Documentary Film: In Absence of Evidence
Donation protected
In Absence of Evidence is a documentary film that uncovers the global story of organ transplants between people with HIV.
Watch the first sizzle reel here:
Contributions from this campaign will serve as seed funding for a second phase of development and production for this feature film.
Backstory:
On September 23rd, 2008, Dr. Elmi Muller transplanted two patients, both living with HIV and kidney failure, with kidneys from deceased donors with HIV at Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital. Using organs from these specific donors, organs that would have been discarded otherwise, yielded the patients’ only opportunity for survival. Dr. Muller and these patients laid the foundation for scientific discovery, impacted legislation beyond the borders of their country, and made a significant contribution toward health equity.
The HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act of 2013 was signed into law in the United States by President Barack Obama, allowing the transplantation of organs from donors with HIV to recipients with HIV through clinical research. However, barriers to the law’s full implementation persist: people living with HIV in the United States are unaware that they can donate their organs by making a donation decision just like people without HIV, health care providers fail to refer patients with HIV to transplant evaluation in a timely manner, people with HIV are not waitlisted when they are evaluated for transplantation, and those who manage to get on a transplant waitlist are twice as likely to die while waiting, compared to people not living with HIV.
After having watched an episode of Grey’s Anatomy (season 10 episode 19) depicting the possibility, Nina Martinez became the first living kidney donor in the United States with HIV. It was a medical breakthrough that was not only inconceivable but legally impossible in America for 25 years. Nina's donated kidney has been proven to be safe and effective, as were the 440 organ transplants involving deceased donors with HIV that occurred in the United States before and after her operation. However, organ donation by people with HIV to others with HIV remains largely unsupported as an accepted medical practice, ten years after its legality and scientific contribution to transplantation. The result: needless deaths each year as people die waiting on organs they never stood a chance to get.
This film follows Nina as she speaks with patients, advocates, and lawmakers while challenging those who fail to prioritize a community placed at risk for premature death despite, and partially because of, advances in HIV treatment. Audiences will see the resistance against this proven medical breakthrough in a plethora of never-before-seen legal documents and archival footage, from Elmi’s first operations using kidneys from deceased donors with HIV to Nina’s living kidney donation. Interviews with recipients of these novel transplants, advocates, and experts illuminate the cascading effects of Elmi's and Nina's trailblazing efforts.
On the surface this is a story about organ donation, but delving deeper it is a story about courage, unlikely game-changers, and the deadly consequences antiquated policies still have on health care.
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**Organ transplants between people with HIV have happened in several countries besides South Africa and the United States, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, and Switzerland.**
Fundraising team (2)
Komal Kumar
Organizer
Pompano Beach, FL
Nina Martinez
Team member