Boston AIDS Activist Cleared for Liver Transplant

A Boston AIDS activist received the green light for a life-saving liver transplant when a Pittsburgh hospital agreed to begin preparations for the procedure once a down payment is made. Belynda Dunn, 49, who has both hepatitis C and HIV, has said the entire procedure will cost about $500,000. Dunn's HMO, Neighborhood Health Plan Inc., refused to cover the costs of her procedure, saying that transplants for people with HIV are still considered experimental. A fund set up by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino has raised about $275,000, $100,000 of which came from Dunn's HMO.

Lisa Rossi of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said the hospital will go forward with the transplant if a prior deposit of $208,000 is made. As soon as Dunn posts the deposit, she will be put on a waiting list for a cadaver organ, Rossi said, but Dunn also can pursue a so-called "living donor." Dunn's brother plans to donate a lobe of his liver to his sister. However, he has yet to be evaluated to see if he is a viable donor. There have been reports that his insurance company will not pay his medical costs because organ donation is considered an elective procedure. Dunn's doctors have told her she could die within months if she does not get a transplant.

Meanwhile, community activists in Boston are starting a second round of fundraising for Dunn. Dunn is credited with organizing the city's black churches against AIDS. She works as HIV prevention manager for the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts and is president of the National Association of People Living with AIDS.

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