He Needed a Liver Transplant. But Did the Risks Outweigh the Reward?

He Needed a Liver Transplant. But Did the Risks Outweigh the Reward?

by Max Blau ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. By the time 25-year-old Tyler Waite arrived at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, in May 2020, his skin had turned a sickly shade of yellow. At 6-foot-3, pushing 330 pounds, his appearance was misshapen by a stomach…

He needed a liver, but did the risks trump the reward?

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. By the time 25-year-old Tyler Waite arrived at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, in May 2020, his skin had turned a sickly shade of yellow. At 6-foot-3, pushing 330 pounds, his appearance was misshapen by a stomach distended wi…