vitalpatients
Luck of the Irish
Perhaps it was Tom O’Brien’s Irish ancestry that sparked a bit of good luck five years ago. On St. Patrick’s Day 2003, as he faced a life-threatening liver disease, O’Brien was given a paging device that would alert him when a suitable donor organ was found. Surprisingly, he received that transplant 16 days later even though the average wait time for a liver transplant is two years.
O’Brien talks candidly about his experience from his office at BMW Constructors in downtown Indianapolis where he is president and CEO. He recalls the days leading up to his transplant surgery and of the deep respect he has since gained for his surgeon-turned-friend, Joseph Tector, M.D., whom he credits with saving his life.
“On December 19 [2002], I woke up, and I was yellow. I felt fine, but I was eating, and I thought it was just the effects of holiday stress, so I went to work. But the next day I was even more yellow.”
O’Brien had previously been diagnosed with the rare disease, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), which is a disease primarily of the bile ducts, both inside and outside the liver. The walls of the bile ducts become inflamed, causing scarring and hardening that narrows the ducts, resulting in damage to liver cells. Eventually the liver develops cirrhosis and can’t function properly.
O’Brien saw his physician who diagnosed and treated a liver blockage. His physician also explained that the condition could worsen, potentially resulting in liver cancer. O’Brien’s situation did, indeed, progress and eventually a liver transplant was his only hope.
“I really didn’t know where to turn,” he says, “so I called a good friend, Tim Taber, who is a kidney specialist at Clarian Health Partners. He suggested I see Drs. Paul Kwo and Joe Tector at IU. Tim described them as the best and Dr. Tector as the finest transplant surgeon in the country.” Drs. Kwo and Tector confirmed O’Brien needed a transplant.
Experts in Transplant Surgery
Tector and his team at the Indiana University School of Medicine perform between 150 and 185 liver transplants a year, treating patients from around the globe. IU is one of the three most active transplant programs in the country in terms of the number of transplants conducted annually and boasts an average wait time of only 30 days. Tector credits this to his team who will reach out far and wide to obtain suitable organs.
“Our team leaves no stone unturned,” he says. When an appropriate donor organ becomes available the IU team makes every effort to accept it. In fact, oftentimes, they travel great distances to transport the organ.
O’Brien’s surgery took place during spring break when Tector was scheduled to be on vacation with his family. He recalls with appreciation how Tector stayed behind to monitor him and joined his family later.
“Things were going well and I was supposed to be released from the hospital on Good Friday but then I began losing blood,” O’Brien says. “On Easter Sunday, Dr. Tector returned from his vacation late that night and came to the hospital directly from the airport. He stayed next to my bed the rest of the night,” O’Brien says with amazement.
“I can’t say enough about Joe. Five years ago I would have been sent home to die. Joe took a chance on me and here I am today.”
O’Brien appreciates his second chance at life and doesn’t take everyday things for granted. He cherishes his family, his friendship with Tector, and is also thankful that he can once again live a normal life. His long-term prognosis is good.
“It made me realize that I’m not bulletproof. Something like this makes you want to give back and try to help the next person,” he says. His way of giving back was to establish the O’Brien Family Transplant Fund at the Indiana University School of Medicine in honor of Dr. Tector.
Fostering Future Research
The O’Brien Family Transplant Fund provided start-up support for Tector’s current research involving xenotransplantation – the use of animal tissue, cells and organs in humans. “The gift basically got the ball rolling,” Tector remarks. “I brought a team of people here and was able to purchase the needed equipment to conduct our research.”
“We’re genetically engineering pigs so we can use their organs for human transplantation,” explains Tector. “We have teams that clone the pigs as well as an immunologist who identifies the genetic manipulation to the pigs.”
O’Brien is extremely grateful for the research Tector and his team is conducting. “Joe is by far the number one transplant surgeon in the country. He is so far ahead of his time. He is truly transforming transplantation,” he says.
Five years ago when Tom O’Brien learned he needed a liver transplant, he initially did not know where to turn. As he points in the direction of the IU medical campus from his downtown office, he says thankfully, “I had no idea that my life could be saved right here, just a mile and a half down the road.”
Tom O’Brien recently celebrated the fifth anniversary since receiving a liver transplant.
