H07 -- February 2007 -- Domino Liver Transplant

Intro: This is a story of a life-saving form of recycling. It's about two men who've never met, but who have something very personal in common. One of them needed a new heart and liver because of a disease called familial amyloidosis. When it came time for the transplant he gave his diseased liver to someone else. How can a liver that doesn't work for one man be the gift of life for another? Let's go to Mayo Clinic to find out.

JOE BRASSELL [BRAH-ZELL] SAYS THERE'S STILL LIFE IN THIS 37 PLYMOUTH

"MY IDEA IS TO TAKE THE CAR APART, PUT IT BACK TOGETHER AGAIN."

JOE SAYS HE'S BEEN TAKEN APART AND PUT BACK TOGETHER TOO. AND HE'S GOT SOME RECYLCED PARTS OF HIS OWN. HE HAD HIS HEART AND LIVER TRANSPLANTED AT MAYO CLINIC BECAUSE OF AN INHERITED DISEASE CALLED FAMILIAL AMYLOIDOSIS. IT CAUSED HIS LIVER TO PRODUCE AN ABNORMAL PROTEIN CALLED AMYLOID. THIS PROTEIN BUILDS UP IN OTHER PARTS OF THE BODY, ESPECIALLY IN THE HEART, CAUSING PERMANENT DAMAGE. BECAUSE IT TAKES 30 OR MORE YEARS FOR THE AMYLOID PROTEINS TO DAMAGE OTHER ORGANS, JOE'S LIVER COULD BE TRANSPLANTED, OR RECLYCLED, INTO SOMEONE ELSE -- SOMEONE OVER 50 WHO WON'T LIKELY EXPERIENCE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE PROTEIN. IT'S CALLED A DOMINO TRANSPLANT. JOE REMEMBERS HOW SURGEON CHARLES ROSEN [ROW-ZEN] TOLD HIM.

"THEY'RE CONSIDERING POSSIBLY GIVING THIS TO ANOTHER PERSON, AND HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? AND I SAID, 'IF I CAN HELP SOMEONE ELSE, GREAT.'"

THAT SOMEONE WAS THOMAS NEEDHAM [NEED-HAM].

"THEY SAID YOU HAVE TWO WEEKS TO LIVE. AND I THOUGHT, OH MAN, THAT'S NOT GOOD."

JOE'S LIVER GAVE THOMAS A CHANCE AT LIFE.

"EVERY DAY YOU GET UP IS A GIFT."

A GIFT THOMAS SHARES WITH A MAN HE'S NEVER MET.

"LET'S SEE IF SHE GOES."

FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS.

Anchor tag: Joe says he and Thomas have not met yet. But he hopes to do so soon.

Thousands of people die each year waiting for transplants because there are not enough donor organs available. To learn more about organ donation, transplantation or the treatment of amyloidosis, visit our Web site at ...

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