Minnesota College Student Gets New Liver While Fighting Covid-19
The story of Pennsylvania's Jaleezia Gibson, a student at Minnesota State University, Mankato, is the story of bravery, action, and the Gift of Life. A double-whammy hit her, and she didn't find out until it was almost too late.
According to the Mayo Clinic News Network, Jaleezia began to feel not at all well. Two days of vomiting led to her calling 911...which led to being airlifted to Rochester's Mayo Clinic where she found out she had severe liver failure. And Covid-19.
Dr. Julie Heimbach, chair of the Division of Transplant Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, said...
"Jaleezia's kidneys had shut down, so she was on hemodialysis. She was on a ventilator that was breathing for her and in a coma because of her liver failure...
...We had to make a decision very quickly with little data to guide us, but our teamwork, especially with infectious diseases, critical care, hepatology, anesthesia, and transplant surgery, made it possible for us to proceed despite her COVID-19 diagnosis."
This made her probably her Mayo's first patient with active Covid-19 to receive a liver transplant.
"You just did stairs without a handrail. And we're over here like on the verge of tears because we're just so happy and excited for you..."
The transplant was a success, and after two months she's been recovering well and going thru therapy. Dr. Heimbach calls Jaleezia's journey to recovery "remarkable."
There is always an urgent need for organs...for some you can be a living donor. For others, noting on your driver's license that you're an organ donor could save many lives. Please, become an organ donor. If you're already an organ donor, thank you...and make sure your family knows (yes, even if you told 'em a few years ago).
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WARNING: This video will make you feel the strength of the human spirit.