A Scar and A Story: Organ donation education becomes resident's life mission after transplant
October 12, 2010 4:10 PM
For Jennifer Roberts, of Fort Walton Beach, there is a way to measure life — and appreciate it.
At 31, she is a shining example of youthful beauty. Her big blue eyes and dark tanned skin emanate her inner vigor. Except for the large scar across her abdomen, you could never tell by looking at her that a little more 10 months ago, Jennifer underwent a liver transplant that brought her back from the brink of death.
What first started out as a daily unconsuming fatigue quickly became more serious for Jennifer. In Florida, the doctors scrambled to find out what was causing her fatigue. All the tests came back negative. She was told that she may have hepatitis. Meanwhile, time was running out as her health took a turn for the worse. She was medevaced to Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans. Jennifer began to develop jaundice, or the yellowing of the skin.
Finally, the doctors discovered what lay at the root of the problem. Jennifer’s liver was failing.
‘Slapped in the face’
The story begins a year and a half ago when Jennifer, now a mother of three, gave birth to a set of twins.
‘Slapped in the face’
The story begins a year and a half ago when Jennifer, now a mother of three, gave birth to a set of twins.
Shortly after the childbirth, the doctors prescribed a blood pressure drug. What she didn't know was that the drug she was taking to help her was slowly killing the tissues of her liver. Her husband Chris explains what went through his mind when he learned the truth, "Just like that. You get slapped in the face with the possibility of losing your wife and losing your kids’ mother. The initial shock of it all was horrific."
At Ochsner, the doctors concluded there was nothing they could do to fix the problem. They were left with only one choice — to seek a transplant.
She was moved to the top of the list and 15 hours later, Chris and Jennifer would find out that Ochsner had found a new liver. The liver was from a young child who had died unexpectedly. Oddly, the young man had not been considered an organ donor. The parents of the deceased decided to harvest the organs.
The transplant was successful and Jennifer had no serious setbacks. Her body accepted the new liver.
A new life’s work
Now, she is back to being a full-time mom and wife. Since the ordeal, she has taken on a new purpose for her life — encouraging organ and blood donations.
A new life’s work
Now, she is back to being a full-time mom and wife. Since the ordeal, she has taken on a new purpose for her life — encouraging organ and blood donations.
"So many people don't want to deal with or talk about organ donation,” Jennifer said. “There's something scary about it."
False information is a leading cause for why prospective donors don’t fill out organ donor cards. In her early 30's, Cindy Mills, of Michigan, removed her name from organ donation because she thought doctors would be more likely to "pull the plug" on her if they knew she was an organ donor.
Earlier this year, she became a recipient of a new heart after a heart attack destroyed hers. She talked about the impact of being a transplant.
"At first there is some guilt. I was worried about how it would change me. Would I be a different person having somebody else's heart inside of me? But I’m the same," she said.
Unfortunately, as Jennifer points out, most people have a limited exposure to the possibility of participating in organ donation. At the DMV, you can choose to have your organs donated in the event of an untimely death. However, that mechanism installed at the DMV does very little to encourage donations. In the state of Florida, residents can sign up fast, easy, and free through donatelifeflorida.org. Registration only takes minutes.
Across the country, organ donation has steadily increased, but there is still a considerable need for all types of organs and blood donations. In 2009, over 7,000 people died while waiting for an organ transplant. It's a number Jennifer would like to see decline.
Each year, she hosts a blood and donor drive at the The Boardwalk called the Boardwalk Life Fest. She has created a Facebook cause page dubbed “LIVE.LOVE.GIVE.” She and her husband filmed a video about her ordeal for Ochsner Hospital.
For Jennifer, her experience will be with her the rest of her life. Most donor recipients have to take rejection drugs for the rest of their lives. Her story is no anomaly. It's a point Mrs. Roberts seems to drive home whenever she discusses her ordeal with other people.
"You never know when something like this may happen to you or one of your loved ones."
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