Millville man in need of liver donor

Millville resident Steve Daly has been diagnosed with liver disease and is in need of a transplant.  

“I was self-employed, working home improvement work,” Daly said. “But I was in a motorcycle accident in 1974. When that happened, I had seven broken bones and was in the hospital four-and-a-half months.” 

While in the hospital, Daly underwent two abdominal surgeries. “I contracted hepatitis C from the surgeries, but did not know,” Daly said.“It wasn’t until 2001 that I was diagnosed with a cirrhotic liver.”

At the time, there was no cure for hepatitis C. Daly spent five years fighting the disease. “Back then the treatment was lousy,” said Daryl Daly, his wife.

“It was a miserable time for our family. We thought his life was over.”

Finally recovering from hepatitis C, Daly went back to his normal way of life. However, that didn’t last for long.

He began to get weak and stopped working in 2014. “I got on the liver transplant list, as the only cure for cirrhosis is a transplant,” Daly said.

Although he’s been on the list for five years, Daly said it wasn’t until the last six to eight months that he began to go into end-stage liver disease.

Daly said Daryl and his daughter are his champions, who are seeking to find a voluntary living liver donor because no family member qualifies.

On average, 17 people die per day waiting for a transplant. Meanwhile, one organ can help save eight lives, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

“Currently, Steve is an ideal candidate for a living donor transplant,” Daryl said. “But he depends on the generosity of someone willing to donate. He must rely on someone who is highly altruistic.”

When donating, living donors give about a third of their liver. The liver begins to regenerate immediately after surgery and takes six to eight weeks to recover to its normal size and function. After surgery, donors generally go on to live full and healthy lives. 

Potential donors must be 18 to 60 years old, according to Johns Hopkins Hospital policy.

For more information regarding living donors, call the Johns Hopkins Hospital living donor hotline at 410-614-2989.