PITTSBURGH — Paul Bowman, 73, and Takara Ditty, 23, aren’t literally related. But growing up in Hawaii, he was like a father to her.
When Takara’s parents were going through a messy divorce, she and her sister stayed with Paul and his wife, Peggy.
“In Hawaii we call it hanai,” Paul said. Hanai traditionally means an informal adoption or the raising of a child by an extended family member.
Paul, who later retired to Perry County, Pa., began to go into liver failure. When Takara, who had moved to Washington State, visited Paul in September 2021, she was troubled by how sick he seemed.
“It was getting really bad. I couldn’t even get out of bed some days,” Paul said.
Unlike dialysis for failing kidneys, there is no way to treat a failing liver without a transplant.
Paul signed up for the list to receive one from a deceased donor, but he was quickly running out of time.
The median wait time for a liver is nine months, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. However, the classification in which Paul was placed meant he likely would have waited two to three years.
Paul had a brief moment of hope when he qualified for a liver from a deceased person from the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center, but ultimately could not receive the liver because it wasn’t in good enough condition.
The delay for receiving a liver happens simply because of a national shortage of deceased donors. About 12,000 people join the waiting list each year, but in 2021, only 8,667 transplants from deceased donors were performed in the U.S.
There is another option, though rare in the U.S.: partial liver transplant from a living donor.
“Having a living donor essentially allows you to bypass all of that because you can get the transplant as soon as you identify a suitable donor,” said Dr. Abhinav Humar, chief of transplant at UPMC.
About 65 percent of the liver transplants performed at UPMC come from living donors.
That compares to just 6 percent performed nationally in 2021.
Dr. Humar pointed to the advantages of living donor liver donation, such as better health outcomes and shorter waits.
Most healthy people can donate half their liver. Within months, the liver will grow back in both the donor and recipient.
Many people don’t have the option, though, because out of 150 liver transplant programs in America, only 40 offer living transplants.
When Takara learned about living liver donation and UPMC’s liver transplant program, she flew across the country to give the gift of life to Paul.
“People ask me, ‘Wow, how could you do that?’ And it’s just kind of a no-brainer. You do what you can for the people you love,” Takara said.
The procedure was performed in March 2022. Dr. Humar said it went well for both the donor and recipient.
Takara spent only four days in the hospital and a few weeks recovering. Within three months her liver had grown back.
Paul said he feels “1,000 percent better” and is returning to normal. “Takara is my angel.”
Paul is spending Christmas with Takara in Washington. The pair also has plans for the future.
In addition to sharing a liver, Paul and Takara also share a birthday, exactly 50 years apart. They have a tradition to do something unique each year, like snorkeling with manta rays. This May 13, Paul is trying to convince Takara to go skydiving.
They both are also advocating to raise awareness about living liver donation.
“You’re giving someone life and I would definitely recommend doing it,” Takara said.