{"id":68035,"date":"2023-01-31T16:10:34","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T23:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=68035"},"modified":"2025-12-31T08:11:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T15:11:21","slug":"double-living-donor-kidney-and-liver-transplant-saves-former-olympic-ski-jumper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/double-living-donor-kidney-and-liver-transplant-saves-former-olympic-ski-jumper\/","title":{"rendered":"First double living-donor kidney and liver transplant in the Rocky Mountain region saves life of former Olympic ski jumper"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_68094\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68094\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-68094 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/28153328\/westby1997-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Former Olympic ski jumper Randy Weber received the first double living-donor kidney and liver transplant in the Rocky Mountain region. In this photo, Randy is jumping during an international competition in Wisconsin. Photo by Bob Keck, courtesy of Randy Weber. \" width=\"800\" height=\"634\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68094\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former Olympic ski jumper, Randy Weber, received the first double living-donor kidney and liver transplant in the Rocky Mountain region. In this photo, Randy jumps during an international competition in Wisconsin in 1997. Photo by Bob Keck, courtesy of Randy Weber.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Olympic ski jumper felt utterly calm as he stood on long skis at the top of a 300-foot-tower.<\/p>\n<p>He breathed deeply, then took off, reaching 55 miles per hour as he flew through the air for several seconds over the length of a football field.<\/p>\n<p>Randy Weber learned ski jumping in his hometown of Steamboat Springs. He started skiing at age 3 and soon was bombing down race courses. But ski racing didn\u2019t give Randy enough of an adrenaline rush. So when he was just 6, he followed his older brother over to Howelsen Hill, Steamboat\u2019s famous downtown ski jump training center that has helped this northern Colorado town clinch the record for the <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/sports\/steamboat-springs-the-land-of-100-olympians\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">most winter Olympians \u2014\u00a0100 and counting<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI loved it instantly. There was no fear,\u201d Randy said. \u201cIt\u2019s as unique a sport as you will find. It\u2019s the most fun you can ever have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By age 13, he was traveling internationally to compete. He was just 16 when he competed in his first Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway in 1994. At the time, he was one of the youngest winter Olympians. He competed in his second Olympics at age 20 in 1998 in Nagano, Japan.<\/p>\n<p>Randy won five national ski jumping titles and in his top international finish, clinched sixth place at a 1995 World Cup event in Predazzo, Italy.<\/p>\n<p>During competitions in stunning mountain villages around the world, Randy never got nervous.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, at pivotal moments, serenity enveloped him.<\/p>\n<p>Decades later, when a rare disease destroyed Randy\u2019s kidney and liver, he had to succumb to a rare double organ transplant in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, much like their patient as he prepared to fly off a ski jump, Randy\u2019s transplant doctors had prepared extensively and were calm and focused as they performed the first double living-donor kidney and liver transplant that ever had been done in the Rocky Mountain region.<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-youtube su-u-responsive-media-yes\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WfqiqTJ1Beg?mute=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture\" title=\"Three Chickens for a Liver | Randy Weber | Harry Mack x UCHealth | Ep. 029\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/elizabeth-pomfret\/\">Dr. Elizabeth Pomfret<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/james-pomposelli\/\">Dr. James Pomposelli<\/a>, the married doctors leading the complex procedure, had met on the school bus back in high school, had trained and worked together for decades and had done six previous double living-donor kidney and liver organ transplants when they worked in Boston.<\/p>\n<p>So, the former Olympian was in very good hands. You might say that the Olympians of transplant surgeries were taking care of him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of risk associated with a transplant like this,\u201d said Pomfret, <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/som.cuanschutz.edu\/Profiles\/Faculty\/Profile\/24371\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">chief of transplant surgery<\/a> at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital-uch\/\">UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith two living donors, we have to cross-match all three people. It\u2019s very complicated. You have surgeries staggered throughout the day,\u201d Pomfret said. \u201cBut Randy was the right candidate. He had a tremendous social support system and great friends and relatives who stepped up to donate to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Randy\u2019s two donors were his older brother, Geol Weber, who gave Randy one of his kidneys, and a friend, Kelly Williams, a veteran who fought with the Marines in Iraq and provided a large portion of her liver.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo donate an organ is an absolutely extraordinary thing,\u201d Pomfret said. \u201cThey were all totally committed to doing this. You don\u2019t get a better example of the decency of human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68092\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68092\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-68092 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/28153320\/Transplant-trio-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Kelly Williams, left, donated a large portion of her liver to her friend, Randy Weber, center. Randy's brother, Geol, right, donated one of his kidneys. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.\" width=\"800\" height=\"540\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68092\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kelly Williams, left, joined the Marines at 17 and fought in Iraq. Dedicated to service, she immediately stepped up to donate a large portion of her liver to her friend, Randy Weber, center. Randy&#8217;s brother, Geol, right, a middle-school social students teacher, donated one of his kidneys. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>In the midst of the pandemic, former Olympian&#8217;s kidneys, then his liver started failing<\/h2>\n<p>Back in 2016, a strange rash appeared on Randy\u2019s body. At first, he thought he was having a reaction to a chemical at work. Following his retirement from ski jumping in his early 20s, Randy and a friend from Steamboat opened a garage southwest of Denver where they worked on specialty cars. He has a special affection for Porsches.<\/p>\n<p>What appeared to be a skin problem wasn\u2019t a skin problem at all. Instead, blood vessels under Randy\u2019s skin were popping and causing bruises all over his body. A dermatologist urged Randy to go to an ER. That\u2019s where he learned that he had a rare condition known as Henoch-Schonlein Purpura Vasculitis or HSP. The disease is more common in children than adults, but can be more severe in adults. It can also cause kidney disease.<\/p>\n<p>Randy had to go on steroids and other medications that wiped out his immune system. For a time, the drugs kept his HSP under control, and Randy did well.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68090\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68090\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68090\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/28153148\/Randy-with-ski-and-helmet-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Former Olympic ski jumper, Randy Weber, poses with one of his old skis, a helmet and an Olympic jacket. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68090\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former Olympic ski jumper, Randy Weber, poses with one of his old skis, a helmet and an Olympic jacket. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Then in the fall of 2020, he started getting pounding migraine headaches. He was exhausted at work and his lower body was swelling. Because of the pandemic, Randy avoided going to the doctor. Then in early 2021, he saw his doctor and immediately had to be hospitalized. His blood pressure was dangerously high. He was on the verge of a stroke, and his kidneys were failing.<\/p>\n<p>Randy soon learned he was going to need a new kidney. A couple of weeks later, he had to face even more alarming news: his liver was failing too.<\/p>\n<p>That meant he was going to need a double organ transplant.<\/p>\n<p>In Randy\u2019s words, the doctors basically told him this: \u201cWe can\u2019t give you a good kidney when you have a bad liver. So, you need a liver too.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Always fiercely independent, he would need to beg friends and family to consider donating a kidney and liver<\/h2>\n<p>Being sick is lousy for everyone. Coping with a chronic illness is especially hard for a person who once counted on his body to deliver world-class results.<\/p>\n<p>To keep Randy alive, doctors started telling him what he could and couldn\u2019t do, and that was no fun.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hate following directions, have very little patience and I like to be in control,\u201d said Randy, who is just as famous for his wry sense of humor as he is for his ski jumping.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, being in control worked well when he excelled in an individual sport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m a terrible team player,\u201d Randy said. \u201cI loved my teammates. We would have done anything for each other. But none of us ever wanted to lose to the other.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68218\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68218\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68218\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/31155035\/RAWNagano-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Randy Weber competing at the Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Photo courtesy of Randy Weber.\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68218\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Randy Weber competing at the Olympics in Nagano, Japan in 1998. Photo courtesy of Randy Weber.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Worse still, Randy soon learned that it would be almost impossible for him to get two organs from a deceased donor. A revelation hit him. This independent guy, who hated asking for help and had run his own business for 18 years, was going to have to beg people to save his life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew if I didn\u2019t find my own donors, my future amounted to years and years of dialysis and diminishing health. Doctors don\u2019t really give you the \u2018You\u2019re going to die\u2019 speech, but they\u2019d say, \u2018You should really start asking people for the organs. You need to help yourself.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to being wickedly funny, Randy is wickedly honest about the ordeal he has endured.<\/p>\n<p>He describes the hunt for donors like this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a very difficult thing to start discussing. It\u2019s such a huge ask. But once you crack the seal, it\u2019s really easy. You just say, \u2018Can I have part of your body please?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>His brother, a teacher and lifelong partner in crime, had same blood type and donated a kidney<\/h2>\n<p>One of Randy\u2019s first asks was of his older brother, Geol (pronounced Joel), whom Randy fondly calls \u201cHole.\u201d That nickname relates to a crazy story when the brothers were young and broke. They were in Scotland and wanted to visit the famous castle in Inverness on Loch Ness. But they didn\u2019t want to pay the admission fee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe walked around the back and decided to scale the walls,\u201d Geol said.<\/p>\n<p>Their \u201cstorm the castle\u201d moment is memorialized in a photo of Geol trying to come through a hole in the castle.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68083\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68083\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-68083 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/28153110\/Brothers-laughing-tiny-1.webp\" alt=\"Former Olympic ski jumper, Randy Weber, received the first double live-donor kidney and liver transplant in the Rocky Mountain region. His older brother, Geol (right) donated one of his kidneys to Randy. \" width=\"800\" height=\"648\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68083\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Randy and Geol Weber love to rib each other and play practical jokes. When Randy, left, needed an organ transplant, Geol stepped up to help. Geol, who works as a teacher, donated one of his kidneys. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>These days, Geol is teaching kids about history instead of making it himself. He\u2019s an 8<sup>th<\/sup> grade social studies teacher. The brothers are now 47 and 45. They also have a younger brother, Tracy, 42, who goes by T or Teddy. The brothers still wrestle, tease each other mercilessly and love practical jokes, just like they did when they were kids.<\/p>\n<p>Geol and Randy both have Type O positive blood, and the minute Geol heard that Randy would need a transplant, he stepped up to get tested.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy brother and I always got along. Sure, there were brother dust-ups, but I had zero hesitation,\u201d said Geol.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt seemed the right and natural thing to do,\u201d Geol said. \u201cI know if I was in that situation, he would have done it for me. I appreciate the compliments and adulation (for being an organ donor). But at some level, it\u2019s no big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, for Randy, it was a huge deal, a life-saving kind of deal.<\/p>\n<p>The brothers always had been partners in crime, including blasting off jumps on skis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI loved ski jumping. I was good at it,\u201d said Geol. \u201cBut then Randy beat me a couple of times in a row. I decided that I needed to find something I could excel at that he couldn\u2019t. So, I hung up my ski jumping boots and focused on team sports like football and soccer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Geol now teaches at Ken Caryl Middle School near his home southwest of Denver. And for years, he has helped coach the freshmen football team at Columbine High School.<\/p>\n<p>Randy calls him the leader of the Weber brothers \u201cwhose personality would fill a high school gym.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Randy\u2019s liver donor emerged after he put the word out among friends.<\/p>\n<h2>She served her country in the Marines. Later, donating a large portion of her liver was a &#8216;no brainer.&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Kelly Williams got to know Randy through her now-husband John Alley, a Westminster Fire Department engineer and a Columbine High School wrestling coach. Randy\u2019s son, Espen, wrestled at Columbine, then went on to be a college wrestler at Western State University in Gunnison. He graduated summa cum laude in May with a bachelor&#8217;s degree in exercise and sports science. Espen was a multi-year academic All American athlete.<\/p>\n<p>Randy credits wrestling \u2014 and coaches like John \u2014 with changing his son\u2019s life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt gave him confidence, instilled an amazing work ethic in him and made him the man he is today,\u201d Randy said.<\/p>\n<p>After Espen graduated from high school, Randy and his wife, Wendy Amendolari, kept supporting the Columbine Rebels wrestling family and became even closer with John and Kelly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRandy\u2019s amazing and always volunteered to help in whatever capacity we needed help, and still does,\u201d said Kelly. \u201cHe gives up his Saturdays to help with our tournaments and always comes to the parents and coach\u2019s meetings to lend his thoughts and support to parents who are new to the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kelly, of course, also got roped in to support John and the team.<\/p>\n<p>Back when Kelly was in high school, she was getting in a lot of trouble.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68079\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68079\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-68079\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/28153051\/4-kel-marine-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Kelly Williams donated a large portion of her liver to her friend, Randy Weber. Her organ donation made the first double living-donor kidney and liver transplant in the Rocky Mountain region possible. Kelly has lived a life of service. She joined the Marines at age 17. Photo courtesy of Kelly Williams.\" width=\"400\" height=\"565\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68079\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kelly Williams made the first double living-donor kidney and liver transplant in the Rocky Mountain region possible. She has lived a life of service. She joined the Marines at age 17. Photo courtesy of Kelly Williams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI was a pretty rebellious, directionless kid. I was a punk,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>At 17, she decided to join the Marines.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly served from 2004 to 2008 and spent all of 2006 in Fallujah, Iraq. She was responsible for communication security for her platoon, and maintained secret and classified information and gear.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly said joining the Marines was the best decision of her life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe military was eye-opening for me. From a young age, I learned the value of human life,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>And it made it easy to step up when Randy needed help.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a no-brainer for me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly comes from a family with a rich tradition of serving others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy dad was a cop. My mom was a nurse. I was in the military. When someone needs help, you just do it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>John also serves people through his firefighting job and as a coach. He also got tested to become an organ donor, but wasn\u2019t a match. Throughout the ordeal, John supported Kelly and their friend whose health was cratering fast.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRandy looked really sick,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cHe was going to die without a transplant. If it were one of us, you\u2019d hope we wouldn\u2019t have to plead our case. Plus, Randy would have done it for any one of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After her military service, Kelly became a licensed clinical social worker and now supports indigent people facing charges in the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy job is to humanize people and provide context for someone\u2019s behavior. On defense teams, we provide a holistic picture of who a person is to help the court better understand factors that might have contributed to the defendant\u2019s behavior,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>To support Randy, Kelly was willing to donate either a kidney or part of her liver. Some women don\u2019t have a large enough liver to donate to a man because the surgery requires doctors to take about 40 to 60% of the donor\u2019s liver. Kelly is tall and slender, close to Randy\u2019s size. It turned out that she boasted a beautiful, relatively large liver.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kept passing all of their tests and I didn\u2019t have barriers to prevent me from donating. We don\u2019t have children. I have a flexible schedule and I have a supportive family,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<h2>Friends and family went through testing to donate a liver or kidney. Then came the big reveal.<\/h2>\n<p>To be sure that potential organ donors do not feel pressure from friends and relatives who need organ transplants, social workers keep the process confidential until all the details are ironed out.<\/p>\n<p>By last fall, Randy\u2019s team informed him that plans for the double transplant were progressing well, but they hadn\u2019t yet disclosed who his liver donor would be.<\/p>\n<p>On Nov. 7, 2021, John and Kelly came to watch Randy\u2019s son wrestle at a college match in Golden.<\/p>\n<p>Randy updated his friends.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy brother is looking really good. I keep hearing rumors that I have a liver donor,\u201d Randy said. \u201cIt\u2019s a female, but I can\u2019t think of who it is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He shared his top theory. Maybe it was his niece.<\/p>\n<p>Slyly, Kelly asked if Randy would want to know his donor\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Then Kelly put her arm around Randy and revealed the big news.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s me, silly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Randy started crying on the spot, hugged both Kelly and John and thanked them over and over again.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68086\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68086\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68086\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/28153128\/GeolMEKelly-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Geol Weber, left, Randy Weber, center, and Kelly Williams, right, posed for a photo before becoming part of the first double living-donor kidney and liver transplant in the Rocky Mountain region in February of last year. Photo courtesy of Randy Weber.\" width=\"800\" height=\"649\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68086\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Geol Weber, left, Randy Weber, center, and Kelly Williams, right, posed at a celebration before the historic transplant surgery. for a photo before before the historic transplant surgery last year. Photo courtesy of Randy Weber.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>A group hug before historic double living-donor kidney and liver transplant, then a vow: &#8216;See you on the other side.&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Once all of the pre-transplant testing and preparations were complete, Randy, Geol and Kelly each had to be extremely careful to avoid getting COVID-19 so the complex surgeries could take place as scheduled on Feb. 23, 2022.<\/p>\n<p>The trio ribbed each other endlessly through their group chat.<\/p>\n<p>On the day of the surgeries, Kelly and Randy needed to be there first. The doctors would perform the liver transplant first, then they\u2019d remove one of Geol\u2019s kidneys and place it in Randy\u2019s body.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68076\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68076\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-68076 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/28153038\/1-photo-before-surgery-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Kelly Williams and Randy Weber posed for a quick selfie after a group hug on the morning of the first double living-donor kidney and liver transplant in the Rocky Mountain region. With them are Kelly's husband, left, and Randy's wife, right. Photo courtesy of Kelly Williams.\" width=\"800\" height=\"601\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68076\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kelly Williams and Randy Weber posed for a quick selfie after a group hug on the morning of the first double living-donor kidney and liver transplant in the Rocky Mountain region. With them are their spouses: John Alley, left, and Wendy Amendolari, right. Photo courtesy of Kelly Williams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As Kelly headed into the hospital, she couldn\u2019t resist needling Randy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey, I woke up late, I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m going to make it on time,\u201d she texted him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you f-ing kidding me?\u201d Randy responded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHa ha, see you soon,\u201d Kelly texted back.<\/p>\n<p>She was nervous as she headed into the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy heart was beating really fast,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cIt was snowy and wintry and cold. It was beautiful walking in to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kelly and Randy checked in at the same time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe did one more group hug: Kelly and John and my wife and me,\u201d Randy said.<\/p>\n<p>After years of competition, he\u2019s good at getting mentally prepared. But this was different; other people\u2019s lives were on the line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the exact opposite of ski jumping. I have zero control,\u201d Randy said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was worried for Kelly and Geol. If anything was going to go wrong, I wanted it to go wrong for me,\u201d Randy said.<\/p>\n<p>He and Kelly tried to reassure one another.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told her I loved her and said, \u2018thank you,\u2019\u201d Randy said.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly was worried about John, who of course, would spend all day worrying about her.<\/p>\n<p>She told herself to stay calm and reassured Randy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything\u2019s going to be OK,\u201d she told him. \u201cSee you on the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>High school sweethearts evolved into organ transplant pros. He proudly says of her: &#8216;She&#8217;s the boss.&#8217;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Double living-donor kidney and liver transplants are very rare.<\/p>\n<p>Drs. Pomfret and Pomposelli had done them before and now were about to perform their first in the Rocky Mountain region.<\/p>\n<p>The transplant specialists met back when she was 16 and he was 17. They dated in high school, then went to separate colleges in the northeast, but kept in touch. Both aspired to go to medical school.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy fate, we both got in at Boston University,\u201d Pomposelli said. \u201cWe got married during medical school and both matched at one of the Harvard residencies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While doing their general surgery fellowships, both doctors spent time in Germany learning from <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christoph_Broelsch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Christoph Broelsch<\/a>, a pioneer in living-donor transplant surgeries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe spent a couple months learning from him and brought his techniques back to the U.S.,\u201d Pomposelli said.<\/p>\n<p>Both then worked with another transplant surgeon in Boston, Dr. Roger Jenkins.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was the best technical surgeon I\u2019ve ever seen. He was our mentor and hired us,\u201d Pomposelli said.<\/p>\n<p>After several years in Boston, the couple decided to move to Colorado, where Pomfret leads the transplant department.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s my boss,\u201d Pomposelli proudly says of his highly accomplished wife.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_65898\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-65898\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65898\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/09\/27161740\/Dr-Elizabeth-Pomfrettiny.webp\" alt=\"Dr. Elizabeth Pomfret, Chief of Transplant Surgery, UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. Photo by Sonya Doctorian.\" width=\"800\" height=\"548\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/09\/27161740\/Dr-Elizabeth-Pomfrettiny.webp 800w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/09\/27161740\/Dr-Elizabeth-Pomfrettiny-300x206.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/09\/27161740\/Dr-Elizabeth-Pomfrettiny-768x526.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/09\/27161740\/Dr-Elizabeth-Pomfrettiny-150x103.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/09\/27161740\/Dr-Elizabeth-Pomfrettiny-200x137.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-65898\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Elizabeth Pomfret, Chief of Transplant Surgery, UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. Photo by Sonya Doctorian.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Pomfret has dramatically expanded the UCHealth transplant program.<\/p>\n<p>When she arrived, doctors at University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus were doing about 60 liver and 130 kidney transplants a year. Those numbers have more than doubled to about 130 liver and 300 kidney transplants each year.<\/p>\n<p>The UCHealth transplant center also does extensive transplant research along with multiple kidney, pancreas, lung and heart transplants.<\/p>\n<p>Having known one another for 45 years and worked together for decades, Pomfret and Pomposelli use the same well-refined system each time they operate.<\/p>\n<p>She extracts the liver from the donor. He implants the new organs in the recipient.<\/p>\n<p>On the February morning of Randy\u2019s transplant, Pomfret began the complex set of procedures by removing the exact portion of Kelly\u2019s liver that Randy would need. In advance, the team had used 3-D imaging to model and plan the surgeries.<\/p>\n<p>As expected, Kelly\u2019s liver was perfect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith live donors, the organs are beautiful. They\u2019ve only been out of the body a very short time,\u201d Pomposelli said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_48594\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48594\" style=\"width: 222px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48594\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/07\/17113714\/Screen-Shot-2018-07-17-at-11.34.16-AM.webp\" alt=\"Dr. James Pomposelli helped do the first double living-donor kidney and liver transplant in the Rocky Mountain region.\" width=\"222\" height=\"230\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/07\/17113714\/Screen-Shot-2018-07-17-at-11.34.16-AM.webp 222w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/07\/17113714\/Screen-Shot-2018-07-17-at-11.34.16-AM-145x150.webp 145w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/07\/17113714\/Screen-Shot-2018-07-17-at-11.34.16-AM-200x207.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-48594\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. James Pomposelli.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Pomposelli and his assistants went into Pomfret\u2019s operating room, picked up the liver and carefully brought it to the adjacent operating room. There, Pomposelli and his team began the process known as \u201creperfusion.\u201d This means sewing the new liver into the existing vascular connections.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the important part,\u201d Pomposelli said.<\/p>\n<p>Once blood began flowing through Randy\u2019s new liver, Pomposelli gave the go-head for the next procedure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re good,\u201d Pomposelli said. \u201cGo ahead and start on the kidney donor.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another expert on the team, Dr. Thomas Bak, then removed one of Geol\u2019s kidneys, and Pomposelli sewed a second organ into Randy\u2019s body.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy 4:39 p.m., the kidney was reperfused,\u201d Pomposelli said. \u201cAnd by 6 p.m., we were all done.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>A challenging recovery after first double living-donor kidney and liver transplant in Rocky Mountain region<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Some people who go through transplant surgeries develop complications. Randy had to deal with more than his share, but now is doing much better.<\/p>\n<p>One complication related to his bile ducts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe bile ducts are extremely sensitive to interruptions in blood flow,\u201d Pomposelli explained.<\/p>\n<p>The liver has two key portals: the hepatic artery, which brings oxygenated blood to the liver, and the portal vein, which brings blood into the liver from the intestine.<\/p>\n<p>Randy dealt with what\u2019s called a thrombosis of the hepatic artery. When he received his new liver, his existing bile duct system reacted poorly due to the short period when blood flow was cut off.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68084\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68084\" style=\"width: 550px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-68084\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/28153116\/Dialysis2-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Randy Weber faced a tough recovery after the first double live-donor kidney and liver transplant in the Rocky Mountain region. Photo courtesy of Randy Weber.\" width=\"550\" height=\"734\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68084\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Randy Weber faced a tough recovery after his kidney and liver transplant. Here, he had to go on dialysis temporarily. Photo courtesy of Randy Weber.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThis resulted in him getting a bile duct stricture or a narrowing in the duct. This is the most common problem we deal with after liver transplants,\u201d Pomposelli said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey cause bile to back up into the liver,\u201d Pomposelli said. \u201cThe blockage is like a dam. When you have a dam in a river, it turns into a lake behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Randy needed catheters to drain the bile. Then doctors used balloons to expand Randy\u2019s narrowed bile ducts.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68221\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68221\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68221\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/31160808\/Trophy-photo-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Randy Weber holds a trophy after winning a ski jumping contest in Vermont. Photo courtesy of Randy Weber.\" width=\"800\" height=\"578\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68221\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">To make it to the Olympics in ski jumping, Randy Weber had to work extraordinarily hard. His grit and determination helped him endure a series of tough complications after his kidney and liver transplant. Here, Randy holds a trophy after winning a ski jumping contest in Vermont. Photo courtesy of Randy Weber.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s analogous to a person who has a blockage in their coronary artery and they need a stent,\u201d Pomposelli said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt least 10% of liver transplant recipients get these strictures. They typically happen within the first year after a transplant. If a person gets through the first year without one, then they\u2019re usually in pretty good shape,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Multiple trips to the hospital and pain dogged Randy during the spring and summer.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, his new organs performed beautifully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis liver and kidney function are perfect,\u201d Pomposelli.<\/p>\n<p>Pomposelli loves to ski and enjoyed getting to know an Olympian. Pomposelli has given Randy the go-ahead to ski this winter if he wishes.<\/p>\n<h2>Donors faced pain after transplant, but Kelly rebounded in time for a first-dance surprise at her summer wedding<\/h2>\n<p>While Randy was dealing with his challenges, Geol and Kelly rebounded faster. Each had to deal with some pain. As Geol\u2019s remaining kidney took over, his body temporarily failed to excrete uric acid properly, and he developed gout. It caused severe pain that thankfully now has eased.<\/p>\n<p>The surgery to remove part of a person\u2019s liver is much more painful than the minimally invasive procedure that kidney donors endure.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Living Donor Kelly Williams I UCHealth\" width=\"540\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jcOQi2Nq6f0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Kelly dealt with extreme exhaustion, which is typical for liver donors. Their bodies are working hard to grow a new portion of the liver.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen my body was ready to rest, I was out,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cThey told me that 80% of the liver regrowth happens in the first 30 days. By my one-month checkup, my liver blood work numbers had stabilized, which showed that my liver had grown enough to sustain my body.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pain was challenging too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe first two weeks were brutal. Sleeping and moving were hard. You don\u2019t realize how much you use your core muscles,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>She also had to cope with severe back aches. Due to an emergency surgery for another patient on the morning of the double transplant, Kelly was on the operating table longer than is typical, and being flat on her back for so many hours left her back even more sore than her abdomen.<\/p>\n<p>Even so, Kelly managed to return to work seven weeks after the surgery, and her back pain eventually receded.<\/p>\n<p>Next up was healing fully so she and John could dance at their wedding. Because of the pandemic, the couple had been forced to postpone their nuptials twice. The third time was a charm, and Kelly and John were married at The Lyons Farmette in Lyons, Colorado on July 29.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was great. At the end of the first dance, I flipped over John\u2019s back. I never could have imagined that I would recover quickly enough for that to be possible,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68077\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68077\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68077\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/28153042\/2-backflip-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Kelly Williams flipped over her husband's' back months after donating a large portion of her liver during the first double living-donor kidney and liver transplant in the Rocky Mountain region. Photo courtesy of Kelly Williams.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1198\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68077\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kelly Williams does a backflip during her first dance with husband, John Alley, during their wedding last summer, months after Kelly donated a large portion of her liver to the couple&#8217;s friend, Randy Weber. Photo courtesy of Kelly Williams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Randy was able to attend the wedding. He has a Scottish kilt that he wears exclusively for happy occasions. It was just right for the wedding and also camouflaged the biliary drain and suction bulb that protruded from his right side. He ran the tube down into the kilt and safety pinned the bulb up inside the front fold.<\/p>\n<p>When it came time for speeches, Randy had everyone in tears. He talked about the stand-up groom and the hero bride.<\/p>\n<p>He said he would not be standing there without Kelly\u2019s remarkable courage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will never be able to thank Kelly and John enough for this amazing gift,\u201d Randy said. \u201cYou already have given so much to Espen and our family. This gift of life is simply amazing. I love you guys!\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68211\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68211\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68211\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/31133706\/6-Randy-wedding-speech-tiny-1.webp\" alt=\"Randy Weber speaking at the wedding for his living liver donor, Kelly Williams, and her husband, firefighter John Alley. Photo courtesy of Kelly Williams.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68211\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Randy Weber thanked Kelly Williams for saving his life during a speech at Kelly&#8217;s wedding to John Alley. Photo courtesy of Kelly Williams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>A beloved Porsche, a new &#8216;sister&#8217; and &#8216;cool&#8217; transplant scars as trio evolve into advocates for life-saving living-donor organ transplants<\/h2>\n<p>Randy\u2019s recovery has been utterly humbling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey give you a list of complications before the surgery. I didn\u2019t expect to have all of them. Seriously, it seemed to become more of a checklist for me. The recovery has been longer and harder than I expected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>But he\u2019s incredibly relieved that Kelly and Geol are doing well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf someone was going to have a rough time, I would have picked me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68220\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68220\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68220\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/31160458\/5-randy-wedding-kel-john-hug-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Randy Weber hugs Kelly Williams and John Alley after giving a speech at their wedding. Photo courtesy of Kelly Williams.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68220\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Randy Weber hugs Kelly Williams and John Alley after giving a speech at their wedding. Photo courtesy of Kelly Williams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Randy is getting stronger every day and now is mulling future plans. (He sold his garage before the transplant.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s amazing. I feel really, really good now,\u201d Randy said. \u201cI might do something crazy like go to college and become a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The gift of life has been remarkable for Randy\u2019s donors as well. Geol is relishing his expanded family.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve never had a sister,\u201d Geol said. \u201cKelly\u2019s like a sister now. Her surgery was much bigger, a much larger sacrifice. She did something that she had no obligation to do. It\u2019s a testament to her character and John\u2019s character. Her sense of humor is right in line with my brother and me. She\u2019s an amazing, amazing woman.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68087\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68087\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-68087 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/28153134\/Group-shot-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Randy Weber with his wife, organ donors and his friend John Alley.\" width=\"800\" height=\"585\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68087\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The transplant has expanded Randy Weber&#8217;s family. From left to right: Randy, his wife, Wendy Amendolari, John Alley with his wife, Kelly Williams, and Randy&#8217;s brother, Geol Weber. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Kelly loves being a live donor.<\/p>\n<p>She proudly shows off the eight-inch scar on her belly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love it. It\u2019s cool. You don\u2019t see big abdominal scars. It\u2019s such a great conversation starter about live liver donation,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>She has become an advocate for living donation and serves as a resource for anyone considering it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPrior to Randy\u2019s situation, I didn\u2019t even know you could donate a liver,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cI was fortunate that a former living donor, Meredith McCurdy, talked me through her process which really eased my nerves. Having gone through it, it\u2019s way more doable than I ever imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for Randy, he\u2019s got a whole new perspective after dealing with his illness, the pandemic and the transplant surgery.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve learned to stop worrying about all the small stuff. I don\u2019t live in the fanciest house, so what. I&#8217;ve also had to let some dreams go,\u201d Randy said.<\/p>\n<p>But he\u2019s utterly clear that gratitude and humility will fuel him now.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy plan is to focus on getting healthy and strong. I\u2019m so proud that my son is his own man. My wife is incredibly supportive, not just through my transplant surgery, but in all I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oh, and he did get to buy a Porsche.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68089\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68089\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68089\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/01\/28153145\/Randy-with-Porsche-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Randy Weber spent years working on other people's cars including beloved Porsches. While recovering from transplant surgery, he found a used Porsche for sale on Colorado's Eastern Plains. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.\" width=\"800\" height=\"495\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68089\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Randy Weber had for years working on other people&#8217;s cars including beloved Porsches. While recovering from transplant surgery, he found a used Porsche for sale on Colorado&#8217;s Eastern Plains. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For years, Randy had taken great care of other people&#8217;s cars, including many Porsches. He hoped to someday buy one of his own. During one of his hospital stays over the summer, he was browsing online when he spotted a used Porsche for sale in Fort Lupton on Denver\u2019s eastern plains. The car had been sitting there for months.<\/p>\n<p>Randy called about it, and once he was well enough, he took a look in person.<\/p>\n<p>It drove like a dream, so Randy brought it home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have been extremely fortunate in my life. I have an incredible family, wonderful friends, and enough stories to fill a small library.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Olympic ski jumper felt utterly calm as he stood on long skis at the top of a 300-foot-tower. He breathed deeply, then took off, reaching 55 miles per hour as he flew through the air for several seconds over the length of a football field. Randy Weber learned ski jumping in his hometown of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":68094,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[3414,3415,510,3231,39],"class_list":["post-68035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","tag-kidney-transplants","tag-living-kidney-donation","tag-living-liver-donor","tag-living-organ-donation","tag-transplant-services"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - 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