Transplant cancelled
Kevin Clements remains in urgent need of a liver after potential organ deemed ‘not viable’
A mix of emotions ranging from anticipation to fear have been replaced by frustration and despair for a Montrose, P.E.I. couple. On Sunday, a hasty trip to Halifax from western P.E.I. was made so Kevin Clements could prepare for a life-saving liver transplant. The transplant procedure was tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, but Josephine Clements said she and her husband were informed at 7:15 a.m.
A mix of emotions ranging from anticipation to fear have been replaced by frustration and despair for a Montrose, P.E.I. couple.
On Sunday, a hasty trip to Halifax from western P.E.I. was made so Kevin Clements could prepare for a life-saving liver transplant. The transplant procedure was tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, but Josephine Clements said she and her husband were informed at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday that the donor liver was not viable. Although the liver was determined to be the right match and size, a final determination on viability could not be made until it was retrieved, she said from Halifax.
That subsequent evaluation determined it was not viable, she explained.
Although her husband has been on the transplant list since March and is anxiously awaiting a transplant, she admitted he was feeling nervous about the major surgery and the risks that accompany it. The emotional roller coaster started with Sunday’s call that a donor liver was available.
“So many emotions and you can’t control which ones come out and how long they are,” Kevin said Monday in a phone interview from Halifax.
He suffers from fatty liver disease and, in sharp contrast to its name, his liver has shrunk to the size of a golf ball. A normal liver is about the size of a football.
Knowing that his liver is failing, the couple remains hopeful that another liver will come available.
“We’re praying that it will happen soon,” Josephine said. They were staying one more night in Halifax, as Kevin was too tired to travel Tuesday. They were to return home Wednesday, bringing with them Josephine’s mother who flew in from Ontario on Monday to be with them for the anticipated transplant.
Josephine noted the support of relatives and friends who have been following her updates online and offering them prayers and support. She is also very appreciative of the caring displayed by members of the transplant team.
“They really take everything to heart,” she said.