In a movie from 2002 starring Denzel Washington, John Q. Archibald is a made-up character. The main character of the movie holds a person hostage in an emergency room so that his dying son can get a new heart. There really is no John Q. He didn’t really do anything wrong, so he didn’t go to jail.
Truth and Lies in the Movie
In the movie, John’s son needs a heart transplant, and even though he doesn’t have the money to pay for it, he does everything he can to get his son the care he needs. People had different ideas about how likely it was that someone would hold someone hostage in exchange for medical care. In an interview, the movie’s director and star both said that John’s actions in the movie are too far. This is a true belief, because even without insurance, there are other ways for people to pay for medical care.
Class 2 crime
Even though eJohn Q is a made-up story, what John does in the movie is illegal in the real world. In the movie, the main character was charged with trying to kill someone, committing a crime while armed, and taking someone hostage. In Illinois, he was found guilty of kidnapping, which is a Class 2 felony. If John Q. was a real person, he could have gone to prison for three to seven years for what he did. But the judge’s final decision can be affected by a number of things.
How much a heart transplant costs
A heart transplant is an expensive procedure that costs more than $1 million all together. In addition to the cost of the surgery, patients must pay for anti-rejection drugs, transportation, and living costs. Patients can pay for these costs through private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, advocacy groups, charitable organisations, or fundraising campaigns. In some cases, they can pay for the whole procedure on their own. Some people may have to pay for some of the costs on their own. m
Heart Transplant Patient
In the movie, the doctors find a good heart pretty quickly. Some people have to wait for a heart for more than a year. When that happens, the surgery is done as quickly as possible because there isn’t much time left to finish the procedure. They might even stay at the hospital or nearby while they wait, especially if they live a long way from the facility. After the surgery, they have to stay within walking distance of the hospital for at least the first few weeks.
A Real Life John Q
Even though the movie is made up, a similar thing did happen in Texas. In 2015, when George Pickering wanted to see his son, who was on life support, he used a gun to force his way in. He was worried that the hospital staff was moving too quickly to turn off the young man’s life support and take his organs for transplant. The father turned himself in to the police, was charged with a state jail felony, and did time for what he did.
