I was diagnosed with PSC when I was 14. My doctors always told me I would need a liver transplant at some point but was hard to predict when. When I was 31 things started looking like that time was getting closer. My wife and I were living in Arizona at the time and decided to move back to Illinois to be close to family.
Upon returning to Illinois got placed on the transplant list at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. I will always be grateful to the transplant coordinators and doctors there. I was lucky enough to be able to work up until the day of my transplant. I work as RN in the emergency department. This added a little unknown as I was working during beginning of covid pandemic in a hospital.
I got the call at 6am while finishing up a 12 hour night shift at work. Luckily my wife was also at work. So we finished our shift and made a very quick trip to the hospital. After 4 1/2 days in the hospital, I was on my way back home with a new outlook. Since then, I have been able to enjoy time with my family, traveling, and mountain biking.
My journey never would have happened if it weren't for an individual making a decision to be a donor. I will always be grateful for the decision this individual made and for all of those that are donors.
