I don't mean to sound hard but why was a 17 year old allowed to make the decision to give up one of his kidneys? Was it the right decision? Would he still be alive now if he had followed his dream and be playing football? If you were a grandmother would you accept this gift knowing it would change your grandson's life for ever or would you take your chances on the transplant list?
shareI thought that too. It seems like an awful waste. There was that one scene where the father offered to take his son's place which actually I think would have been much better for everyone. (Probably a better match anyway with the kidney). But it was all explained away by the POV that he couldn't do it as he couldn't take time off work and still pay the bills. Surely his son's future is worth more than that?
Don't get me wrong, I thought it was a very noble thing that the boy did but I just can't believe that he was allowed to do it.
I'm guessing you're either under 22, from a country with Universal Health Care, or from an upper middle class family. Most people in this country can't afford to take a week off of work, much less a month. Where do you think homeless people come from? Many families in the US are one illness, injury, or sick child away from losing their homes. That is why so many people these days have family members living with them or moving from relative to relative until they can get back on their feet.
The other issue - what are the chances of that kid getting a full ride scholarship to college playing on a losing team in the middle of nowhere? The chances of him going pro were even more astronomically slim.
I don't understand why other family members weren't tested though (the sister) and they could have waited to see if a cadaver donor matched until the surgery was absolutely necessary. I probably wouldn't have let my grandchild or child do it, but they had a close relationship because of his alcoholic mother and frankly he may have ended up pretty screwed up if he had made the choice not to do it and she had died. I'm sure there was more discussion and arguing about it than we saw in the movie.