Make someone’s day sports story – the surgeon who ran part of a marathon to pick up a liver for transplant!
This sounds crazy. Charles Rowe, a 66 year old patient had waited 15 months for a liver transplant in a Philadelphia hospital due to complications from hepatitis C. A liver was found and the driver went to pick it up. But with a half marathon and other races going on in the city, the driver could not find a way through the barricades, despite having his emergency lights on. He kept running into police who directed him elsewhere to supposed openings with no success. As the time ticked close to the liver being out too long, the surgeon, Adam Bodzin, decided there was only one thing to do: put on his running shoes and run through the half marathon! According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, ” Clad in sneakers and teal-colored hospital scrubs, Jefferson Hospital transplant surgeon Adam Bodzin dashed out the hospital door and ran roughly half a mile to meet the driver, darting through the stream of runners to collect the organ packed in ice. Once he carried the specially sealed box back across the street — drawing curious stares from a few runners as he zigzagged between them — Bodzin, 41, caught a ride back to the hospital from a police officer who happened to be nearby.
The surgery went well, and three months later, the patient is fine.” Gift of Life President Rick Hasz, said he did not know the details of the driver’s difficulties, but praised Bodzin for going the extra mile. “Dr. Bodzin’s quick action demonstrated his commitment to honoring the selfless generosity of all donors and their families and gives hope to everyone waiting for a second chance at life.”
This story is personal to me, because my Dad had a heart transplant 30 years ago, and it worked for a year. Then they discovered too late that the transplanted heart had hepatitis C, and my Dad didn’t make it. My hats off to all transplant surgeons, and to Adam’s quick actions especially. Is there a medal for running in a half marathon with a liver on ice?!
