Richard Feist

Photo courtesy of Richard Feist

Like most men his age, Richard Feist says he needs to watch what he eats and keep active. On weekends, you'll probably find him mowing the lawn, playing pinochle with friends or, depending on the season, pheasant hunting or fishing. Pretty normal stuff for a guy his age.

A mysterious illness

But six years ago, life took an unexpected turn. Richard didn't really feel sick, but he had cramps in his hands and his lower legs. He also noticed that his feet and his stomach were swollen. And then his arm muscles began feeling weaker.

Wondering what all these changes meant, Richard visited his family doctor in Aberdeen, SD. After an MRI and some blood tests, Richard's doctor shared some bad news. Richard had an extremely high level of iron in his blood and what looked like tumors in his liver, caused by hemochromatosis.

Hemochromatosis is a rare disorder that causes the body to absorb too much iron from food. Once absorbed, the excess iron can damage organs such as the liver, heart and pancreas and can lead to cancer and other problems. In Richard's case, the excess iron damaged his liver and caused him to develop liver cancer.

Concerned that Richard needed treatment quickly, his local doctor made arrangements for Richard to see a Mayo Clinic liver specialist the following week. Richard drove to Mayo Clinic Rochester, where Greg Gores, M.D., confirmed that there were two tumors in Richard's liver. Because of the size and location of these tumors, Dr. Gores explained that a liver transplant was Richard's only treatment option.

Richard's first hospital experience

Richard admits he had never been in the hospital before receiving this news. But, he says, the Mayo transplant team's openness and professionalism boosted his spirits. Aware of the hurdles that lay ahead, Richard was still confident that things were going to turn out all right.

"They explained the risks, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was going to happen," he recalls. To stop the growth of cancerous tumors in his liver, Richard needed to undergo chemoembolization. During this treatment, doctors thread a narrow tube (catheter) up through a leg vein until it reaches the blood vessels connected to the liver. They can then deliver cancer-killing drugs through the catheter to destroy the tumor.

Richard required two rounds of chemoembolization to destroy the tumors in his liver. With that treatment behind him, Richard began to wait for a suitable donor liver. The months leading up to surgery were marked by trips to Rochester and frequent periods of separation for Richard and his wife, Erma.

"We look back at that period and ask ourselves 'how did we do that?'" recalls Richard.

The gift of life

Part of what kept Richard going was Rochester's Gift of Life Transplant House. Open since 1984, Transplant House provides homelike accommodations and emotional support for transplant patients and their families.

When the call for surgery came, Richard was out raking leaves on the lawn at Transplant House. He now marvels at how the transplant team helped keep him calm as he headed into surgery.

"There was never a sense of urgency. I went into surgery like I was heading out to mow the lawn," he recalls.

Back to normal with no worries

Nearly six years have passed since what Richard calls his "storybook" transplant. He's watched his daughter graduate from high school and college and enjoys a pretty normal life.

"The only way to know I had a transplant is that I take medicine in the morning and at night, and I have a scar on my stomach," he explains.

With muscle cramps gone, Richard logs plenty of miles walking on his job as a security guard. Thankful for his renewed energy, he shares his positive outlook with people in the Aberdeen area who are waiting for transplant surgery.

"I tell people to keep busy and physically active," says Richard. "That helps keep your mind off of the mental hurdles. And don't worry about tomorrow. That will take care of itself."