09/13/2025
Here is a bit about Don's journey:
Don’s journey with liver disease has been long, challenging, and filled with uncertainty. His story starts in 2010, when cirrhosis first took root in his liver, a consequence of years of high steroid use associated with Chrohn's disease. At the time, he never anticipated that this would set the stage for a decade-long battle for his life. The steroids were meant for a different condition, but over time slowly deteriorating his liver function.
In 2013, doctors gave Don another crushing diagnosis: fatty liver disease, combined with an enlarged liver. This wasn’t a surprise, given the previous damage, but it marked the beginning of a whole new phase of living with liver issues. The years that followed saw him in and out of the hospital, dealing with symptoms that ranged from discomfort to full-on crises, yet he pressed on. The road to this point had been a maze of treatment options, tests, and endless doctor’s visits, but nothing prepared him for what lay ahead.
By 2014, Don began undergoing a series of procedures known as banding to treat varices in his esophagus. These are swollen veins that can rupture and bleed, a dangerous complication of cirrhosis. Over the years, he endured multiple banding sessions, each one a reminder of how fragile his health had become.
Fast forward to 2020, when the situation took a darker turn. The cirrhosis had advanced to its final stage. By now, Don’s liver was severely damaged, and there was no turning back. Yet, he continued to fight. Despite knowing that the clock was ticking, he wasn’t about to give up without a fight.
But the hardest blow came in 2024, when Don started experiencing the terrifying effects of hepatic encephalopathy. His brain, already taxed by liver failure, began to malfunction. His thoughts became foggy, his mind confused. It wasn’t just the physical pain that was difficult to bear, but the mental fog that made it hard to remember anything or even know what was happening to him. In 2024, he had three major encephalopathy attacks, and things only worsened into 2025, when the attacks became more frequent.
The hospital visits have been relentless. So far in 2025, Don has spent six separate stays in the hospital, and in total, he was given 17 pints of blood due to severe bleeding in his stomach. His hemoglobin levels were dangerously low at each visit, the result of internal bleeding from his esophagus and stomach. In a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, Don underwent seven endoscopies, a grueling process to cauterize and stem the flow of blood. He also had two RF Ablations, a procedure used to cauterize the veins in his stomach—veins that were at risk of rupturing at any moment. But these treatments, though lifesaving in the short term, are only temporary. The risk of bleeding is still ever-present.
As Don’s liver continued to deteriorate, he learned his MELD score was 13. While being on the transplant donor list was a step forward, it was a difficult reality: to be seriously considered for a transplant, his score would need to be above 26. He was caught in a frustrating, uncertain limbo.
That’s when Don and his family learned about live liver donation. A donor could give half of their liver, and over time, both the donor and recipient would have fully functioning livers. It is the fastest, most viable option for him, but it also means relying on someone else’s generosity, a stranger or a loved one, willing to take the step of becoming a living donor.
Don reached out to Northwestern’s transplant center, where he was given more information about the donation process. They provided a wealth of information for those wanting to learn more, a questionnaire to begin the donor screening, and most importantly, hope. It was a ray of light in what seemed like an endless tunnel of health crises.
Still, Don’s situation remains precarious. His battle with cirrhosis is not over. The road ahead will be hard, but now he has a new sense of urgency—the most near-term solution depends on finding a living donor, someone willing to step forward and offer him a second chance at life.
In the midst of this uncertainty, Don’s story is one of resilience. He’s faced down a disease that’s tried to steal his health, his strength, and his mind. But he continues to fight, holding onto the hope that someone will answer the call, that a donor will be found, and that one day he’ll be able to reclaim the life that cirrhosis has tried to take from him.
If you would like to help, please share this Living Liver Donor Campaign on your social media platforms and if you’d like to be evaluated as a potential donor for Don, please click the link below and complete the Living Liver Donor Questionnaire and the Donor team at Northwestern Memorial Hospital will reach out to you” Thanks for your time and consideration.
Solid Organ Transplant ProgramFor the questions below, please answer them as they pertain to you, not anyone else in your family.The information provided here will be used by our Transplant Team to detect any medical conditions that may affect your ability to be a donor.
