Murray – Chris Krkowski has been waiting for a liver transplant list for two years. Near the end of it, he had napped most of his life and was unable to do much for his family.
At the time, he woke up and took the kids to school before going back to sleep until it was time to pick them up. Now, he can count the number of naps he has had since his transplant in late 2023.
His wife, Holly Krkowski, said he was hospitalized for 11 days and at one point he received nine blood transfusions. She said she received six calls that her liver was available and then learned every time she didn't do well due to liver incompleteness or other reasons.
However, the seventh call was a perfect match.
Krukowski said there are several limiting factors in his blood type and the need for a complete, large liver. After the right organ was found, he said his energy had returned the day after the implantation.
“Everything my doctor said came true and everyone here helped make it possible,” he said.
Holly Krukowski said she was impressed with Intermountain Health's transplant team when her husband was first listed for a liver transplant. She said she can feel genuine empathy and love from her caregivers.
“It was just how well they looked after them and made a really scary situation a little easier,” she said.
She said she wanted to make that difference in other people's lives, so she applied to join the team and is now a clinic manager. She says she inspires her to be part of a team that can help her husband, and she started working to give others the same experience.
“I'm trying to make sure people are being seen,” she said.
Chris Krukowski said he could say his wife is connected to a transplant patient.
“She looks at me to other patients and it affects her, so I think she gives everyone the same attention,” he said.
Intermountain Health recently celebrated its organ donation program, which includes medical staff and patients, as part of its donation life month in April. Over the past six years, the Intermountain Transplant Program has increased liver transplants by 385%, making it the country's third fastest growth program, while maintaining results above the national average.
“The success of Intermountain Health's transplant programme is due to all the passionate caregivers in the OR and clinic. But it is also due to a very elegant donor and their families, and it says yes to organ donation.”
Chris Krukovsky expressed his gratitude to the organ donor, and even those considering organ donation. He said someone checked the box to make sure he was his father and husband.
“I think it's a noble thing that anyone can do, and that's easy,” he said.
Holly Krukowski added that those who chose to donate their husband's liver will not only save him, but also her and her two children as well.
Chis Krukowski suffers from Crohn's disease and the doctor told him a few years ago that he needed a liver transplant. He encouraged people not to ignore their health care and said things could have been different whether he cared for himself and his Crohn's disease in his teens and young adults years.
“Never give up. No. You just keep going. And as you may know, things may not work the way you want, but what you can do is better than anything,” said Chris Krkowski.
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