Something Completely Different

I normally don't post humanitarian pleas, but a friend's bother-in-law recently contracted a catastrophic strain of hepatitis while on assignment in Lebanon and urgently needs some help. He's a journalist for Dow Jones, so is part of the exception to the journalistic profession that's not in service to the Chomsky/Moore paradigm. The fellow's name is David Bird. You may be familiar with his stories about the oil market. If not, you can view some of his articles here.

Now, I'm not actually much of an authority on Hepatitis, but I gather from his wife's letter (below), that he needs a volunteer willing to donate half a liver for a transplant. My understanding is that a partial liver will regenerate to become whole for the donor, but there's only a brief window during which a partial liver will regenerate for David. He needs a transplant ASAP. There's no reward, other than the satisfaction of saving someone's life, although all medical expenses will, of course, be covered.

Here is the letter from his wife providing background, donor specifications (a big fellah with type O blood), an email contact and further information on liver transplants:

The Gift of Life

He is the love of my life, the adoring father to our two young children and a man full of wisdom, laughter and now…tears.

My husband, David Bird, has been suffering from a severe form of Hepatitis since July 2004. He is a journalist who travels internationally. Weeks after a business trip to Beirut, David appeared jaundiced and extremely tired. We met with specialists and he underwent a battery of tests to determine the cause. It remains elusive.

We thought the worst was over when signs of his recovery appeared in late September. The jaundiced subsided, he wasn’t as tired anymore, he began to resume the Sunday afternoon hikes in the woods with our 6 year-old son, Alexander. He was feeling better.
As we prepared for our children’s most favorite holiday, Halloween, he delighted in the beautiful princess costume our 3 year-old daughter, Natasha would prance around in. I had begun to put him to work around the house again…he was looking forward to returning to work.

Suddenly, we were blindsided. One week before Halloween, David started having a relapse. He became jaundiced again and very tired. His liver functions started to worsen and he ended up in the hospital.
A liver biopsy and MRI have revealed that his liver is rapidly deteriorating. We have now been told that he needs a liver transplant to save his life. We are devastated.

You can help us. David needs a liver. He is currently a candidate to receive half of a liver from a compatible living donor. That means the donor gives up half of a healthy liver and David gets the other half. The liver is an incredible organ that can regenerate itself so that each person’s liver would grow to the optimum size. This is the quickest way to save David’s life. However, the window of opportunity is limited. As David gets sicker, and his liver deteriorates further, he will no longer be able to accept a liver from a living donor. He will then need a whole liver which can only come from a deceased donor. He will be placed on a list with thousands of other people waiting for a healthy donated liver.

David is 46 years young. Our children are 6 and 3. They need him.

If you or anyone you know meet the following criteria please consider the gift of life.

Blood Type O

Under 55 years old

Approximately 6”1 and 195 lbs.

Good Health

We realize this is a lot to ask of someone and please know it is illegal for us to compensate the donor but all donor medical expenses are covered by our insurance.
More information about the procedure and the NYU Transplant Center can be found at NYU Transplant Center

If you think you can help, please contact us at djdavidbird-at-yahoo-dot-com.
We thank you for all your prayers and best wishes.

Nancy Bird

(Cross-posted by Demosophist to Demosophia and The Jawa Report)