Liver Cancer and Transplant Gives Patient a New Outlook

Hearing the words “you have cancer” shocks most patients. But receiving his liver cancer diagnosis in September 2011 really shouldn’t have surprised Pat O’Connor.

Since childhood, O’Connor had suffered varying degrees of liver problems. He’d consulted multiple doctors, but none could ever pinpoint the root of the problem.

Fast forward to 2004, when O’Connor’s health took a turn for the worse. His chronic liver disease had led to esophageal varices, or bulging blood vessels similar to varicose veins, that were bleeding in his esophagus. After that, O’Connor’s health continued to deteriorate.

So here he was undergoing chemotherapy for his liver cancer, and by January 2012, O’Connor was spent. He had little energy for much more than going to work and coming home to sleep. He had no stamina for social outings or activities. And he certainly couldn’t maintain his once faithful, 5-days-a-week exercise routine.

In addition, the liver damage caused excessive fluid buildup—about two quarts worth—in his abdomen that caused pressure on his spleen and other organs.

“I couldn’t bend or sit; I was so uncomfortable,” recalled O’Connor. “My life was just miserable.”

Out with the old

O’Connor did have one thing going for him: his longtime physician, John Helzberg, M.D., a board-certified hepatologist at Saint Luke’s. For the past 20 years, Dr. Helzberg, who specializes in treating liver disorders, had occasionally broached the idea of liver transplantation.

“Honestly, I just never took it seriously because I didn’t think I was that sick for what I considered a risky surgery,” said O’Connor.

O’Connor joined the national waiting list on Jan. 4, 2012. Three months later, he received a new liver.

Life restored

After nine days in Saint Luke’s Hospital, O’Connor returned home to recover. “Each day I felt better and stronger,” he said, “and I’d think to myself, ‘This is working!’”

Today, he eats well, drinks lots of water, and gets plenty  of sleep. He’s also resumed an exercise regimen: He logs an hour on the treadmill daily and participates in exercise classes at a local gym.

And now he’s socializing. He joined a book club and frequents the Saint Luke’s Liver Transplant Support Group where he shares stories with other patients and encourages those who are preparing for transplant surgery.

Getting a new liver has given O’Connor a new outlook. “I’m determined to improve my quality of life,” he said. “Everything the doctors and nurses said about the good outcomes that would happen, has happened. I feel very lucky.”