Kathy Hasan Sago
"Doctors told my family that I had 24 to 48 hours to live."
Many people associate liver disease with alcoholism, but you’d be surprised to know that this often isn’t the case. More than 20 years ago I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that affects the bile ducts, and eventually causes sclerosis or scarring of the liver. I didn’t have any symptoms, and the cause is unknown. It was discovered after a routine physical exam for employment.
Upon the doctor’s recommendation I began to see a hepatologist (liver specialist). For 15 years, my body functioned fine. My specialist was able to treat me with medications, but he told me that one day I would need a transplant. He referred me to the UCLA transplant center and after days of testing they determined that I was an acceptable candidate and placed my name on the national transplant waiting list.
The news was devastating to my family, especially my Mom. Over the years my husband, brothers and sisters watched as my physical appearance deteriorated as I waited for a transplant. I think it was more difficult for them than me. I soon began developing symptoms, the main two being severe itching and jaundice.
In December of 2000, after being on the waiting list for three years, I received a call from my transplant coordinator alerting me that a liver had become available for me. My first thought was disbelief and then I became excited and fearful all at once. I went to the hospital immediately and began to prepare for surgery. However, after a few hours, the doctor came in and told me that they had to give the liver to someone who needed it more than I did. I wasn’t sad. I knew that it must not have been my time. I felt that God was in charge and he would give me a liver on his time.
Unfortunately, a couple of weeks later I began to feel more fatigued and one night I began to feel very ill. I went to the bathroom to try ease the pain, and suddenly blood started pouring from my body. I went to the hospital immediately and once admitted I improved for a short time, and then I took a turn for the worse. I went into full body failure, then into a coma and was placed on life support and dialysis due to acute kidney failure. The doctors told my family that I had 24 to 48 hours to live if I did not receive a liver transplant.
I am grateful that soon a liver did become available, and on January 15, 2001 – Martin Luther King Day – I received my liver transplant. At the time the doctors were leery of performing surgery on me because they thought I might not survive the procedure. With God at the forefront and the skilled hands of all the physicians and nurses, the surgery was a success and my road to recovery began. After the surgery and with the aid of physical therapy, I learned to walk again.
My instruction after receiving the transplant was not to do anything but rest for the first three month but I didn’t have that luxury to relax. Two months after my receiving my transplant, my husband died from liver cancer. My heart still aches knowing that he was not able to see the extent of my recovery.
Receiving a liver transplant was not only life saving, but it was life changing. None of it would have been possible if a family had not decided to say yes to donation. Their decision gave me the gift of life, and my family and I have since been blessed with more time to enjoy our lives together. Words cannot express the gratitude I fell towards them for making that decision.
On February 10, 2010, Kathy passed away surrounded by family. OneLegacy and our Donate Life community will forever remember Kathy as a good friend and one of our most beloved Ambassadors.
