Skip to content
Round Logo — Smalller size
Wills, Trusts, & Estates Prof Blog
Formerly Hosted by the Law Professor Blogs Network

13-Year-Old Boy Regains Consciousness After Parents Sign Papers to Donate His Organs

By Gerry W. Beyer

image from https://s3.amazonaws.com/feather-client-files-aviary-prod-us-east-1/2018-05-08/488d3b31-34c6-456c-86db-d1a544a5a483.pngTrenton McKinley’s parents faced a difficult decision when the doctors told them their 13-year-old son would never be the same mentally after severe brain damage. The boy had suffered seven skull fractures two months prior in a small trailer accident. His parents did what they thought was best – signed the documents to donate his organs for five children that desperately needed them.

But the day before the doctors were authorized to “pull the plug,” Trenton miraculously showed brain activity. In late March, he regained full consciousness. The boy has a long road to recovery, already having undergone three brain surgeries and still needing a large piece of his skull  reattached.

See Kathrine Lam, 13-Year-Old Boy Regains Consciousness After Parents Sign Papers to Donate His Organs, Fox News, May 7, 2018.

Posted in:
Current Events, Estate Planning - Generally, Science and Technology