Sharon began feeling very tired. She blamed the fatigue on her age - turning 40 and
raising two teenagers who were active in school and sports. “When I became very
fatigued, our family doctor referred me to an internist. He diagnosed the hepatitis and
he took weekly blood levels until I went into a hepatic coma on my husband’s birthday, February 6, 1989.”

The liver came from a man who was small in stature. “I remember them measuring to see if my mid-section could accommodate his liver. I began to cry knowing I was going to live because someone died. My doctor told me, ‘Sharon, we don’t know the donor, we are all very grateful to his family, but we don’t know him. We all care about you. You would have died without this transplant. We are happy because we now have the opportunity to save your life.’”

Sharon’s two sons and husband, Don, were at the hospital every day. “My son John even brought his prom date and a few of his friends on prom night so I could see them all dressed. The boys were very scared. My sons’ friends said they cried a lot, afraid they might lose me. My husband took a leave of absence from work so he could be with me all day - he questioned everything anyone did, from the nurses to the doctors and kept track of my numbers. I was so lucky to have such support.”

Sharon walked a mile daily (8 times around the 6th floor of University Hospital) for the
last month she was hospitalized. “When I went home I was weak, but I walked every day. I returned to work in two months. I felt improvement every day, but didn’t feel strong again for a year.” Sharon is currently the executive secretary of financial
services at The University Hospital.

“I have enjoyed meeting many new people because of this experience. Our Tri-State Liver Transplant Support Group is important to me. I enjoy connecting with other transplant recipients and sharing experiences. Many of them have become close friends.”