- She is the 1,000th patient to receive a liver transplant at University Hospital -
- He got the best gift ever from his brother – half of his living liver - A couple of area residents aren’t at all concerned about what they might find under the Christmas tree this year; they have already received the best gift they could ever want. Gretchen Ferrell and Chance Turner both received the gift of renewed life last month, just in time to enjoy the holiday season with their families. Mrs. Ferrell, a mother of two, woke up from her Nov. 15 operation to learn she was the 1000th patient to receive a liver transplant at The Transplant Center at University Hospital. It’s a milestone that places the joint program of The University of Texas Health Center at San Antonio and University Health System among the largest in the nation. One week earlier, 21-year-old Chance Turner received his chance to reclaim a normal life, thanks to the portion of his brother’s liver that was placed into his body.
The stories of these two patients highlight the real-life impact the liver transplant program has had on the lives of 1,000 individuals, their families and the South Texas community, as well as how recent advancements enable more patients to benefit from liver transplantation. “Because of the liver’s unique regenerative abilities, we can perform living-donor transplants,” explains Glenn Halff, M.D., professor of surgery at the Health Science Center and director of The Transplant Center. “We also are one of the busiest centers in the U.S. doing split-liver transplants in children.”
The most common medical problem that results in the need for liver transplantation is hepatitis C. However, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis – linked to obesity and diabetes – is rapidly becoming a major concern. It is marked by excessive fat in the liver and can progress to liver failure, and ultimately the need for liver transplantation.
Gretchen Ferrell was critically ill just weeks ago from what she refers to as a “Molotov Cocktail” combination of two diseases – Graves’ disease and autoimmune hepatitis. “I had a liver biopsy 20 years ago and knew they were killing my liver,” says Mrs. Ferrell. “It wasn’t until I was dying that I went to a liver doctor.” She was placed on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waiting list this past summer and, after being called as a “back-up” recipient four times, she received her new liver on November 15. She was thrilled to learn she was the 1000th liver transplant recipient for the program. “I am so grateful to Dr. Halff, Dr. Washburn and everyone,” she adds. “I was home for Thanksgiving; it was the best one I ever had.”
Chance Turner was diagnosed with leukemia when he was just a toddler and underwent four years of chemotherapy. Doctors aren’t certain, but they believe that treatment may have been what “caught up” to him ten years later, when he began to have severe gastric bleeding. After several very scary events, including “flat-lining” during one hospital stay, Chance was put on the liver waiting list on December 2, 2005 – his mother’s birthday.
As time went by, and Chance’s condition worsened, his family began talking about living-liver donation. After extensive testing and consultation, his 24-year-old brother Dustin emerged as the best candidate for donation. The operation to remove about half of Dustin’s liver and place it into Chance was performed on Nov. 8. “I knew it was a happy thing, but also sad, with both of them in surgery at the same time,” recalls Chance’s mom. “When the nurse called from the operating room and said, ‘it’s going to work,’ I just broke down. I was so relieved.” Amazingly, both liver portions will grow to full size in a matter of months.
While living-kidney donation is relatively common, living-liver transplantation is much more complex and not routinely performed. In fact, Chance and Dustin Turner are just the second living-liver donor pair this year.
Both the Turner and Ferrell families are planning quiet holiday celebrations at home and, for the first time in many years, are looking forward to many happy new years to come. The one-year survival rate at The Transplant Center is more than 87 percent, several points higher than the national average.
-Story courtesy of University Health System
