In Sickness and in Health

Living donor liver transplant recipient and American Liver Foundation (ALF) patient advocate, Sally Lashway, met her husband and living liver donor, Tod in 1977 while attending Arizona State University. The two quickly fell in love and it was clear to anyone who knew them that they were destined to be together forever. After dating through college, Tod proposed to Sally on Valentine’s Day 1979. Sally said, “I married my college sweetheart and the love of my life, Tod, on April 12, 1980. Little did I know he would also save my life years later.”

Over the next 20 years, Tod and Sally raised two healthy daughters, led successful careers, and enjoyed a budding community and social life – that is until 2001, when Sally started feeling dizzy. Sally said, “September 11, 2001, is a significant day for many, but for me, it holds even more meaning; while the rest of America watched as our country fell under attack, I sat anxiously awaiting an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), to determine why my body was under attack. One week later, I was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare chronic liver disease that slowly damages the liver’s bile ducts and traps bile inside the liver. My doctor told me there is no cure and that I would most likely need a liver transplant in five to seven years. How could this be?! I’m an active, healthy, 43-year-old mother of two with a great job and way too many things left to do in life! When I asked my doctor for advice, his response was, live your life… WOW, that was abrupt, but then I realized he was right, and from there, I chose to live my life to the fullest each day. Tod was supportive and became very involved in my medical care. He attended as many doctors’ appointments as possible and did his own research about the disease and possible treatment options.

When Two Can Share One

Sally’s health remained stable for seven years, allowing her to continue working as a Child Development Specialist, remain active in the church and volunteer at the girls’ school. However, in 2008, Sally began experiencing increased symptoms of PSC, and the day finally came when her doctor told her she could no longer wait. It was time, Sally needed a lifesaving liver transplant.

Most liver transplant recipients in the U.S. receive a deceased donor liver, however the number of patients in need of a transplant significantly outweighs the number of deceased donors. Every year, there are people who die, or are removed from the waiting list because they’ve become too sick for surgery. Sally said, “my doctor went over all of the options with me, including living donor liver transplant, and as soon as I shared the idea with my husband, he didn’t even bat an eye before exclaiming, I want to do that! Of course, my immediate reaction was to say no – I mean, what if something went wrong and the girls lost both parents? However, in his research, he had read about living donor liver transplants and had already made the decision to do this if the opportunity ever presented itself, so in March 2008, my husband of 28 years and I began the living donor liver transplant process.”

Fast Facts about Living donor liver transplant:

Saves valuable time by reducing the risk of recipient’s liver condition worsening
Typically results in faster recovery and improved long-term outcomes for recipient
Allows time for donor, recipient and caregiver to plan/prepare for operation
Saves another life by allowing the next recipient on the list to receive a deceased donor liver.
Falls behind living kidney donation; OPTN data shows only 6% of liver transplants performed in 2023 came from living liver donors compared to 23% of kidney donations coming from living kidney donors.

Happily, Ever After

Sally said, “After both undergoing a week of intense medical testing and evaluations, we finally got the news… Tod was a match! WOW – talk about a flurry of emotions; what a miracle that my husband had the perfect liver for me!” On June 30, 2008, Tod selflessly and without hesitation donated 60% of his liver to his wife Sally, giving her a second chance at life, and showing just how strong true love really is. Sally said, “My husband was one of the first to visit me in ICU. I was told that he insisted on coming to see me the day after surgery and walked with assistance from his room one floor down; the next day he came down by himself.”

Tod and Sally embody the true meaning of, “love conquers all”. If you're looking for a living donor or are interested in becoming one, ALF’s Living Donor Liver Transplant Center includes education, resources and support services to help walk you through the process. Additionally, with the need for lifesaving liver transplants increasing nationwide, ALF hopes to help fill this crucial gap by launching a non-directed living donor (NDD) liver registry this year. By creating a NDD liver registry, ALF can help shorten the liver transplant wait list and help others find a match. Learn more about ALF and help us spread the love this month by visiting our website.