Living Donor Liver Transplant Donor Mark Dybis

“I started researching it early on, so I had a fairly good idea of what my part would be. Once they gave me the go-ahead, I came in and met with Dr. Abouljoud and his team at Henry Ford Hospital. We discussed the procedure, went over my testing numbers and checked out my overall wellness, looked at my physique.“

“Yes. One of my jobs was to deliver the very best liver I could to Dave. I needed to improve my cardiovascular health but running was out of the question since I have fallen arches and plantar fasciitis. So I researched lap swimming and hit the pool, getting myself in shape that way. I also did a deep dive into my diet and met with the dietitian on my team. I learned just how toxic our diet has become to the human liver and made some significant changes.“

“I worked on blocking out doubts. Getting into shape helped, because the better shape I could get into, the better I would ensure my own health and recovery after the procedure. I do have people who rely on me, including my wife, son and daughter, and I had to think of them, too.“

“When Karen and I both put our names on the list, it meant a sitdown with the kids. We told them we’re all part of a team to help out their uncle. We were also fortunate to have huge support from our extended family, before surgery and during recovery.“

“I went in first while they prepped Dave for his procedure. I remember the last thing I saw, I was watching my heart rate on the monitor, and it was really low, in the 40s. The nurses looked at it and frowned, tapping the screen. Then they realized, ‘oh it’s just that crazy athletes’ heart rate.’ That made me happy, because I knew I had done everything I could to prep my body to be a living donor.“

“I remember waking up in the same prep room where we had started. You have no sense of time when you’re under anesthesia, and it felt like they had put me out just a moment before. So when I woke up in the same room, my first thought was, ‘what went wrong, could we not do the procedure?’ But it was a success.“

“They were frequent at first, but then tapered off, and now I only have to go in periodically. I credit the program with giving me such a great recovery. My part of this was a cake walk. The amazing thing is that they were able to give 40% of my liver to Dave and, within 6 weeks, mine had grown back.“

“I also participated in this year’s Transplant Games of America. The event was virtual due to COVID-19, but I entered some of the swimming events, and Dave ran.“

“Our surgery day was right before Thanksgiving in 2019, and the pandemic hit during our recoveries. In 2020, we couldn’t get together as a family for the holiday or to celebrate our 1-year transplant anniversary, so we had to do a virtual event. But just recently, we celebrated Dave’s daughter’s graduation from Notre Dame, and the whole family was there for this and in support of Dave and me.“

“Life is precious. You live to a certain age, and you watch people near and dear to you die. It gives you kind of an impotent sorrow. I saw the opportunity to push that clock back for my brother-in-law, and I wasn’t going to let that slip by without trying. This experience has brought all of us closer.“