Benefits of living donor transplants
team consisting of physicians, surgeons,
and psychologists reviews applicants
to ensure that donors understand the
ramifications of volunteering for a
major surgery that can last five to seven
hours. “There’s a whole team to make
sure that they’re cleared to donate in
every fashion, and that throughout the
process they’re still comfortable with
this decision,” she says.
Mrs. Young didn’t have to wait
long to get the word. “Within a week
they assured me I was a match and I
could be her donor. My family was
excited, but they also knew I was
putting myself at risk,” she says. She
says she had a premonition after the first
meeting with the Baylor Scott &White
transplant team that she would be her
sister’s donor. “I was pretty sure it was
going to be me,” she says. “I would be
the match.”
Dual surgeries, and
transplant success
In March of 2015, Mrs. Barcak
received a portion of her sister’s liver
and was finally put on the road to
recovery. Their dual surgery was the
33rd living donor liver transplant
performed at Baylor University Medical
Center – Dallas.
Dr. Testa and Peter Kim, MD,
performed the surgery on Mrs. Young,
while Dr. Anthony performed the
surgery on Mrs. Barcak. A visit from Dr.
Anthony the night before the surgery
meant a lot to Mrs. Barcak. “We were
just sitting there like two teenage girls
at a slumber party, and she just talked
Transplant may be
performed before
a patient’s health
worsens
Shorter
waiting
time
The process can take
just a few weeks,
instead of months
or more waiting for
a deceased donor
organ. The American
Transplant Foundation
estimates that more
than 1,500 people
die each year while
waiting for a deceased
donor organ.
“Being able to set the date of the transplant
helps us ensure that the patient is healthy
enough for surgery at the time,” says Nance
Conney, director of transplant and mechanical
circulatory support at Scott & White Memorial
Hospital in Temple.
Lower
rejection
rates
Because there’s more time to plan for a living
donor organ transplant, additional patient tests
can be administered to ensure the best match
possible for a compatible organ.
A living donor organ typically remains healthier
for a longer period of time, compared to a
deceased donor organ. The living donor organ
can begin to function immediately after its
transplant, without delay caused by a prolonged
lack of blood supply during transport.
to me, not like a typical doctor,” Lacy
recalled. “It made it very, very easy. It
made me very comfortable.”
Surgeries for a living donor
transplant take place in side-by-side
operating rooms, in part to X\