Millville family seeks matching liver donor for Steve Daly

In April, the Cape Gazette published news about Millville resident Steve Daly, who is seeking a partial liver transplant from a living donor.

Since then, his wife Daryl has continued to champion faithfully for him.

She wants willing possible donors to be informed about how to explore the process or navigate the system, beginning at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital where surgery would take place.

Living donor surgery is often a healthier alternative to deceased donor surgery.

A pre-planned transplant would free 63-year-old Steve from the looming threat of fatal end-stage liver disease and the unpredictable juncture of an unplanned emergency transplant.

The Johns Hopkins transplant team members will not let a person donate unless they are confident the individual will be physically and psychologically healthy after donation.

The three-day evaluation/screening, which is thorough and will detect any trace of illness, is by and large a fortunate advantage paid for by Daly’s health insurance, just as all the donor’s medical treatment and surgery would be.

Daly will compensate for the necessary costs of travel to the transplant center for the workup in Baltimore. It is also acceptable to compensate for lost wages, housing and childcare.

Additionally, the respectful donor mentor program at Hopkins will connect the appropriate donor with someone who has previously donated and can share their personal experience.

A donor’s liver regeneration is remarkable and rapid. It takes 6-8 weeks for the liver to return to its full size and function.

The eligible age for donation is 18-60 years old. The hospital stay is 5-7 days and after that, the donor recuperates at home. This gift of love and hope, as patients, friends and families refer to it, offers the shared experience of a meaningful lifelong bond between donor and recipient.

It is the core of Steve and Daryl’s outreach. Most donors say it is one of the best experiences of their life.

For more information, contact the Johns Hopkins Living Donor hotline, 410-614-2989 or the Daly home, 301-807-1980.