Part 2: Timeline/Summary Leading to the Surgery

Brief review of the Timeline – Highlights

1997 – I had major abdominal surgery. I was put on medicine (an immunosuppressant) that accidentally harmed my liver. Diagnosis: Portal Hypertension and Hepatic Encephalopathy. The reaction to the anti-inflammatory medicine resulted in a condition called NRH – Nodular Regenerative Hyperplasia (scaring of the liver) and a later condition called Acquired Hepatocerebral Degeneration affecting my mind and all my motor skills. It made my mental capacity, ability to stand and walk, along with my overall stability very difficult.

In short, over the course of the next 12 years, toxins were not being filtered by the liver and were getting to the brain instead. Not Good! You don’t want that.

1997–2017 –I worked at various jobs, such as expedite courier service. I got a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Planning, eventually landing jobs with Fairfax County, VA and the City of Falls Church, VA.

The liver slowly deteriorated over time due to the scaring where the portal vein enters the liver. This resulted at one point in dilated blood vessels in the esophagus causing internal bleeding and emergency surgery. At this stage of the condition, the topic of a liver transplant was raised.

2018 – I was losing ground. I had to retire early from my job with the City of Falls Church. Then I started the evaluation process and the exhausting testing protocol with UPenn in Philadelphia to get on the transplant list. (Look at UNOS FAQ’s and Donate Life America to learn more).

In the fall we sent out the S.O.S. in the form of Facebook posts, email, and a website (lorenbruce.com) in an attempt to find a living donor.

I didn’t know until we started on this odyssey, that the liver is the only organ that regenerates itself. Every 7 years we get a new liver. That is why one person can donate a portion of their liver and both the donor and the recipient grow new livers. That’s the good news.

But the bad news is that most people do not know that they can become organ donor if they so choose. As a result, for every person on the waiting list, like me, there are two other people who do not receive the gift of life. It is sad. In my case, many people applied to be a donor for me. A couple of folks almost made the cut, but in the end, they were all rejected for one reason or another. Time was running out.

Summer of 2019 – My condition was getting very serious. One friend was still remaining in the que being evaluated at the height of the crisis. But we were not sure if that would work out in time. We seemed to be approaching the make or break point.

Then suddenly on July 13, I was awakened at 3:00 AM Saturday morning with a call from UPenn asking how fast I could get to Philadelphia. I was told there was a liver on its way to the hospital and it may be match. They needed to get me prepped and ready. Time was of the essence. “I was urged to get in the car and drive from Northern Virginia to Philadelphia ASAP.”

Here’s a little homework if you are interested: check out UNOS Transplant, and Donate Life, two amazing organizations that are saving lives everyday.

STAYED TUNED! The saga continues in the next post.