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'You View Life Differently:' Gary and Robert's Living Donation Story
By Transplant Services, January 12, 2018
Robert Healy had a young daughter, a new baby on the way, and a busy work schedule — plenty to keep him busy.
But a keen sense of dedication and love for his extended family motivated him to take one more challenge: Saving his father-in-law's life.
While sitting in the kitchen on the phone with their family, Robert and his wife learned that her father, Gary, was sick and in need of a liver transplant.
Robert's first response, "Can I be your donor?"
Learn more about living donor transplants at UPMC.
"At first no one said anything. So, I asked again if I could do it," Robert says. "I am sure they didn't want to burden my wife or my family, but we're family, so to me, it was a no-brainer."
The number of people on the liver transplant waiting list grows each day and, unfortunately, those who do not have a living donor must continue to wait for a deceased donor's organ to become available. But living liver donors like Robert ensure patients on the liver transplant list can receive a life-saving transplant sooner, before their disease progresses to a severe stage.
RELATED: Your Living Donor Transplant: 3 Steps to Finding a Living Donor
In 2016, Robert and Gary underwent a successful living-donor liver transplant. Today, they're thriving.
"It feels great," Gary says. "It was a gift, and you certainly view life differently once you have this done."
ldlt | living donation
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