Recently, one of our mutual connections and Super Connector, Brooke Emery shared Tim’s story with me. I, in return, want to share it with you in hopes you know someone that is a giver with a healthy liver.
This is Tim McDonald’s short story. Defying the Odds:
Stage 4 colon cancer patient goes from having 3 years to live to almost being cured. Finding a living liver donor is all that’s needed now. Just take a look at my ask driving around town.
The Longer Short Story:
When Tim McDonald, a Tampa area resident, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer with metastasis to his liver in November of 2020, he was told that his life expectancy would be three years. He was also informed that until his death in 2023, he would need constant chemotherapy.
Always believing in himself, and not what others told him, he knew there was another way and he explored options that would dispel this prognosis. Tim was grateful to be accepted at Moffitt Cancer Center. And following aggressive chemo treatment, and exceptional care and support, the treatment killed all the cancer in his colon but did leave some in his liver.
Not eligible for mainstream treatment options, he learned about the living liver donor transplants for metastasized cancer patients and got in touch with Dr. Hernandez at the University of Rochester Medicine in NY. This is one of only 14 centers in the US performing this type of transplant. Tim never gave up as he never accepted the death sentence he was given. His oncologist at Moffitt sees this procedure as an “outside of the box” treatment and has supported Tim throughout this journey.
Today, for Tim to become cancer free and defy the odds that stage 4 colon cancer is incurable, he needs a viable donor to donate part of their healthy liver to him. Our liver is the only organ in our body that regenerates itself, so both the donor and Tim will have their livers regrow to their original size within 16 weeks after surgery.
What most people don’t know about Tim is that he would be the first to consider donating part of his liver to a stranger if he was healthy since giving is a huge part of who he is at the core.
If you meet the requirements listed at TimsLiver.com, please call URM and begin the screening process to see if you are a good match. If not, please consider sharing Tim’s story with your friends and family who may be able to save his life.