CANADA: Running Out of Time, Artist With PSC Appeals for Stranger to Donate Part of Liver

Woman With Rare Liver Disease Searches for Living Donor as Transplant System Falls Short

WORLD NEWS – CANADA: Lorie Rotor is a civil servant, artist, motorcyclist and devoted bird owner who is also quietly fighting a rare and often deadly liver disease. Nearly a decade ago, she was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a slow-progressing condition that causes inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts, eventually leading to end-stage liver failure. Although the disease can advance for years without obvious symptoms, Rotor’s condition worsened this past summer when her bile ducts became impassable, placing her in urgent need of a liver transplant.

Rotor is now on a transplant list, but patients with PSC face significant barriers. The scoring system used to prioritize recipients for deceased-donor livers does not fully capture the severity of PSC or its complications, often leaving patients ranked lower than their true medical need would suggest. As a result, many people with PSC die while waiting. Physicians across Canada are working to address this gap by developing an artificial intelligence–based assessment tool designed to better reflect overall illness severity and improve access to deceased-donor organs, but those changes are still estimated to be about two years away.

Time Rotor may not have. Until the system changes, she is seeking a living liver donor willing to give a portion of their liver, which can regenerate after surgery. The transplant would offer Rotor a chance to survive and regain her quality of life, but it requires a major act of generosity from a stranger. Anyone interested in learning more about becoming a living donor for Rotor, either anonymously or directly, can find additional information and contact details on her Facebook page.

Video originally published on 2026-01-22 17:41:43