When she was looking for a living liver donor, she set up a Facebook page. After receiving her transplant in February 2024, the local paper published a story about her. And now, her concerned co-workers continue to ask how she’s doing.
But Jo doesn’t mind—she’s just grateful that she received the care she needed at University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. “I felt very supported by the staff at the hospital,” she said. “I think I nominated about four nurses and a couple of CNAs (certified nursing assistants) for the Daisy Award (a nursing honor).”
Jo has battled digestive tract and abdominal issues for most of her life. As a child she had autoimmune hepatitis, a chronic liver disease. About 25 years ago she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease. In 2015, she learned she had primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic liver disease that causes inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts.
Still, she says, “I’ve lived a full life. My health problems have never stopped me from doing anything.”
Her health did, however, start slowing her down after 2017, when she had her colon removed because of a tumor. That started a chain of events that caused her to become sicker from PSC. She was placed on the wait list for a liver transplant in January 2021. At the same time, she started looking for a living donor via Facebook.
For some patients, one challenging aspect of waiting for a deceased liver donor is that even though their liver is sick, depending on the severity of their liver disease, some patients must wait longer for others for transplant. This is one reason why Jo was seeking a living donor. “I wasn’t well, but I was just kind of hanging in there,” said Jo. “I wasn’t moving up on the list very fast.”
Jo continued working in her home office until the day she received a call that a deceased donor liver had become available, ending her three-year wait. “My employer, Mile Bluff Medical Center, was very supportive that entire time,” she said.
As Jo waited in the hospital for her surgery to begin, her family stepped out for a short time. It was during that time that she was called back to the operating room, but her caregivers assured her they would delay the surgery until her family could see her to wish her luck. “I thought that was exceptional care,” she said. “You don’t see that a lot.”
Jo was in the hospital for just nine days after the surgery. “Even though I had my stomach opened up, I still felt better after surgery than I did before,” she said.
In the coming months, she experienced some complications, but by summer, she was able to go on vacation and enjoy her favorite hobby of hiking.
Now she spends each day incredibly thankful for the opportunity that a generous donor gave her. “I’m very grateful for the chance to be here,” she said. “I’m not sure I would have been otherwise.”