Latest news with #transplant
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Former MLB pitcher finds liver donor in high-school classmate he hadn't seen in 20 years
A man's Facebook plea for a liver donor attracted the attention of a high-school acquaintance he hadn't spoken to in 20 years. In April 2024, after experiencing appetite loss and losing 15 pounds in a month, Steven Register, 42, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, according to news agency SWNS. Doctors told the former MLB pitcher — who played for the Colorado Rockies in 2008 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009 — that a liver transplant was likely his best chance of survival. Man With Stage 4 Cancer Raises $150K For Experimental Treatment "When we first met with the doctors, they gave me a year to a year-and-a-half to live," Register said, adding that he and his wife, Beth, immediately started researching options. The couple traveled from Auburn, Alabama, to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where Register underwent surgery for a temporary ostomy bag and began chemotherapy, per the SWNS report. Read On The Fox News App Plans for the liver resection were canceled when doctors discovered the tumors were too large, which led the couple to consider a transplant. Register's wife created a Facebook group to search for a living liver donor, hoping someone would come forward in time. Kristin Johnston, a 40-year-old preschool teacher from Roswell, Georgia, saw the post and recognized Register as a former high-school classmate. The two had met in 1999 at Shaw High School in Columbus, Georgia, but hadn't spoken in over two decades. Alcohol-related Liver Transplants On The Rise Among Young Adults, Doctor Says "It was just so far out of left field," said Register, who couldn't believe it when Johnston volunteered to donate part of her liver. He added to SWNS, "I haven't seen or talked to her in over 20 years, and for her to reach out like that, it was just meant to be." Johnston said she started by doing a quick online search for live liver donation and discovered that blood type compatibility was the first step. "I just sent him a message," she said. "I said, 'Hey, what's your blood type?' and he said, 'I'm B positive.'" She responded, "Wait, that's mine, too," and offered, "I'll happily donate a lobe if I'm a match." Hiv-positive Transplants Now Permitted For Livers And Kidneys Johnston was later cleared as a match and received the confirmation on a meaningful day. "I got the news on Good Friday, of all days, that I was officially cleared as his liver donor," she said. The surgery, which is expected to take 12 to 14 hours, will involve removing 70% of Johnston's liver and transplanting it into Register, according to SWNS. Both her remaining liver and the donated portion will regenerate over time, giving both a second chance at health. "For her, she is ultimately giving him the gift of life — for him, a really fresh start in this journey," said Beth Register. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter Steven Register said he hoped that "once I get my liver with all the tumor and cancer out, I'll be cancer-free from there." The Register family — including children McKenzie (16), Blakely (14) and Brooks (8) — launched a fundraiser on SupportNow to help with travel, food and medical expenses. For more Health articles, visit Johnston and her husband Cody, 38, a real estate developer, have three kids of their own — Sawyer (9), Teddy (7) and Dahlia (4). Beth Register said she hopes their family's story raises awareness about the impact of living organ donation. "A lot of people don't realize that live donations, whether it be for livers or kidneys, are even an option," she said. She added that Johnston had been selfless from the start. The families believe fate had a hand in reconnecting them, per SWNS. "We just pray that God is opening all the right doors and that Kristin is the perfect donor for him," Beth Register said. "We just appreciate her being willing to put her life on pause to hopefully lengthen his life by many, many, many years."Original article source: Former MLB pitcher finds liver donor in high-school classmate he hadn't seen in 20 years
Fox News
3 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Former MLB pitcher finds liver donor in high-school classmate he hadn't seen in 20 years
A man's Facebook plea for a liver donor attracted the attention of a high-school acquaintance he hadn't spoken to in 20 years. In April 2024, after experiencing appetite loss and losing 15 pounds in a month, Steven Register, 42, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, according to SWNS. Doctors told the former MLB pitcher — who played for the Colorado Rockies in 2008 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009 — that a liver transplant was likely his best chance of survival. "When we first met with the doctors, they gave me a year to a year-and-a-half to live," Register said, adding that he and his wife, Beth, immediately started researching options. The couple traveled from Auburn, Alabama, to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where Register underwent surgery for a temporary ostomy bag and began chemotherapy, per the SWNS report. Plans for the liver resection were canceled when doctors discovered the tumors were too large, which led the couple to consider a transplant. Register's wife created a Facebook group to search for a living liver donor, hoping someone would come forward in time. Kristin Johnston, a 40-year-old preschool teacher from Roswell, Georgia, saw the post and recognized Register as a former high-school classmate. The two had met in 1999 at Shaw High School in Columbus, Georgia, but hadn't spoken in over two decades, SWNS reported. "It was just so far out of left field," said Register, who couldn't believe it when Johnston volunteered to donate part of her liver. He added, "I haven't seen or talked to her in over 20 years, and for her to reach out like that, it was just meant to be." Johnston said she started by doing a quick online search for live liver donation and discovered that blood type compatibility was the first step. "I just sent him a message," she said. "I said 'hey, what's your blood type?' and he said, 'I'm B positive.'" She responded, "Wait, that's mine too," and offered, "I'll happily donate a lobe if I'm a match." Johnston was later cleared as a match and received the confirmation on a meaningful day. "I got the news on Good Friday, of all days, that I was officially cleared as his liver donor," she said. The surgery, which is expected to take 12 to 14 hours, will involve removing 70% of Johnston's liver and transplanting it into Register, according to SWNS. Both her remaining liver and the donated portion will regenerate over time, giving both a second chance at health. "I got the news on Good Friday, of all days." "For her, she is ultimately giving him the gift of life — for him, a really fresh start in this journey," said Beth Register. Steven Register added, "Hopefully, once I get my liver with all the tumor and cancer out, I'll be cancer-free from there." The Register family — including children McKenzie (16), Blakely (14) and Brooks (8) — launched a fundraiser on SupportNow to help with travel, food and medical expenses. Johnston and her husband Cody, 38, a real estate developer, have three kids of their own — Sawyer (9), Teddy (7) and Dahlia (4). Beth Register said she hopes their family's story raises awareness about the impact of living organ donation. "A lot of people don't realize that live donations, whether it be for livers or kidneys, are even an option," she said. She added that Johnston has been selfless from the start. The families believe fate had a hand in reconnecting them, per SWNS. "We just pray that God is opening all the right doors and that Kristin is the perfect donor for him." "We just pray that God is opening all the right doors and that Kristin is the perfect donor for him," Beth Register said. For more Health articles, visit She continued, "We just appreciate her being willing to put her life on pause to hopefully lengthen his life by many, many, many years."
CTV News
3 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Community rallies to help child facing transplant
Northern Ontario Watch West Nipissing is rallying around a local family whose child was born with a rare kidney disease and needs to undergo a transplant soon.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Pitt quarterback shaves head in show of support for multi-organ transplant patient
Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein made a special visit to UPMC Children's Hospital on Friday. And, he left with a new haircut. Holstein was visiting Julia Espinosa, a multi-organ transplant patient. She lost most of her hair in recovery and decided to shave her head, and Holstein did the same in a show of support. Advertisement 'It's something that's a big stepping stone in her treatment and process getting better, and we just wanted to come out to her and help her and I obviously wanted to show her that she's not alone,' Holstein said. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
CTV News
4 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
‘Just blown away': West Nipissing community rallies around young boy with rare kidney disease
The community of West Nipissing will be coming together to 'Walk for Noah' in two weeks. The little boy and his mother have been living in the Ronald McDonald House in Toronto for the past year so he can receive treatment while they wait for a kidney transplant. The community of West Nipissing is rallying around a local family with a nearly 3-year-old child who was born with a rare kidney disease and needs to undergo a transplant soon. Noah Menard and his mother have been living at the Ronald McDonald House in Toronto for nearly a year for daily treatment. When Noah was born, he was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease called Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). It's a rare genetic disorder that affects 1 in 20,000 children. It hasn't been easy for his family, who is originally from West Nipissing and later moved to Timmins. At just five weeks old, Noah had his first kidney removed and then the second over a year later. 'Everyone knows Noah in the whole hospital and at the Ronald McDonald House,' smiled his mom Heidi Menard. 'He is just so happy despite everything and that's amazing.' Noah relies on hemodialysis treatment at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. Doctors have advised the family he won't qualify for a kidney transplant for another year or so until his vessels grow larger. 'This is literally life-saving treatment for Noah,' Heidi said. 'He has zero urine output. I find a lot of times people don't understand that without kidneys, you don't pee.' So, to help cover medical supplies and living expenses, Noah's grandmother Audrey Menard is organizing a community walk for him on June 14. 'All I've seen is an outpour of empathy and compassion,' said Menard of how the community has come together in a bid to help Noah. The walk is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. at 175 Ethel St. The entry is $20 per participant. It will go on rain or shine. The community has started to rally around the young boy and his family. Just last week, some students from École secondaire publique Nipissing Ouest were out going door-to-door collecting donations to give to the family. Local businesses have also been stepping up in support with their own charity raffles to raise money. Charlene Bolduc, the owner of Sturgeon Falls Printing on King Street, has made flyers and hung them around town and she's even designed special t-shirts for sale. 'My kids are actually the ones that say we should make some kind of t-shirt and I said, 'That's a wonderful idea,'' she recalled. 'So, from all the t-shirts that we make and sell, all the proceeds go to Noah's family.' There's still a long journey ahead for Noah. Once he qualifies for a transplant, he will be put on the list to find a donor, which could take months. Then after surgery, Noah will likely remain at SickKids for a few months for follow-up care. Heidi estimates she'll be at the Ronald McDonald House for at least two years until all is said and done. But, she knows who there's a town who's got her back every step of the way. 'We're definitely just blown away by all of the support,' she said. 'I just feel so, so blessed.'
