Haddam, CT woman in need of liver donor

Connecticut-statewide information-Haddam, CT-(April 1, 2024)-A Connecticut woman diagnosed with chronic liver disease is hoping for a live donor. Patients with a living-donor liver transplant may have a longer survival rate and fewer medical issues after the procedure than those who receive a liver from a deceased donor, according to the Mayo Clinic website.

Sandy (Saucier) Archer of Haddam, 47, was diagnosed in August 2022 with a chronic autoimmune disorder that attacks the liver. She and her family are encouraging people to consider registering as an organ donor. with Yale New Haven Health. “Archer’s physician told her last Summer that she had a 20 percent chance of survival in the next year. Having a living donor allows the recipient to avoid possible health complications while waiting for a transplant, the Mayo Clinic website said”.

She had been diagnosed with a fatty liver as a teen, and now has primary biliary cholangitis, “a progressive destruction of the bile ducts, according to the Mayo Clinic.” Despite growing up thin and active, Archer stated, “I didn’t eat the best, but what teenager does? I didn’t have any of those factors”, in an article written by Cassandra Day, Managing Editor, Hearst Connecticut Media / Middletown Press. Link:(3/20/24): https://www.middletownpress.com/news/article/living-donor-liver-transplant-haddam-ct-archer-19204652.php?fbclid=IwAR0G6T2NdKD4pz2vJP1AngcMej_YXwpKCw4gIKApX5EskRfGb5nquzhlNrY

“There is no cure for PBC, Archer said in Day’s article. If she had been diagnosed earlier in life, she could have been put on medications that slow the disorder’s progression. Like your skin, your liver can regenerate itself as long as it’s healthy,” according to Archer's sister, Theresa Colquit of Middletown. “Sandy’s has gotten to the point where it can’t anymore.”

Archer is recently married and a mother who finds herself in the middle of the national transplant waiting list. According to organdonor. gov, 103,223 men, women, and children are on the list. As of September 2023, 10,088 patients were waiting for liver donations, with 6,143 transplants performed”.

Day’s article states that, “The operation involves removing Archer’s liver and replacing it with a portion of the donor’s liver. The organ will regenerate over time. So, too, will the recipient’s, but that takes much longer, Archer said. Because of the risk of her body rejecting the liver, she will be on antiviral medicine for the rest of her life.

The effects on her daily life are many:

low blood sugar,
jaundice,
very low energy,
upset stomach,
overnight nosebleeds, and
trouble with blood clotting

Archer works in the medical field herself, but now it’s her turn to accept help from her family and the community. Archer’s sister was tested to see if she would qualify as a donor, but she can’t do so because of her own health issues. Her husband is not a match. The initial screening takes 10 minutes on the phone.

To learn more about being a donor, visit registerme.org/campaign/ct.

To learn more about organ transplants, visit ynhh.org/services.

Rachel Lutzker