TThe pain in his abdomen worsened day by day, and Consuelo Santiago could hardly get out of bed. For 10 years, she had suffered from a debilitating liver disease that made her daily life difficult, and her symptoms were getting worse.
Santiago, 54, a former school teacher and resident of the Dominican Republic, was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). PSC is a disease of the bile ducts that can cause inflammation and scarring, which can prevent the liver from draining harmful fluids. After her initial diagnosis, she quit teaching to focus on raising her daughter, Amy Gonzalez. As the damage accumulated over time, the abdominal pain could become unbearable. She was told her best option was a transplant because her liver had advanced cirrhosis.
“My mother was always very strong and never let her illness get in the way of caring for her family,” said Gonzalez, 24. “My father was the best doctor to help me when the pain became unbearable. I started looking for it,” he said. she. We went to Miami and South America and she was told she might have to wait nine months to get a new liver. We couldn't wait that long because she was in pain. ”
Consuelo Santiago and Amy Gonzalez talk about their liver transplant and the progress made one year later.
When Santiago's husband, Ruben, learned that living donor liver transplants were an option, they searched for a transplant center with the equipment to perform living donor liver transplants. Family friends in the greater New York City area told him about the New York University Langone Transplant Institute and its Latino Liver Program and Living Living Liver Transplant Program.
“PSC damages the bile ducts and causes scarring in the liver over time,” said Dr. Annmarie Liapakis, medical director of the Living Living Liver Transplant Program. “Aside from pain, people suffering from PSC can have complications such as liver failure, bile duct infections, and are at high risk for cancer, but unfortunately due to organ shortages, all patients die. “There's no way I'll be able to get a donor transplant in time.” That's why living donor liver transplantation is an option that people with this debilitating and life-threatening disease should consider. ”
Gonzalez was tested as a potential organ donor along with other family members and was found to be a perfect match.
“Amy really wanted to help her mother, and we wanted to make sure her gift process went as smoothly as possible,” said Adam Griesmer, M.D., surgical director of the Living Living Liver Transplant Program. “Thanks to Amy's donation, Consuelo will have a wonderful, healthy liver that will last a lifetime.”
More than a year after the surgery on June 13, 2023, the family is back to living their best lives.
“My mother is doing well and is able to enjoy life with her family again,” Gonzalez said. “She looks and feels 10 years younger and we are so grateful that NYU Langone was the best option for her.”
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