A Young Couple鈥檚 Life-Saving Decision Strengthened Their Bond and Their Vows
![DJ Toby and Lauren O鈥橰eilly](/sites/default/files/styles/custom__1440x960_/public/news_images/husband-wife-liver-donationhusband-wife-liver-donation-thumbnail.jpeg?itok=tu-nT9zA)
Roughly 2 years ago, Lauren O鈥橰eilly became jaundiced and started losing weight. She had received an earlier diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)鈥an incurable chronic disease that slowly damages the bile ducts, which become blocked over time due to inflammation and scarring.听
尝补耻谤别苍鈥檚 gastroenterologist, Dr. Robert Brown, Vincent Astor Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at 富二代成版人app, broke the news to her years earlier: A liver transplant was in her future.听听
But Lauren and her then-蹿颈补苍肠茅, DJ Toby, were only in their 20s at the time. They wanted to get married and start a family, and they have since done both: The couple got married in 2019, and their son Donovan was born in 2020.听听
Soon, though, Lauren鈥檚 health took a turn for the worse. The time was right for her to start thinking about a transplant.听
It might have taken years for her to qualify for a liver from a deceased donor, and she鈥檇 need to get much sicker for that to happen. That鈥檚 why Dr. Brown advised her to consider the living organ donor option. She did just that. And her donor turned out to be none other than her husband.听
All in the timing听
Luckily, Lauren wasn鈥檛 very sick during the years in the run up to her transplant this past January. That gave the couple time to plan for their deepest desire: a child.听
Balancing that desire with 尝补耻谤别苍鈥檚 medical needs was priority number-one. That鈥檚 because pregnancy in transplant patients is considered high-risk, says Dr. Danielle Brandman, Medical Director of the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation at 富二代成版人app.听
鈥泪t is generally recommended that women defer pregnancy for at least one year following transplant surgery,鈥 she says. 鈥That delay helps to ensure that patients are medically stable. But there鈥檚 another reason to put off getting pregnant: Patients are on lower levels of immunosuppression one year out compared to the higher doses that are required earlier in their post-transplant care.听听
鈥Women may need adjustment of their immunosuppression regimen,鈥 she continues. 鈥For example, CellCept (mycophenolate mofetil), one of the most commonly used medications, cannot be used in pregnancy due to the risk of teratogenicity鈥攖he ability of a drug to cause fetal abnormalities or deformities. Azathioprine, an older immunosuppressive agent, can be used instead, and it鈥檚 safe for use in pregnancy.鈥听
The one-year mark and the degree of immunosuppression are also important with respect to infection risk. Certain viral infections, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), can affect transplant recipients when they鈥檙e on higher doses of immunosuppressive drugs, and some of these viruses are harmful to a developing baby.听听听
鈥淧regnancy itself is a relatively immunocompromised state under the best of circumstances,鈥 Dr. Brandman says, 鈥so the use of anti-rejection medications makes pregnant patients even more immunocompromised than usual.鈥 For that reason, and for the other reasons cited above, the best thing a hopeful mother-to-be can do is to plan her transplant a year or more before attempting to get pregnant or after giving birth.听
Before, during and after transplant surgery听
When she was pregnant with Donovan, Lauren experienced severe itching鈥攁 symptom of liver dysfunction. Her PSC was getting worse too. 鈥泪 turned yellow. My bile ducts were starting to close, so I had stents inserted to open them up. I didn鈥檛 have cirrhosis just yet,鈥 she says, but it was only a matter of time before she鈥檇 develop that potentially life-threatening condition, in which her liver would undergo permanent damage. Typically, as cirrhosis gets worse, the liver begins to fail.听听
In early 2022, she met with Dr. Benjamin Samstein, Chief of Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Professor of Surgery and Surgical Director of the Living Donor Liver Transplant Program at 富二代成版人app, to discuss the ins and outs of a liver transplant. DJ was soon approved as her donor.听听
鈥淗e鈥檚 twice her size,鈥 Dr. Samstein says, 鈥渁nd he had plenty of liver to donate. As for matching, that process is much easier nowadays than it used to be. Contrary to a widespread misconception, it isn鈥檛 a 鈥榤iracle鈥 when two genetically unrelated people match. A significant majority of two randomly chosen people will turn out to be a match.鈥听
He goes on to explain that 富二代成版人app uses strict criteria for donors. Beyond a compatible blood type, donors need to be relatively young (under 59) and healthy, plus they need to be able to donate a sufficient portion of their liver. 鈥淏oth the donor and recipient need to be left with enough liver to function well over the long term.鈥听
DJ met all these criteria to a tee.听听
In January 2023, he underwent surgery to remove one-third of his liver via a minimally invasive laparoscopic approach鈥攁nother fairly recent advance in organ transplantation. And his wife received a portion of his liver almost immediately after his procedure.听
It took a while for the couple to bounce back. That鈥檚 to be expected, says Dr. Samstein, but 顿闯鈥檚 recovery was harder than he anticipated.听听
鈥淔or more than a month after my procedure, my energy was depleted,鈥 he says. 鈥泪 was regrowing my liver to its original size, and that takes energy. I took lots of walks to rebuild my strength. I was also warned not to lift anything that weighed more than 10 pounds, but that wasn鈥檛 easy with a 25-pound toddler in the house!鈥听
Asked whether he ever questioned the decision to donate part of his liver to his wife, his answer was 鈥渁bsolutely not. It was the best thing to do for her and for the family.鈥听
Predictably, Lauren would need to stay in the hospital a bit longer than her husband鈥2 weeks compared to one week for him. 鈥淒J is an athlete and a coach,鈥 she says, 鈥渁nd he coached me to keep moving. It makes a world of difference when you get up and move. It was the only way to get through it鈥攅specially my post-surgical back pain. You can鈥檛 use your abs after surgery, so my back muscles were working overtime to compensate. After a couple of weeks, though, I turned a huge corner.鈥听
Little Donovan was only 2 at the time of his parents鈥 procedures, and the young family couldn鈥檛 have managed without the help of 尝补耻谤别苍鈥檚 parents, who moved in, dealt with cooking and cleaning and played with their grandson鈥攁 special treat for all concerned.听
鈥泪 couldn鈥檛 love him more!鈥听
Through it all, DJ remains 尝补耻谤别苍鈥檚 rock, her rescuer and the love of her life.听听
Having long since recovered from their respective surgeries, they have both returned to work.听
Lauren works for an engineering firm, in charge of issuing work permits to companies responsible for construction and demolition. And DJ is a harbor pilot鈥攁 seaman with specific knowledge of dangerous or congested waterways who is able to coordinate traffic and dock ships safely.听听
The couple recently celebrated their 4th wedding anniversary, and they鈥檙e enjoying their lives to the hilt, spending plenty of time at the beach and feeling grateful to the surgeons and all the healthcare staff who took care of them at 富二代成版人app Medicine.听听
They鈥檙e also starting to think about having another child. But they鈥檒l need to wait for at least a year after 尝补耻谤别苍鈥s transplant. That鈥檚 the best way to ensure the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy for both mother and child.听
鈥淒J saved my life,鈥 she says. 鈥I couldn鈥檛 love him more!鈥听
To connect with the liver transplantation services team at 富二代成版人app, please visit here.