Liver Transplant

At age 16, I was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis. At the time, I didn't fully know what this meant, I mostly wanted to move on and continue living my life, status quo. I was later diagnosed with PSC and was told that at some point I would likely need a liver transplant. We figured much, much later in the future.

Fast forward a few years, I started developing more noticeable symptoms when I was around 22. Itching, fatigue, jaundice, etc. We explored all options over the span of a year or so and eventually was told I’d need a liver transplant. I was fortunate enough to be a candidate for live donation and with having a fairly low MELD score, live donation would likely be a much quicker route. My aunt, Dana, coordinated interest in donating from family and friends. I’m so grateful that people in my life would even consider such a thing.

After multiple rounds of testing and in a surprise turn of events, my Aunt Dana ended up being my perfect match! On June 19th, 2017 I received the liver transplant. It was a huge success. I stayed 10 nights in the hospital. There was one night, where I was incredibly constipated to the point where it hurt really, really bad. I took 7 enemas. After that I pooped all over the hospital floor. But hey, I pooped.

My Aunt Dana has fully recovered. She has a badass scar. She donated 2/3 of her liver and was told it had regrown back to its full size within 6 weeks. Pretty mindblowing. To this day, she's healthy and active.

I have since had some hiccups with some strictures but have mostly rebounded well. I’m able to stay very active and have completed multiple triathlons and marathons and aim to maximize my new life. Now, I want to give back. Using my interest in endurance sports and new lease on life, I organize events that bring our community together. My goal is to inspire and motivate folks currently going through or have already gone through, the transplant process to show what life post-transplant can look like. I also hope to inspire those who can, to consider live donation or become an organ donor.

In 2024, LiverMan 100 was born and repeated again in 2025. In 2026, we’re pivoting and bringing a similar style event, New Liver New York to New York City!

This wouldn't be complete without some thank you's. First, thank you to Aunt Dana for donating your liver and saving my life. Thank you to my partner, Maddie who supported me through and through, not excluding the hundreds of doctor's appointments and procedures that she's accompanied me to. Thanks to my family, my parents and brother and everyone else who wished good thoughts, came to procedures, checked-in, etc. Thanks to the doctors, surgeons, nurses, etc at UCHealth, for also saving my life (and for the drugs in the hospital). And thanks to all my friends who have supported me over the years. This new life wouldn't be possible without all of you.