i wanted to share something with all of you. my dad has primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and his liver is failing. he will die soon if he does not get a new liver. he is on the liver recipient list, but there is such a need for livers that literally thousands of people die every year on the waiting list!

i decided to apply for a living donor liver transplant (LDLT). with LDLTs, doctors take half of a person's healthy liver and transplant it into someone else. because the liver is one of the most regenerative organs in the body, both the donor and the recipient's livers grow back entirely!

well, like i said, i applied and got accepted into the program. this monday, (11/19/01) i go up to the USC hospital to get evaluated to see if i am an acceptable candidate. i meet with a transplant surgeon, a social worker, and a hepatologist, and i get a chest x-ray, EKG and MRI.

i ask that you all pray for me as i get evaluated, and for my dad. if you don't pray, positive thoughts, wishes and words are great as well. i will continue to keep you posted on what happens.

Willow
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• RE: LDLT,Marc, 03:44 PM, Nov-16-01
• RE: LDLT,jersey, 04:12 PM, Nov-16-01
• RE: LDLT,nomad, 05:22 PM, Nov-16-01
• The Best to You,Scary, 03:55 PM, Nov-17-01
• RE: LDLT,joan212, 03:24 AM, Nov-19-01
• RE: LDLT,ShadowCrust (Guest), 01:32 AM, Nov-20-01
• thank you!,Willow, 10:19 AM, Nov-20-01
  • RE: thank you!,myrddin, 11:43 PM, Nov-26-01
• i've been accepted!,Willow, 04:37 PM, Nov-29-01
  • RE: i've been accepted!,Spawn_Tutor, 10:01 PM, Dec-05-01
    • RE: i've been accepted!,Jimbo (Guest), 04:55 AM, Dec-06-01
  • RE: i've been accepted!,Marc, 10:35 AM, Dec-06-01
  • RE: i've been accepted!,joan212, 02:56 PM, Dec-06-01
  • RE: i've been accepted!,Nomad (Guest), 04:56 PM, Dec-06-01
    • RE: i've been accepted!,jersey, 05:03 PM, Dec-06-01
      • RE: i've been accepted!,Barny, 02:16 PM, Dec-07-01
• everything is going great!,Willow, 02:22 PM, Jan-09-02
  • All Right !!!!!! :-),Marc, 03:30 PM, Jan-09-02
  • RE: everything is going great!,jersey, 06:14 PM, Jan-09-02
  • That is great - and thanks,Llevram, 08:18 PM, Jan-09-02
  • RE: everything is going great!,joan (Guest), 02:05 PM, Jan-10-02

Thoughts and prayers to you and your family.
Positive thoughts and attitudes are very important.

A noble quest.

We wish you well........

Marc

I will keep you and your family in my thoughts.

I wish you and yours love and peace.

Melissa

I wish the best of luck to both you and your father.

I will think of you and he everyday.

Ken

I hope all goes well for you and your father, and you'll have our prayers. (Maybe we should all create a few parties of Priests in W8 and have them "pray," as well!)

USC: you must be in LA. Same here. (The wife is a Trojan grad student.)

There is an old saying "They said that it couldn't be done but I did it." So many things are possible now. Techniques not available 10 years ago, drugs to ease the processes, all are now here to help you and your father. And with the power of positive thinking of all of us, use our good wishes to help the process, even those who have not responded in writing are wishing/praying/focusing you both well. joan

I sincerely hope everything goes well. And to summon the power of positive thinking: Of course everything will go well!

thank you very much, all of you. all of your responses - some funny, some serious - are appreciated! (and as to why USC, my dad was referred there by his doctor here in San Diego. the LDLT program is fairly new and not all hospitals are equipped to do it. USC is the closest for us)

everything went very well yesterday. for those of you who have never experienced an MRI, i highly encourage you to do so - but only if you are not claustrophobic! (kidding ) seriously, everything went wonderfully. my doctor said that what it all boils down to is this: if they section the liver, there must be enough left over in my body to sustain me, as well as enough transplanted into my father to sustain him. the transplant forum meets this week and the transplant nurse said we should hear the results on monday.

thank you again -

Willow
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Actually, for those who are a claustrophobic there is another option. Open-sided MRI. My gf had to go in for an MRI after having a long series of almost never ending headaches. She didn't want to do it cuz she's a bit claustrophobic. But the doctor said she could refer her to an Open-sided MRI which instead of being closed in is very open. She had to go for a 2nd one recently to do a high resolution of her pituatary gland after the first one showed there might be something wrong with it, but they were'nt sure.

For some good pics of open-sided MRI go http://www.mrinetwork.org/patientinformation/what_kind.shtml" target="_blank">here.

i'm pretty much speechless. the surgery is december 7th - a week from tomorrow. i am very ready to do this. i want to thank all of you who are thinking about me, my father, and the rest of my family. we appreciate it!

Willow
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I don't know if our today is tomorrow for you or vice versa but December 7 for us will be tomorrow. But seriously, we hope that all goes well in the surgery.

Good luck with it all. The reason you cna do it is that livers grow back - you cna lose up to 2/3 of your liver, and it will sustain life and eventually grow all back.

Next time you see people protesting about animal research, take a moment to consider the amazing things doctors can do now that were impossible even a few years ago...

Good Luck tomorrow!! Wishing the best for you and your Father.

Marc

Good luck on your quest tomorrow. There is nothing like the game of life for excitement and reward. I think many good thoughts and send them your way.. Joan

I do wish you luck, i'll spend a few mins thinking about you tomorrow and hoping for the best.

Ken

Me too.

Am keeping you in my thoughts and prayers today.

Diane

My Valkyrie did WHAT!!!!

i want to thank all of your for your support. it's been just over a month and my dad and i are doing great. my wound is still sore, but completely healed. it'll be awhile before my stomach muscles feel normal, i'm told. i can drive, so i'm easing myself back into work. now, as for my dad, his recovery has been amazing! the liver started working immidiately when it was transplanted into my dad. after a few days, the jaundice was gone! no more yellow eyes and off color skin. now, a month later, he has more energy than he has had for years and years. he has an appetite, and is talkative, emotional, happy, etc. it's like i have the dad i had 10 years ago!

we still have 2 months to go before he hits the 3 month mark (a big date for transplant recipients). but at the rate he is going, that should be no problem!

Willow
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Good news !!

Wishing you and your Father the best of health and luck!

Marc

I am so happy for you and your father Willow. That's fabulous. Wishing you both great health and joy.

I have been wondering and hoping that things went well.

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Such great news. I have thought of you both often and hoped things were going well...and they are!!Glad to hear from you and such very good news... Joan