Watertown Educator Seeks Living liver Donor After Years Battling Progressive liver Disease
USA: A longtime Watertown educator who spent three decades teaching at Saint John’s School is publicly searching for a living liver donor as the only viable path to a life-saving transplant. Diagnosed with liver disease nine years ago, she has watched the condition steadily advance and now faces a narrowing timeline: transplantation is described by experts as the sole cure. With statewide programs performing fewer than 100 liver transplants annually in Connecticut, clinicians emphasize the critical shortage of organs and the potential of living donation to bridge the gap.
The teacher’s situation is rendered more urgent by a troubling family history that rules out relatives as donors. A sibling was lost to the same illness and another family member was similarly affected, leaving her little choice but to appeal beyond her immediate circle. Medical teams promote living donation for liver disease because a healthy donor can safely give a portion of their liver that will regenerate, offering recipients a timely alternative when deceased-donor organs are scarce.
Determined and resourceful, she has turned to the community, producing fliers and asking former students, colleagues, and neighbors to spread the word. The campaign aims both to find a compatible donor and to confront common misconceptions about living liver donation—its risks, recovery, and role in saving lives. The teacher says that when she receives a transplant, she hopes to return to education and devote herself to raising awareness about liver disease and organ donation.
Her story underscores broader systemic challenges: long wait lists, limited surgical volume in the state, and a persistent need to recruit living donors. Medical teams, patient advocates, and community supporters are framing transplantation as the urgent, achievable goal that can restore health and allow a devoted educator to resume service to students and families.
Video originally published on 2026-01-06 18:13:16
