My heart goes out to the woman who wrote about her son needing a liver transplant. Seven years ago next month, I donated the right lobe of my liver to my husband. He is still alive and I have not had to go to the doctor's office for any illness involving my liver.
I am in the second year of a 5-year research project called A2All. This research will have great impact on the future of live liver donation.
The risks involved in live organ donation are pretty much the same risks associated with any surgery in which a patient is put under anesthesia.
It is equally important to do your homework on the whole process. Check out various hospitals and find out how many times the surgery was performed there and what the morbidity numbers are. Find out who the surgeons are and research their backgrounds.
I chose the University of Pittsburgh and the Thomas Starzyl Transplant team members for my husband and I. They had world class surgeons, low morbidity numbers, and a great support staff. We met some incredible people there and they all had amazing stories to tell. People from all walks of life and all age categories are in need of transplants. If you could see their faces and hear their stories, it would make you want to sign up to get tested. If I could donate again, I would get tested to help the son of the woman who wrote the article. It is an incredible gift to try and save someone's life. I encourage each of you to become an organ donor. Put it on your driver's license. Save someone's life.
Cynthia Fox
Williamsport
