Brian Homan

“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. I went into surgery at 10:00 P.M. Wednesday, January 14^th. I awoke feeling better than I had felt in years.

It is a little more than a year since my transplant. I am currently taking the treatment for Hepatitis C and doing well. 

I am grateful for the experiences I have had with the Liver Transplant Team. I feel more like they are family than a group of strangers just doing a job. Their concern for the “all-around” person attached to a diseased liver is sincere and evident. Thank you for the opportunity to share my story and perhaps inspire others to ‘Give the Gift of Life’.”

~ Brian E. Homan, Middletown

Physicians/Surgeons:

Dr. G.W. Neff
Dr. N. Kemmer
Dr. Mike Alonzo
Dr. S. Rudich
Dr. A. Tevar
Dr. D.S. Kim
Dr. Jung

Nurses:

Roseann Geisting, RN, CNS
Sally Osborne, RN
DyLinn Russell, RN
Karen Paulding, RN
Stephanie Brown, RN 

Rachael Swango is a high school junior whose biggest goal is to one day become a doctor. So she’s lucky to have already seen a Level One Trauma Center up close. On one hand, she has a nice jumpstart on her med school competition. On the other, the trauma center, the only one of its kind in Hamilton County, saved her from certain death or disability. 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. Don says nurse Debby Soldano was a lifesaver: “I went to have my incision checked, and she knew my labored breathing meant serious blood clots.” Her fast thinking saved Don’s life.

Three years later, he continues to do well, teaching high school part-time. He says, “It’s such a rush being in a class full of students with their whole lives ahead of them. Mainly because I know exactly how they feel.

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.”

Meanwhile University Hospital has performed another 500 transplants, gaining a reputation as one of the nation’s leading transplant centers. So, while the procedure is still hardly routine, there are hundreds of people walking around today who are living proof of one hospital’s very real commitment to improving people’s lives.