Indiana family raises awareness about the need for liver donations

INDIANAPOLIS— On Tuesday afternoon, Rebecca and Caitlyn Warner are back at IU Health University Hospital. A year ago their lives changed.

“She’s my hero and she will always be my hero, not just my daughter-in-law,” said Rebecca Warner.

In February 2022, Rebecca found out she was in end stage liver failure. She also had Cirrhosis, which is permanent scarring that damages your liver and interferes with its function, it had gotten worse.

Rebecca was put on the national transplant list but told she had a very slim chance to get one.

“My symptoms were getting worse but they weren’t at the critical point so I could have been on there for five to seven years maybe even longer,” said Rebecca.

Right now there are 162 people in the IU Health System waiting for a transplant. There are 10,500 people on the waitlist in the United States.

“Keep in mind that mortality of the people on the waitlist is between 15 and 20 percent,” said Dr. Plamen Mihaylov, a transplant surgeon at IU Health.

Warner Family

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Rebecca’s best option was a living donor, and Caitlyn decided she would get tested.

“I said I want to get tested, I have this gut feeling,” said Caitlyn.

Caitlyn was a perfect match and they went through the procedure last October. Now they want to raise awareness and urge others to be donors.

“I would hope it would give somebody hope. I needed hope back then,” said Rebecca.

“For a few weeks of me being down she gets to live a lot longer life now,” said Cailtyn.

WRTV

To be a liver donor you need to be between 18 and 60 years old, be in good health, and have no liver disease.