UPDATE: This report was updated from the print edition version to clarify the subject requires a living liver donor.

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When Newtown resident Lisa Smith was growing up, she would lean on her cousin Cynthia Renna, who she described as being “like a sister to me.” Now her cousin, who has since married and raised three children, is leaning on Smith, and by extension the entire Newtown community, for help.

Renna — a New Milford resident whose last name is now Define — has been battling Stage 4 liver disease and its deteriorating effects on her health for years, and she is in need of a living liver donor who shares her type O positive blood.

“I knew something was wrong, but she really didn’t find out a lot until she was in her 20s,” Smith said of her cousin. “But it has really gotten a lot worse. It’s upsetting to have to just stand by and watch as someone you care so much about is experiencing their health deteriorating. Things are becoming more and more time sensitive.”

Define has been a patient at Yale New Haven Living Liver Donor Transplant Center for four years, she told The Newtown Bee, and notes, “While I’m still on the transplant list, they’ve asked me to also try to pursue locating a living donor because my condition is getting worse.”

Define, who was adopted soon after birth, had no idea of any hereditary predisposition for liver disease. When she was 13, she learned that she had elevated liver enzymes.

“So that started my journey. I had a bone marrow test and was poked and prodded all through the rest of my high school years as they were trying to figure out what the story was,” she said. “My spleen was enlarged, and the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. But the medical team just continued to monitor me during exams, and with occasional CAT scans and MRIs."

In her 30s, after getting married and having three children, the doctors kept telling Define her blood enzymes were elevated.

"As I got closer to 40, I started experiencing more fatigue, and my doctor referred me to another physician who did a CAT scan,” Define said. “Imagine how I felt when the doctor came in and asked me, ‘How long have you has Stage 4 liver cirrhosis?’ So at that point I started seeing a hematologist at Yale and eventually qualified for the transplant list.”

Over the last summer, Define saw her overall health decline. And instead of seeking a liver from a deceased donor, her medical team said she should now concentrate on finding a living donor.

“So I started my campaign in early December to find a living donor,” she said. “My main message is I have no family medical history. I have a previously undiagnosed autoimmune disease that has caused PBC (primary biliary cirrhosis), and I was told what was chronic has now become permanently damaging, so over time this will cause my liver to fail.”

Because of the situation, Define is no longer able to continue to work.

“My career was [being] a full time hairstylist,” she said. “I had only been able to work about four hours, a few days a week. And since COVID-19, I’ve had to stay at home. Most of all, I miss being active, and being able to keep up with my kids and family life.”

What is living donation?

“A living [donation is when a] donor gives part of their liver, which is implanted into the recipient,” Define explained. “The liver is the only organ to regenerate itself, so after a living liver donor transplant, both the living donor’s and the recipient’s livers grow back to a full size within about two months.”

Anyone considering becoming a living donor can contact the Yale New Haven Living Donor Transplant Center at 866-925-3897 and mention Cynthia Define.

“They will explain the donation process, the time it takes, any expenses, and any and all questions,” Define said. “Having this transplant would give me a better quality of life, and may even save my life.”

Her cousin and many others are taking up the cause to ensure Define enjoys a long and decidedly healthier life.

“If I was able to donate part of my liver, I would have,” said Smith, “but I’m not her blood type.”

Smith said by sharing her cousin’s story with the Newtown community, she is hoping a willing donor with type O positive blood might step up.

“I want to see my cousin there to witness her kids achievements — graduating from school, getting married, I want her to be there for her kids’ journeys,” Smith said. “I don’t want her to be suffering anymore, constantly having to be under medical care, and it’s critical at this point that we find her a donor.”

To find out more, visit: thedonorapp.com/cynthiadefine/em/p/o.