Date: Fri 28-Mar-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

health-liver-transplant-Willig

Full Text:

Liver Transplant Survivor

Has A Message Of Hope

Joyce Willig (left) and her husband, Robert, show Newtown Middle School

students a doll with its several potential donor-organs exposed.

-Bee Photo, Evans

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

Joyce Willig, Connecticut's first successful liver transplant recipient,

recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of her February 1982 transplant

operation in the same way she has celebrated every anniversary since beginning

what she calls her "second lifetime."

She thanked God for watching over her and her doctors for their skill and

care; she thanked her family for their love and support; and she thanked the

17-year-old donor from Clarksburg, West Virginia, whom she knows only as

"Jerome," but who is never far from her thoughts.

"The angel on my shoulder," Mrs Willig called him, speaking to an audience of

seventh graders at Newtown Middle School on Tuesday, March 18.

Barely pausing for breath, she launched into her scheduled talk about a

subject that is, literally, very close to her heart: the miracle gift of her

healthy liver.

For this reason, raising potential donor awareness is a cause that has become

a crusade for Mrs Willig. She listed the critical organs that are desperately

needed to save lives: liver, heart, pancreas, lungs or intestines.

In addition, there is a need for healthy corneas, bone and skin for grafts,

blood and bone marrow.

"But you must understand how someone becomes a donor or a recipient," she

added, explaining that critical organs may be taken only after the donor is

determined to be brain dead and only after consent has been previously given

by that donor, as on a driver's license or donor card carried in his or her

wallet.

In all cases, the family's consent immediately following the donor's death

must also be obtained, she added.

"There are 60,000 children and adults right now who are waiting on a list

nationwide - with 18 new names added each day. One-third of those people will

die because there is such a scarcity of donated organs," Mrs Willig said.

To deliver her message to the Newtown middle schoolers, Mrs Willig and her

husband, Robert, had driven from their home in Fairfield.

They had been asked to come by seventh grade science teacher Nancy Koonce, who

had been discussing the immune system with her students. This topic seemed a

natural one to extend their knowledge, Ms Koonce had said.

It was the last period of the day and the students were restless at first.

They were eager to have the school day over, board their buses and be heading

home. However, it wasn't long before Mrs Willig's humor and honesty and the

urgency of her message grabbed their attention.

Separating fact from myth about organ donation while speaking to large groups

of students is a skill that Mrs Willig has perfected over time. She has

already visited 230 schools, speaking to more than 75,000 students.

The Gift Of A Healthy Liver

It was 15 years ago when Mrs Willig, then 45 years old, entered the University

of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in "the last days of her life," according to

her surgeon, Dr Thomas Starzl.

For 11 years she had fought a losing battle, hoping to save her own liver and

possibly halt the process of permanent scarring caused by a rare, incurable

disease that she said she could barely pronounce, let alone spell: primary

biliary cirrhosis.

"I had two kids and a husband I loved, and I wanted to raise my children," Mrs

Willig recalled.

But she had lapsed into a coma, and when the doctor told the family that a

transplant was her only hope, they gave their consent to a procedure

considered extremely risky at the time.

"The drugs that would compromise the immune system and allow the body to

accept the new organ were only just being introduced," Mrs Willig explained.

"Rob and the kids decided for me. They hired a private plane and flew me to

Pittsburgh," she said.

She joked that if she hadn't been in a coma, they would never have gotten her

to fly in that tiny aircraft.

Not only did Mrs Willig survive the operation, she grew to feeling healthier

than she had in years.

She was able to turn her newfound energies toward helping others by talking to

transplant patients and their families, extending hope that there could be a

life beyond pain and fear.

Spreading The Word

In the words of Dr Starzl, "Mrs Willig was given a new liver and has made the

most of this gift since then... as an inspiring speaker and a great example

for people of all ages of how to live life responsibly and to the fullest."

Mrs Willig's message, which she delivers in a powerful, polished 40-minute

talk with the help of her husband, Robert, standing nearby, is very direct

and, basically, a simple one.

"Organ donors are miracle makers. The more people that know about this, the

more likely they are to donate," she told the Newtown students.

But first and foremost, she wanted them to know this.

"I never, ever want to see anybody here become involved in the kind of

situation that makes you come into the position of being an organ donor," Mrs

Willig said, cautioning them about wearing seat belts and safety helmets, even

though "at this age, you feel invincible."

She asked them to go home and talk about organ donation with their parents.

"Tell them what you think about it. Share your opinions. You're getting older.

You're making more and more choices for yourself," she said.

Anything that one can do to extend hope to another person is well worth

considering, she told the Newtown students.

If that contribution happened through medical research and development, all

the better, she said.

She pointed to the fact that, whereas 15 years ago successful organ

transplants were rare, today the success rate is rising all the time.

"The good news is that there is a 95 percent survival rate for kidneys, 90

percent for liver and 80 to 85 percent for heart or heart/lung," she said.

Also, many more hospitals nationwide are equipped to handle transplant

operations these days. In Connecticut, Mrs Willig mentioned Yale-New Haven and

Hartford Hospital.

She ended her talk by saying she felt confident some Newtown students would be

adding to the general body of medical knowledge about organ donation and

transplants in the not too distant future.

"I would bet my two lifetimes that someone sitting in this room will discover

something that will help save lives," Mrs Willig said.