Living Donation

I've had a few questions about this and thought it was worth sharing some details. Here is a link at Children's http://transplant.seattlechildrens.org/liver/liver_organ_donation.asp

And another
http://www.transplantliving.org/livingdonation/facts/

Mario could receive either a deseased or living donor liver. He requires an O+ donor. Israel is O+ and I am not, so he is getting tested. The testing process is extensive and takes some time. It is managed through UW in partnership with Children's...so two great hospitals working on it. They look at a variety of things from size appropriateness (they usually take the left lobe) to health of the donor and eventually do detailed ultrasounds, etc. to make sure the right arteries, ducts, etc. are going to fit/match (I'm no doctor so I'm speaking a bit beyond my understanding now).

If Israel is not a match, we can continue to send potential donors, one at a time, until we find a matching donor. I have a 15+ page questionaire/consent form from UW Medical that outlines the process, gathers info on a potential donor, etc. I'm happy to share it with anyone who wants more detail.