LIVER TRANSPLANT
I had always wanted to be a nurse,
and now my goal is to graduate
from nursing school and work as
a member of the transplant team.
“Initially, I received steroids that helped with
the inflammation,” recalled Allen, a 40-year-old
single mother who lives in Rockwall with her son.
“Unfortunately, back then there was no treatment
for the autoimmune issue. In my 20s, I started
taking an anti-rejection medication to block my
immune system from attacking my liver. But,
when my hair started falling out, I stopped
the treatment.”
Over the years, Allen’s gastroenterologist
monitored her condition. When her health began
to worsen, she was referred to a liver specialist
at Baylor Dallas, who then sent her to the
Baylor Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons
Transplant Institute.
“I knew a liver transplant was always a possibility,
but I didn’t expect it so soon,” said Allen. “I was
scared, devastated and hopeful at the same time.
My family posted my story that I was eligible for
a living donor on Facebook. A long-time family
12
acquaintance in Michigan called and asked if
she could be tested to see if she was a match.
Two months later, my donor and I were at
Baylor preparing for the transplant.”
Allen tearfully recalls walking through the hospital
doors the morning of her transplant, surrounded
by her own family, and meeting the donor and
her family. After five days in the hospital, Allen
went home to recover. She and her donor have
remained close — their families have even taken
a beach vacation together. Today, she has regained
her strength and stamina and feels like a whole
new person.
“I feel blessed to have found the transplant team
at Baylor,” said Allen. “I can’t imagine trusting
my health or my life to anyone else. They do an
amazing job. They’ve given me a new outlook on
life. I had always wanted to be a nurse, and now
my goal is to graduate from nursing school and
work as a member of the transplant t