Posted on 01/28/2008 4:38:43 PM PST by SandRat
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Jan. 28, 2008) -- Marines put their lives on the line in battle so that millions around them don’t have to. They’ve been doing this for 232 years, and continue, to this day, to sweat, bleed and fight to ensure the safety of this country.
Putting one’s life on the line for another is a selfless act that comes straight from the heart. For Lance Cpl. Nathan J. Williamson, a warehouse clerk with Supply Company, 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, being a live organ donor allowed him to save his mom’s life and live to see her again.
On July 10, 2007, in an act of unconditional love, Williamson underwent an eight-hour surgery to remove two-thirds of his liver, while his mother waited nervously in a nearby operating room to have her liver replaced with her son’s.
“The hardest part about the surgery was not knowing if my son was okay,” Williamson’s mother said. “He wanted to do this and I knew I needed the surgery. Without the transplant I (could’ve) died. Knowing that he was willing to do this for me made him my hero. He was saving my life.”
Two years before the surgery, Williamson’s mother began suffering from primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), a disease that destroys the liver’s bile ducts at a slow rate. When the ducts are damaged, bile builds up in the liver and begins to destroy it.
“My mom was always tough while she was sick,” Williamson said. “She came to almost all my sports games in high school and nobody could ever tell she was ill.”
After graduating from high school, Williamson joined the Marine Corps and soon after began working in his new job. Nearly a year after stepping on the infamous yellow footprints, Williamson received a message that would change his life forever.
“One day after work I got a voicemail from my family about mom, so I called the hospital and found out that she wasn’t doing well,” Williamson explained. “They said they needed somebody to be tested as a live donor and because I have the same blood type, there was a higher chance of me being a possibility.”
“When I found that out, I told everyone I wanted to be tested,” Williamson continued. “I remember (going) home in June for a three-day process that included blood work and (Computerized Axial Tomography) scans to test if I could be a donor.”
Along with having a compatible blood type, one of the requirements for being a liver donor is to be physically fit. As a Marine, Williamson had no problems meeting the required physical fitness standards.
“I remember when they stuck a long needle in my abdomen to do a liver biopsy, I clenched up and the needle bent because my abs were so strong,” Williamson said. “Once the testing was over they determined that I was a perfect match.”
Being a perfect match made Williamson’s decision to donate his liver come easily as his only concern at this point was doing his part to save the woman who gave him life.
“People keep asking me how long it took me to make the decision to donate my liver,” Williamson said. “I didn’t think twice about it because she’s my mom.”
According to Dr. Kusum B. Tom, a transplant surgeon at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplant Institute in Pittsburgh, Pa., the institute has an average of 25-35 adult live liver transplants and 12-20 pediatric live liver transplants each year.
“I’ve been working at the (institute) for six years and I’ve seen only a few service members as live liver donors,” Tom said. “Williamson was our first Marine live liver donor.”
Williamson’s direct supervisor, Master Gunnery Sgt. William H. Wharton, the staff non-commissioned officer in charge of Storage Operations, Supply Company, 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd MLG, knows his Marines very well but feels Williamson’s bravery speaks volumes about his personal character and what he represents as a Marine.
“This says a lot about his mental courage,” explained Wharton. “It’s very noble of a vibrant young man who is just in the prime of his life, whose personality radiates energy and enthusiasm, to sacrifice his Marine Corps career for the sake of his mother.”
While Williamson appreciates the support from his Marine Corps leaders, he knows he would not have been able to go through the surgery without the support of his family and friends.
“Support helps with anything you do,” Williamson said. “Our family is so tightly-knit that there was a lot of support. Some of them stayed so long at the hospital they were asked to leave. One of my friends even tried hiding in the closet because he didn’t want to go.”
Nearly six months after his transplant operation, Williamson is working hard to return to full duty through determination and a commitment to self improvement.
“He ignites the human spirit,” Wharton added. “Like all Marines, he exemplifies the mental courage to risk his own life in order for others to enjoy the liberties that we so richly cherish.”
For Lance Cpl. Williamson: XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Kleenex alert.
Ping. Tissues ready?
How can he function on 1/3 of a liver?
I didn’t know that was possible.
What a remarkable guy.
<< Ezekiel 19 >>
King James Bible
2 And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.
3 And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.
.....
10 Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
I did not know that you could donate a portion of your liver. “The More You Know”
so why then could not the moms liver fix itself
Her liver was failing and whatever reduced ability it had to try to repair itself was not keeping up with the disease that was destroying it.
Besides when you are talking regeneration of 2/3 of a liver, you are talking years to regenerate to its normal size, it’s not like a week or a month and he’s normal again.
The bile duct was hosed up and liver was eating itself from the nside ut.
Think 2 pounds of meat tenderizer in your gut. Horribly painful as well.
My oldest son threw a gall stone that blocked his bile duct.
The docs got it sorted out finally, but he was in intense pain for weeks. Part of his liver was destroyed & had to be removed. Now he seems to be OK - the damaged part is healing itself - but he has no gall bladder & that causes other issues.
Sort thru some google entries on liver disease, gall stones and the like.
I had no idea. I learned something new today.
Thanks.
The liver regenerates and will grow back to it’s normal size.
A healthy human liver has the ability to regenerate, so I’ve read and heard.
My son served in Kuwait while I served in Baghdad in 2006-2007. I have since been medically discharged and he is on deployment orders once again, this time, Iraq. I, mom, have fallen into a health crisis and need a liver due to my liver attacking itself. With out the liver, I die. My son just told me that he wants to be tested but is scared of the army discharging him for his service to family before country. Will he be punished? Can he be punished? Is there anything I can do to help facilitate his wishes of having his mother for 20 more years. Please excuse any spelling errors as I am am very tired and not up to snuff. I need advice and don’t know where to look. Thank you.
contact me at montanna@ticon.net
They will not I believe do that, reclasssify his MOS to some “noncombat” mos. Besides what a PR Story; Especially if the surgery takes place on Mother’s Day: “Mother Day’s Special: Army Son Gives Up Body Organ for Army Vet Mom.”
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