Our patient stories profile those who have had liver transplants at UPMC. Although everyone’s care experience is unique, we hope that sharing these stories will help prospective patients and their families better understand these procedures and their potential impact on patients’ lives.
Note: These patients' treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.
Matt DeSimone was diagnosed with Wilson’s disease in 2008. He kept his disease under control with different medications and frequent doctor visits, until an accident in 2017 changed his way of life.
Family can be one of the most important components in life. In this case, sometimes family isn’t always your only option when it comes to help. By taking part in a living-donor liver transplant exchange, a total of four individuals were able to be a part of one life-changing moment that they will all cherish for the rest of their lives.
Marathon runner Donald King was sipping coffee in his car before his morning training run when he heard a radio commercial about organ donation and becoming a living donor. The father of three whose premature son spent 102 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), instantly knew what he had to do. “I’ve seen how fragile life is. I felt called,” he says.
Mark Logoyda Sr. and his son are about as close as a father and son can be. They share a name, and Mark Jr. and his wife recently moved into a house just down the street from the Logoyda family home in Perryopolis. They also share a liver — a life-saving gift from son to father.
When Wayne was told he had 15 years to live, he started living every day like it was his last. At only 25 years old, he was diagnosed with liver disease. As his symptoms worsened, he started to look for a living donor, and he found one in the most unlikely place.
After 29 years working in the United States military and a life of almost perfect health, Bud was diagnosed with cirrhosis. He needed a transplant, but at 75 years old, he knew that the surgery would be hard on him.
For years, Dean struggled with addiction. He tried his best to stay healthy, but he was too late, and he went into liver failure. He was saved by the selflessness of a complete stranger who he met on Facebook.
As a DEA agent, Frank had led a healthy, active life. But after he was diagnosed with biliary cirrhosis, he spent a decade in and out of the hospital. When his daughter offered to become his living donor, at first he said no. But with some convincing, she would go on to save his life.
One day, Dwayne went home early from work, feeling sick, and took a nap. He woke up a day later in a hospital in Pittsburgh and was told that his liver was failing. Only after receiving his life-saving transplant would he meet his living donor Brian.
Joe St. Clair didn’t know he had liver disease until his wife found him unconscious in bed and rushed to the hospital. He found out he would need a liver transplant if he wanted to survive. Four people offered to donate and were turned away. But then his cousin, Barbara, offered to donate from all the way in Virginia.
For three years, George MacDonald fought cirrhosis, an illness in which healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue, leading to fatigue, weight loss, easy bruising, and discoloration in the skin and eyes. His daughter, Diana, saw he was getting sicker. As a nurse working at UPMC Passavant, she had some sense of what he was going through, and she wanted to help. But she wasn’t sure how."
What he thought was a simple nosebleed turned out to be the first visible sign of cirrhosis. Doug needed a living-donor liver transplant and an old family friend, Barb, was the perfect match.
After enduring extensive treatment for liver cancer, Barb learned that she would soon need a liver transplant. Little did she know that her life would be saved by someone she had not even met yet.
Gary needed a liver transplant due to damage caused by hepatitis C, but didn’t want to ask any family members to make the sacrifice to donate. When his son-in-law Robert heard, he knew he immediately that he would be his living donor.
After learning that his mother was sick and needed a liver transplant, Jeremy Monteverde was determined to help. By being her living donor, he was able to save her life.
Patricia had developed cirrhosis which led to many complications. A living-donor liver transplant was the best solution for Patricia's situation. And her son, Joe, was the perfect match.
When Michael Pitterich learned that he needed a liver transplant, he very quickly started looking for a live donor. A friend volunteered to get tested and found she was a perfect match. Since his transplant, Michael is doing well and will always remember the gift of life his donor gave him.
When Stephanie Fisher learned that her brother-in-law Rick, was sick and in need of a life-saving liver transplant, she was in shock. But, thanks to her selfless decision to become his living donor, Rick has been given a second chance at life and is going great.
Linda’s liver and kidney transplants gave her the chance to enjoy travel with her family.
When Jill Leeper learned that her father was in liver failure, she knew that she needed to do something to help. Knowing that a living-donor liver transplant could save his life, Jill volunteered to get tested. Luckily, she was a perfect match.
In July 2004, Denise received a new liver and a second chance at life.
Susan's liver transplant in June 1982 let her return to her normal life. Now she's enjoying retirement.
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