historic Lincoln Highway in California on Monday at the Rockridge Li brary starting at 7 pm The slide pnMttyitlpn is taken from ranWgXperfes on the Lincoln HighwaiySrie of the first major transcotffinemal routes across the The Lincoln Highway which became US 30 was the na tion'sWWSl to coast higliway'Ystretchlng from New York Times Square at Broadugay and 42nd Street to San rancisco's Lincoln Park The ail weatfier hard surface road was largely laid out along pre existing roads and spanned almost 3400 miles through 13 states' t' The romemade its way through Sacramento Tracy Stocktom the Altamont Pass Livermore and Anally Oakland The last leg of the Journey was made aboard transbay ferries Early automobile enthusiast and racer Carl isher who also manufactured carbide gas headlights used on most early cars is credited with spear heading the idea for a national road in 1912 At a September 10th dinner meeting with fellow auto industry friends in India napolis thatyearisher pro posed a coast to coast highway to be completed by May 1 1915 in time for the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San rancisco He estimated the cost at about $10 million and told the group build it before we're too old to enjoy The Lincoln Highway named for boyhood hero Pres ident Abraham Lincoln soon had its first million dollars in sponsorships from auto enthu siasts from around the country Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Edison both friends of isher contributed and then president Woodrow Wilson I fi Annalee ALLEN demonstrating his personal support sent in $5 "where upon he was issued Highway Certificate No 1 Copies of the certificate were promptly dis tributed to the press" Notably absent from the ini tial list of sponsors accounts of the day say was automaker Henry ord He refused to con tribute he believed the government should build Amer ica's roads" Such a notion would soon gain more support nationally A young Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Dwight Ei senhower was part of a convoy that traversed the route in 1919 on a Journey that took two months record time in that era The convey was greeted en thusiastically by communities along the way as it sought to build support for better roads through the passage of county state and federal highway con struction bond measures Dec ades later as president Eisen hower signed legislation cre ating the Highway Trust und that led to construction of the Interstate Highway System At the outset a group known as the Lincoln Highway Associa tlon was established to plan promote and place signs along the highway In determining the best and most direct route from New York to California a group from the associa tion riding in 1 7 Cars and two trucks set out in the summer of 1913 to forge the way After 34 days of Iowa mud pits sand drifts in Nevada and Utah overheated radiators flooded roads cracked axles and enthusiastic greetings in every town that thought it had a chance of being on the new highway the trailblazers arrived for a parade down San ran Market Street before thousands of cheering resi dents Alameda best known landmark associated with the Lincoln Highway is the Hotel Oakland on 13th Street in the block between Harrison and Alice streets The seven story plan Renaissance revi val style hotel designed by Walter Bliss and William a ville was the brainchild of a group of prominent busi nessmen who suitably impressive quarters to entertain and accommodate important visitors large enough and sufficiently appointed to attract big conventions" The Hotel Oakland's opening banquet and ball were held on December 23 19 12 (a few months after Carl isher's speech in Indianapolis) and the gala evening was reported at great length in the Tribune In the ensuing years luminaries such as Charles Lindbergh Amelia Earhart Mary Pickford Humphrey Bogart and presi dents Wilson Coolidge and Hoover would stay there Rotary and chamber of com merce groups the local boost ers of the Lincoln Highway met regularly at the hotel Today the Lincoln Highway Association exists to preserve surviving remnants of the high way and promote its memory Stretches of Interstate 80 now cover the same general corridor of the old road and trail fans along the way meet regularly post Internet articles and com memorate the hale and hearty early days of automobile travel or more information on Mon program call 597 5017 talk will be repeated on December 15th at the Berkeley Main Library 2090 Kittredge St New Washington Manor facilities open By Martin Ricard STA WRITER SAN LEANDRO The Washington Manor neighborhood got some major upgrades Sat urday when two long anticipated city facilities opened their doors The Manor Branch Library which after i 44 outgrew its facility has replaced the original library building built there in 1962 The San Leandro amily Aquatics Center was completely rebuilt and wili now be open year round with several pools a two story wa terslide and other improved amenities Residents are anticipating the two facilities will bring in new opportunities to enjoy San Leandro without having to look outside the city for recreation fun and better quality of life Manor has been part of the commu nity since the and done very little improvement in that area" Mayor Shelia Young said last week a huge invest ment and huge improvement for the Washington Manor commonly known as Manor" was annexed to San Leandro in 1957 increasing the city by 1900 acres At the time it was built the Manor was one of the largest housing tracts in the Bay Area accord ing to the city's general plan Today it is home to about one in every six residents The expansion of the neighborhood also has attracted a growing interest in giving cer tain areas of the city a makeover Although budget cuts have stalled some city projects the Manor received the luck of the draw when it was selected for improvements to both the library and aquatics center The library received a $59 million facelift with the help of Proposition 14 which pro vided major funding for construction at li braries throughout the state Serving 28000 residents and nine area schools the branch library has now quadru pled in size with 30 new computers an ex panded area and even a fireplace for families to sit around and read with their children The new facade also was intended to draw people from the outside in said Library Serv ices Director David Bohne Community mourns for slain Eritreans ERITREAN from Metro 1 Carlos Bustamante who tutored Yonas from his first day at Berkeley High said he was extremely bright mastered mathematics and was loved by everyone He had a special ability to pull people together Bustamante said He worked hard at unifying Berkeley High students from Eritrea and neighboring Ethiopia two countries practically at war he said Classmates Mabael Kimble and Khushbu Neupane saluted Yonas He will always be with us they said The bodies will be sent to Asmara Eritrea where a burial ceremony is planned for Wednesday at Adi Gombolo Eritrea Two men have been arrested and charged with murder: Asmeron Tewolde Gebnrese lassle 43 and his brother Tewodros Tewolde Gebnreselassie 39 Police said the suspects had been upset with Winta Mehari and other family members since their brother Abraham Tewolde 42 died March 1 in Berkeley Winta Mehari was widow Contact William Brand at bbrandangnewspa perscom Slain victim identified as Oakland resident DEATH from Metro 1 one of the station's nearby gas pumps police said Nothing happened then But as the man who had been at the pump drove out of the station he opened fire on Bent hitting him several times police said There were other people in the station but no one else was hurt Bent was able to run about 60 feet before collapsing between two vehicles parked in the adjacent Jack in the Box restaurant lot He was taken to Highland Hospital where he died at 8:49 pm Green said management at the gas station was uncooperative with police trying to gather evidence The killing was 1 4 1 st homicide oftheyear Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $10000 in reward money for in formation leading to the arrest of the suspect Anyone with information can call police at 238 3821 or Crime Stoppers at 238 6946 Mums plans to appoint young residents to city board commission YOUTH from Metro 1 Secondly Dellums said the city must do ev erything possible to address the rpot causes of crime including hopelessness unemployment and a lack of opportunity is an expression of desperation" Dellumssaid The mayor elect also repeatedly denounced zero tolerance policies that he said removes students and disproportionately minority students from schools without addressing the cause of the problem be it family trauma economic struggles or the need for extra help Students kicked out of school often end up in prison he said Instead schools should offer wrap around services to students and their families in cluding mental health counseling health care after school programs and economic and housing assistance Specific proposals are being finalized by several task forces meeting on a range of is sues faced by youth and are expected to be presented to the mayor elect by the end of the month Some of the students in the audience gave Dellums high marks for taking the time to listen to them pointing out that Mayor Jerry Brown never held a youth focused meeting during his 8 year administration glad he wants to work with us" said Kimberlyn Williams 13 who asked Dellums as he was leaving to do something about the fact that her geometry class hasn't had a per2 manent teacher for several months seemed cool" mail Heather MacDonald at hmacdonaldang newspaperscom I.