[NotiAMCA] Leo's Transplant
Victorio E. Sonzogni
sonzogni@intec.unl.edu.ar
Wed, 10 Mar 2004 09:29:49 -0300
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------010909020803070709040401
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----- Original Message -----
From: IACM <mailto:iacm@cimne.upc.es>
To: Todos@co2.cimne.upc.es <mailto:Todos@co2.cimne.upc.es>
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 2:53 PM
Subject: Leo's Transplant
Dear Colleagues,
=20
I have been requested by Prof. Tom Hughes to disseminate this note=20
requiring help towards a liver transplant needed by Prof. Leo Franca, a=20
professor in the University of University of Colorado at Denver and a=20
distinguished member of the computational methods community.
=20
Should you be able to help in any way, I kindly ask you to contact Prof. =
Hughes directly at tjr_hughes@hotmail.com=20
<mailto:tjr_hughes@hotmail.com>, hughes@ices.utexas.edu
=20
Many thanks for your cooperation.
=20
Eugenio O=F1ate
Universitat Polit=E8cnica de Catalunya
Edificio C-1, Campus Norte UPC
Gran Capitan, s/n
08034 Barcelona, Spain
e-mail: onate@cimne.upc.es <mailto:onate@cimne.upc.es>
www.cimne.upc.es <http://www.cimne.upc.es>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Everybody,
=20
This is a very touchy issue that I have been avoiding to have to deal=20
with; however the time has arrived and there is no time anymore to delay =
it.
=20
As you all know Leo has a couple of genetic diseases (Hemocromatosis and =
Borderline for Wilson's disease), that caused autoimmune Hepatitis C and =
Cirrhosis, which affected mainly his liver, leading him a need for a=20
liver transplant. He has been seen on a monthly basis by the Department=20
of Hepatology at the University of Colorado Hospital since May of last=20
year. Since then Leo has been gradually getting worse -- he had his=20
gallbladder removed last October, and almost cannot work anymore. He was =
officially placed in the waiting list (Regional and National) for a=20
cadaver liver transplant on December 3rd.=20
=20
The way things work nowadays in US a candidate to a cadaver liver=20
transplant needs to have a MELD (Model for End Stage Liver Disease) of=20
at least 20, yet may have to wait if there are other people ahead of=20
him/her with the same blood type. The MELD is a Mathematical calculation =
based on the person's Creatinine (Kidney's functions), INR (time of=20
blood coagulation), and Bilirubin (how yellowish the person is). Leo's=20
MELD right now is 15; however since he has a couple of other things=20
going on, his liver's functioning level is of 8% -- as of February 17=20
when he had his last appointment and tests done.
=20
On that occasion, the medical transplant team told us to really consider =
a live liver transplant and see if we could get a friend or relative=20
that would be willing to donate 1/2 of his/her liver because despite the =
fact that Leo's condition is very serious right now, the waiting time=20
for them to have a liver that would match his blood type would be of 1=20
to 1 1/2 years, and he does not think Leo is able to bear not even 6=20
months...
=20
I immediately stepped in and offered myself! However, I was totally=20
denied on the basis that we have two small children and legally do not=20
have anybody here in US that could, or would "assume" (including driving =
to and from school) the kids during my hospitalization and recovery proce=
ss.
=20
The Hepatology Department at CU has been doing live liver donor=20
transplants since 1963 and has never had a case of death from the donor=20
nor from the recipient's part since 1996 -- they are considered 1st in=20
US. Normally, private insurance companies pay for all of the donor's=20
pre, during and after surgery treatment, and ours is no different -- we=20
would be willing to pay for traveling and lodging (in case of an=20
overseas or out of state candidate) expenses. The candidate needs to be=20
from 18 to 55 years old, have an A or O Blood type (factor is not an=20
issue), be overall healthy, have never had an abdomen surgery nor any=20
hepatic diseases and be of the same body type (height and weigh) as Leo. =
Preliminary blood tests could be done at the donor's town, but form then =
on the Hepatology Transplant Team would handle all the screenings and=20
informative meetings at the University Hospital here in Denver - it=20
takes 3 days for the donor to be totally screened and 4 more to be a=20
hundred per cent accepted by the team. Surgery time is estimated in 5=20
hours to remove 1/2 of the donor's liver and transplant it to the=20
recipient. Recovery time for the donor is about 3 days in the hospital,=20
when his/her liver would have regenerated to its previous size, and 2=20
weeks for fully recovery since it is a major surgery.
You may find much more information at the CU Hepatology Department Web=20
Site: http://uch.uchsc.edu/sotx, or call Barb Fey, Hepatology Nurse=20
Specialist and Transplant Coordinator at 303-372-8857, for a preliminary =
screening.
=20
Even though, I am sending this e-mail to a lot of people, please take it =
as a desperate plea to save my husband's life, and do not feel, in any=20
way, compromised to even answer it. This is a very delicate situation=20
not only for me to ask you, but also for you to have to comply with it.=20
I totally understand how private and serious this issue is and how much=20
considerations would have to be taken - I would never hold any of you=20
responsible into solving this "mystery" and test that God is putting us=20
through. I still have lots of Faith in Him and somehow know that it will =
come to a happy end.
=20
With all my care to all of you,
=20
Lucia Franca
Phone: 303-464-9940
E-mail: luciabr@aol.com <mailto:luciabr@aol.com>
=20
=20
P.S.: I am sorry if wrote only in English when I am e-mailing to=20
Brazilians too. It is somehow easier for me now to write in English - I=20
get less emotional, and I am sure that you would all understand...
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Original Message -----
<div
style="background: rgb(228, 228, 228) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial;"><b>From:</b>
<a title="iacm@cimne.upc.es" href="mailto:iacm@cimne.upc.es">IACM</a> </div>
<div><b>To:</b> <a title="Todos@co2.cimne.upc.es"
href="mailto:Todos@co2.cimne.upc.es">Todos@co2.cimne.upc.es</a> </div>
<div><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, March 09, 2004 2:53 PM</div>
<div><b>Subject:</b> Leo's Transplant</div>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><font face="Book Antiqua">Dear Colleagues,</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Book Antiqua">I have been requested by Prof. Tom
Hughes to disseminate this note requiring help towards a liver
transplant needed by Prof. Leo Franca, a professor in the University
of University of Colorado at Denver and a distinguished member of the
computational methods community. </font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Book Antiqua">Should you be able to help in any way, I
kindly ask you to contact Prof. Hughes directly at </font><a
href="mailto:tjr_hughes@hotmail.com"><font face="Book Antiqua">tjr_hughes@hotmail.com</font></a><font
face="Book Antiqua">, <u><font color="#0000ff"><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:hughes@ices.utexas.edu">hughes@ices.utexas.edu</a></font></u><br>
</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Book Antiqua">Many thanks for your cooperation.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Book Antiqua">Eugenio Oñate</font></div>
<div><font face="Book Antiqua">Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya<br>
Edificio C-1, Campus Norte UPC<br>
Gran Capitan, s/n<br>
08034 Barcelona, Spain<br>
e-mail: <a href="mailto:onate@cimne.upc.es">onate@cimne.upc.es</a><br>
<a href="http://www.cimne.upc.es">www.cimne.upc.es</a></font></div>
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Hi Everybody,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">This is a very touchy
issue that I
have been avoiding to have to deal with; however the time has arrived
and there
is no time anymore to delay it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">As you all know Leo has a
couple of
genetic diseases (Hemocromatosis and Borderline for Wilson's disease),
that caused autoimmune Hepatitis C and Cirrhosis, which affected
mainly his liver, leading him a need for a liver transplant. He has
been seen
on a monthly basis by the Department of Hepatology at the University of
Colorado Hospital since May of last year. Since then Leo has been
gradually getting worse -- he had his gallbladder removed last October,
and
almost cannot work anymore. He was officially placed in the waiting
list
(Regional and National) for a cadaver liver transplant on December
3rd. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">The way things work
nowadays in US a
candidate to a cadaver liver transplant needs to have a MELD (Model for
End
Stage Liver Disease) of at least 20, yet may have to wait if there are
other
people ahead of him/her with the same blood type. The MELD is a
Mathematical
calculation based on the person's Creatinine (Kidney's functions), INR
(time of
blood coagulation), and Bilirubin (how yellowish the person is). Leo's
MELD
right now is 15; however since he has a couple of other things going
on, his
liver's functioning level is of 8% -- as of February 17 when he had his
last
appointment and tests done. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">On that occasion, the
medical
transplant team told us to really consider a live liver transplant and
see if
we could get a friend or relative that would be willing to donate 1/2
of
his/her liver because despite the fact that Leo's condition is very
serious
right now, the waiting time for them to have a liver that would match
his blood
type would be of 1 to 1 1/2 years, and he does not think Leo is able to
bear
not even 6 months...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">I immediately stepped in
and offered
myself! However, I was totally denied on the basis that we have two
small
children and legally do not have anybody here in US that could, or
would
"assume" (including driving to and from school) the kids during my
hospitalization
and recovery process.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">The Hepatology Department
at CU has
been doing live liver donor transplants since 1963 and has never had a
case of
death from the donor nor from the recipient's part since 1996 -- they
are
considered 1st in US. Normally, private insurance companies pay for all
of the
donor's pre, during and after surgery treatment, and ours is no
different -- we
would be willing to pay for traveling and lodging (in case of an
overseas or
out of state candidate) expenses. The candidate needs to be from 18 to
55 years
old, have an <strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">A</span></strong>
or <strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">O </span></strong>Blood
type (factor is not an
issue), be overall healthy, have never had an abdomen surgery nor any
hepatic
diseases and be of the same body type (height and weigh) as Leo.
Preliminary
blood tests could be done at the donor's town, but form then on the
Hepatology Transplant Team would handle all the screenings and
informative
meetings at the University Hospital here in Denver - it takes 3 days
for the
donor to be totally screened and 4 more to be a hundred per cent
accepted by
the team. Surgery time is estimated in 5 hours to remove 1/2 of the
donor's
liver and transplant it to the recipient. Recovery time for the donor
is about
3 days in the hospital, when his/her liver would have regenerated to
its
previous size, and 2 weeks for fully recovery since it is a major
surgery. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">You may find much more
information
at the CU Hepatology Department Web Site: <a
href="http://uch.uchsc.edu/sotx">http://uch.uchsc.edu/sotx</a>,
or call Barb Fey, Hepatology Nurse Specialist and Transplant
Coordinator at
303-372-8857, for a preliminary screening.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Even though, I am sending
this
e-mail to a lot of people, please take it as a desperate plea to save
my
husband's life, and do not feel, in any way, compromised to even answer
it.
This is a very delicate situation not only for me to ask you, but also
for you
to have to comply with it. I totally understand how private and
serious this issue is and how much considerations would have to be
taken - I would never hold any of you responsible into solving this
"mystery" and test that God is putting us through. I still have lots
of Faith in Him and somehow know that it will come to a happy end.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">With all my care to all
of you,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <span style="">
</span>Lucia Franca<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Phone: 303-464-9940<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">E-mail: <a
href="mailto:luciabr@aol.com">luciabr@aol.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 38.25pt 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">P.S.: I am sorry if
wrote only in
English when I am e-mailing to Brazilians too. It is somehow easier for
me now to write in English – I get less emotional, and I am sure that
you
would all understand...</span>
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