163. Tether

From, “60 Lives, 30 Kidneys, All Linked,” by Kevin Sack, 2/18/12, The New York Times:

Many of the 400,000 Americans who are tethered to dialysis dream of a transplant as their pathway back to normal. But with the demand for kidneys rising faster than the number of donors, the waits have grown longer. While about 90,000 people are lined up for kidneys, fewer than 17,000 receive one each year, and about 4,500 die waiting, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which maintains the wait list for the government.

Tether: to fasten or restrain; tie (an animal) with a rope or chain so as to restrict its movement