Man's need for liver draws organ donation into focus for family

GERING -- Becky Derr said she and her husband, Steve, thought about organ transplants only once every four years -- when they renewed their driver's licenses.

Organ transplants have now taken on much more importance for the couple, as Steve needs a liver transplant to fight the cancer doctors discovered in August.

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Becky said the Nebraska Organ Recovery System is well below average in the country for recovering organs for transplantation. If a person were to donate his or her eyes, heart, lungs, pancreas, liver, kidneys or skin, he or she can help about a dozen different people, she said.

"We would just like people to know how much they could be helping another family with their organs that they wouldn't need anymore after dying," Becky said.

Becky said people wishing to donate their organs need to let their families know of their wishes. "People can sign the back of their driver's licenses to become an organ donor, but if they were to die and their families didn't want to donate their organs, they would have the final say, not their driver's license," Derr said.

"I feel that if the decision is made ahead of time, then it would be easier," she said. "People who donate their organs would be giving somebody a great gift -- a gift of life."

Becky said her husband needs a liver transplant to survive the rare form of cancerous tumors found on his liver. "The only treatment for this is a liver transplant," Becky said.

Becky said Steve's original "MELD" transplant score of 8 (taking into consideration general health and lab values) put him low on the transplant list. "They don't do transplants until the score is between 20 and 30," Becky said.

"His score would never get that high on his own, because, fortunately, he feels fine and is asymptomatic," she said.

The National Transplant Committee authorized an "exception" to the scoring rule, and with a new score of 25, Steve has been cleared for a transplant, Becky said.

Becky said if Steve does not receive a cadaver liver by Jan. 19, his sister, Janet Weiss of Franklin, plans to donate a lobe of her liver.

Becky said Janet's liver will regenerate almost to full capacity within the first two weeks after surgery, and Steve's transplanted lobe will regenerate to almost 80 percent of the size of his liver within six months.

"We are lucky that Steve has siblings who all have the same blood type and are willing to risk their lives to save their brother's," Becky said.

Becky said they are also fortunate to have the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which is the second leading facility in the nation for liver transplants.

Becky said she and her family appreciate the financial and emotional support of friends and family. "We are very lucky that we have such great friends and family supporting us during this very difficult time," Becky said.