Charlie and Brandie Myers

Charlie Myers with granddaughter Brandie Myers

Charlie Myers and his granddaughter Brandie have a lot in common. They share a love of family, a great sense of humor and — since the summer of 2003 — a liver.

Charlie and Brandie are among a small group of people who have participated in living-donor liver transplantation. The procedure involves removing a portion of a donor's liver and using it to replace a recipient's damaged liver. Brandie's donation marked the 22nd living-donor liver transplant at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Their transplant was the result of a granddaughter's determination to help her grandfather return to health, even if that meant taking some risk on herself.

"When I learned my grandfather needed a liver transplant, I researched everything I could about organ donation," says Brandie, a 24-year-old Mesa, Ariz., resident. "Once I learned about living-donor transplantation, I knew I wanted to donate part of my liver to my grandfather."

Charlie's Illness

Charlie Myers' liver had been damaged by primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic, incurable liver disease. While Charlie had lived with the condition for more than 40 years without significant problems, several years ago he started experiencing symptoms of liver failure.

"I have always been an active and energetic person, but suddenly I found myself walking around like a zombie," says Charlie, who divides his time between homes in Omaha, Neb., and Scottsdale, Ariz. "I had no energy and no appetite. I couldn't eat or sleep, and my skin itched so badly, I wanted to scream."

Nicholas LaRusso, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist who has cared for Charlie for more than a decade, saw the condition gradually become life-threatening. "When Charlie's symptoms began to affect his quality of life, and he began to need periodic hospitalization, his only hope for recovery was a liver transplant," says Dr. LaRusso.

Charlie's name went on the waiting list of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) (opens in new window), which matches people in need of organs with deceased donors. Because there are more people in need of transplant than there are organs, individuals on the waiting list are ranked to determine both who is most in need of an organ and who will most benefit from transplantation.

While Charlie was sick, he wasn't sick enough to reach the top of the list. His age, 69, also hurt his chance of receiving a donor liver, as organ transplants generally are more successful in people younger than 65.

"A living donor was Charlie's only recourse," says Dr. LaRusso. "I believe Charlie would have died without Brandie's donation."

Living-donor liver transplantation is possible because of the liver's ability to regenerate. Within a few weeks of a transplant surgery, both the donor and the recipient have nearly full-sized livers. But, because it involves risks to an otherwise healthy person, the procedure is considered only as a last resort.

Brandie's Gift

While Brandie was determined to donate part of her liver to her grandfather, Charlie needed some convincing. "It took me two years to convince my grandfather to have this surgery," says Brandie. "He was concerned that I would suffer or that something might go wrong."

Charlie's fears were not unfounded. While physicians and surgeons take precautions to protect the safety of living donors, the transplant is not without risks. That is why prospective donors go through a rigorous testing and interview process.

Brandie contacted a Mayo Clinic Transplant Center nurse coordinator to express her desire to donate. After an initial telephone interview, Brandie had a blood test to determine whether her blood type was compatible with her grandfather's. Then she came to Mayo Clinic for a comprehensive evaluation consisting of medical tests and appointments with physicians, psychiatrists and social workers.

"The doctors and other staff members want to make sure you know what you're getting into," says Brandie. "The staff was very clear about what could happen during surgery, including a slight chance of death. I am a single mother, and the staff wanted to make sure I fully understood the risks. I believe the only reason that they allowed me to donate was because my older sister and her husband are very close to my daughter. They were prepared to raise her as one of their own children if anything happened to me."

Though staff told Brandie repeatedly that she could change her mind about donation at any time, she never wavered. "I made the right decision, but it took my whole family to make it work. I would do it 10 times over again," she says.

Operation Day

At 8:45 a.m. on July 11, 2003, Charles Rosen, M.D., a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, began the process of removing the right side of Brandie's liver. At noon, Charlie was brought into the operating room. His liver was removed and the right side of Brandie's liver was attached in its place.

By 4:30 p.m., both operations were completed successfully. "Both the donor and recipient operations went very well," says Dr. Rosen. "Brandie's liver started working as soon as it was placed in Charlie's body."

Both Brandie and Charlie were hospitalized for a week and a half following surgery and stayed in Rochester an additional three weeks so physicians could monitor their recovery. While Brandie initially had a few problems related to the surgery, she has recovered well.

With a new liver that works dramatically better than his previous, ailing model, Charlie is enjoying renewed health since the transplant. "The way I feel since surgery is like day and night," he says. "I haven't felt this good in years."

Since the surgery, the Myers are spending more time together as a family. Charlie and his wife, Romona, have three children, 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. All are delighted at the prospect of having many more years together.