“In May of 2004, I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and cirrhosis of the liver. Four and a half years later, in November of 2008, after many complications and delays, I was put on the transplant list. The phone call came on Tuesday, January 13, 2009.”
Last February, Rachael was in a serious car accident, severing a major vein, lacerating her liver, and collapsing her lungs. Needless to say, these injuries carry a high mortality rate. But due to the diligence of Dr. Tim Pritts, Dr. Kfir Ben-David, Dr. Steve Barnes, and the rest of the trauma team, Rachael stands as living proof of a Level One trauma center’s worth.
Don Dilg appeared to have a ruptured appendix. However, a CT scan revealed more: cancer that had spread to his colon and four lymph nodes. But his surgeon, Dr. Andrew Lowy, and oncologist, Dr. Abdul-Rahman Jazieh, threw themselves into his case and were able to devise an effective treatment.
When Sharon Beresh came to us for a liver transplant 15 1/2 years ago, the procedure was still quite revolutionary. In fact, hers was only the 9th transplant ever performed here. Since then, says Sharon, “I have been blessed to live a lifetime of good health and no major complications, to watch my family grow up, and to grow old (older, anyway!) with my husband Don.”
UC Health News