Living liver donor and recipient meet for the first time

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – It’s not often that organ donation recipients get to meet their donors. That’s not the case for one Minnesota man. He was given a new lease of life thanks to a donor who was no stranger to the process.

Three years ago, Paul Voth noticed something was wrong.

“I was just really tired and just kind of, well, not interested in anything, and I would forget things,” Vose recalled.

After years of drinking, his liver was failing.

“They looked into me and told me that my liver was in pretty bad shape,” Vose said.

Vose was sent to the Mayo Clinic and placed on the transplant list. He waited for the call 24/7 for months.

“The nurse here called me one day and asked if I was sitting right now. I said, ‘No, no, but if you need me I will.’ “She said she has very good news,” Vose said. “That’s where John came in.”

On October 3, 2023, Vaught’s prayers were answered when he received a piece of John Maxey’s liver. Maxey said the pair were a perfect match and the liver belonged to Voth.

Some might say that Maxey has a strange hobby since this was his second organ donation. He had previously donated a kidney to a stranger in 2019. The ultramarathon runner is one of about 30 people in the country to donate multiple organs, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“If you’re not helping other people’s lives, I don’t really know what you’re doing here. That’s really not the case. That process is more important to me than any career advancement, more than any accomplishment in sports. But it meant so much more than helping another human being.”

Maxie also scheduled surgery for another recipient.

“Eight hours after the actual transplant, the transplant was canceled due to an anatomical issue between me and the recipient that was discovered quite late in the process.”

Six months after the transplant, Vose and Maxie are both recovering and doing well.

“I’ve been given a second chance and I’m going to use it properly,” Vose said.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone waiting for a liver.

“Even though we have a strong system in our country, there are a lot of people who need livers. We still need living donors,” said Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon Dr. Timsyn Tanner. .

Tanner said about 15,000 people are currently waiting for a liver transplant, and many more are waiting for other organs.

“You can change someone’s life. You can get back on track in a little over a month. It doesn’t take long to give up on helping,” Maxey explained.

Vohs said there are many people he would like to thank for putting all the pieces in place.

Voth is a big fan of classic rock and hopes to visit the UK soon. Maxey has donated as many organs as possible and is now on the bone marrow donor list, preparing for more marathons.

Click here to learn more about living donor transplants. here.

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