“George Rogers considers himself one blessed man after receiving a life-saving gift from a stranger: a liver.
“It’s kind of like a gift from heaven. It really is,” he says.
Rogers was diagnosed with liver failure in November of 2018.
“It’s devastating. Absolutely devastating,” he says.
He struggled with mental clarity.
“Liver failure caused fluid to where my abdomen would swell up with as much as three gallons in there,” he says. “I had terrible fatigue.”
Doctors told him he needed a transplant.
It’s a struggle familiar to many in the Central Valley.
According to Donor Network West, there are 1,566 people waiting for a kidney transplant in the Central Valley (Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare Counties).
There are 137 people waiting for a liver transplant.
Rogers’ nephew, Casey Rogers, offered to help.
“He’s been there since day one,” Rogers says.
Casey’s sister, began researching options.
They tried Stanford.
Then UCSF, which at one point scheduled a transplant surgery for December, realized Casey’s blood type wasn’t a match for Rogers and the surgery was canceled.
“We’d have a down day, pick ourselves up, and get started the following week to find another alternative,” Rogers says.
Eventually, they were led to Weill Cornell Medical Center, part of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
“Everything was set. We had another surgery date—April 24th,” Rogers says.
Then COVID-19, changed everything……..”
View the whole story here: https://kmph.com/news/local/fresno-man-receives-liver-transplant-in-four-person-live-donor-swap