THANK YOU
BIOGRAPHY
Hi. My name is Eric. I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. I'm a husband to a beautiful/supportive wife, girl dad of 4 which includes our fur puppy Princess Stella, son to a ferociously loving mama bear, and the annoying prankster younger brother to 3 older siblings. I'm your typical American Dad - I enjoy grilling for my family, watching my Dallas Cowboys (still waiting for their return to Super Bowl), and making sure my girls don't kill each other. This website was created at the recommendation of the transplant team at UTSW in hopes of securing a living donor for a partial organ donation.
At the age of 17, I was diagnosed with a bowel disease called ulcerative colitis, which causes inflammation of the large intestine/colon/rectum. Symptoms include frequent bowel movements, vomiting, nausea, blood in the stool, ulcers, stomach cramps, weight-loss, anemia. Medications for ulcerative colitis can suppress the immune system weakening defenses against common colds and viruses, resulting in hospitalizations with severe symptoms not seen in populations without ulcerative colitis. Since my diagnosis, I've blown a hole through my stomach, which was patched and repaired, had my gallbladder and much of the colon also removed resulting in use of a colostomy bag for 6-8 months; a reversal was performed so waste can be excreted in the usual order. In my 20s, ulcerative colitis led to primary sclerosing cholangitis, which attacks bile ducts in the liver; when bile ducts are under attack, they become blocked/inflamed/scarred/narrowed resulting in bile build up in the liver; within 10-15 years results in liver disease. I was placed on the deceased donor list May 2023, but waiting can be 30 days to 5 years, alongside 11,000 others that are currently waiting for a liver. In 2022, 9,528 received liver transplants but 1,000 died waiting. To extend my life, the transplant team at UTSW encouraged me to seek a living donor. Living donors donate a piece of their liver to the recipient; the liver regenerates full size for both donor and recipient during the 6-8 week recovery period. Living Donor Assistance Program covers lost wages/dependent care expenses/travel. Recipient's insurance covers evaluation/surgery/follow-up. FMLA Approved.
If you are needing to to take time away from work (lost wages/travel/medical/dependent care through Living Donor Assistance Program/backed by FMLA) and save a life in the process, consider being my organ donor for a partial liver organ donation.
Kindness is never wasted. It always makes a difference. It blesses the one who receives it, and blesses you, the giver - Barbara De Angelis.
THANK YOU
EMAIL US:
perks of partial organ donation
-
Living Donor Assistance Program covers lost wages/travel/dependent care
-
Recipient''s insurance covers medical (evaluation/surgery/follow-up)
-
Covered by FMLA
resources
-
If prospective donors have clinical questions, they can reach the Nurse Coordinators by email: utswlivingliverdonor@utsouth western.edu or calling the Living Liver Donor Team at 214-645-1919
-
To learn more about ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis, visit https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions
Apply
-
https://www.utswlivingdonor.org/ (Apply, takes 1-2 minutes not 15-20 minutes; recipient name and DOB for application: Eric Washington, 1/20/1988