California man donates part of his liver to Conservative rabbi in Pittsburgh – The Australian Jewish News
By daniellenierenberg
Eric Stegers heart is full, although his liver is smaller by 60%.
Steger, a 50-year-old man from Sunnydale, California, affiliated with Chabad, was in Pittsburgh earlier this month fulfilling his dream of donating an entire lobe of his liver to help save the life of another.
The liver recipient, Conservative Rabbi Jeffrey Kurtz-Lendner, 53, said he feels like he has been given a second chance at life.
Get The Jewish Chronicle Weekly Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFree Sign Up
Kurtz-Lendner, who relocated to Pittsburgh from Iowa for the purpose of obtaining a transplant at UPMC, had been diagnosed with fatty liver cirrhosis, but the doctors did not know how serious it was until they were in the midst of the transplant.
I could have died before I got put onto a list, said Kurtz-Lendner, who, after the Jan. 7 surgery, is still recuperating but has been discharged from the hospital.
Steger, a math tutor at Foothill College in Northern California, has donated stem cells for a bone marrow transplant and platelets many times, and has been wanting to help save a life with one of his organs for years. He even traveled to Israel to donate a kidney, but was ultimately turned down because he had hypertension.
About a year ago, though, he saw a UPMC commercial airing in California that advertised the fact that it was now performing altruistic liver donations.
I decided to give it a try, said Steger.
He then got in touch with Chaya Lipschutz, an Orthodox woman from Brooklyn who donated a kidney to a stranger in 2005, and since then has made it her work to help others find kidney matches. She receives no money for her services.
Lipschutz had made the shidduch with the kidney patient in Israel for Steger that did not work out, he said.
As fate would have it, Lipschutz did know people who needed a live liver transplant. Steger was medically cleared for the procedure, but the first few people with whom he matched found other donors. Lipschutz then turned to message boards to post that she had an able and willing donor.
Now I was a solution in search of a problem, said Steger.
When Kurtz-Lendners sister in Teaneck, New Jersey, happened to see Lipschutzs post, the match was made.
Post-surgery, both donor and recipient are doing well.
Im feeling very positive, said Kurtz-Lendner, noting that full recovery from the procedure will take about a year. Two weeks ago, I was dying. Now, I have another 30 years.
He, his wife Robin, and his oldest daughter will remain in Pittsburgh for at least six months.
Kurtz-Lendner did not meet Steger until after the surgery, and sees him as an inspiration of a human being. I appreciate what he has done. He just saved my life.
Steger returned to California this week. During his time in Pittsburgh, he received warm hospitality from the citys Jewish community, particularly the Bikur Cholim of Pittsburgh, run by Nina Butler, he said.
Patients and families who come here from out of town always remind us of how special our community is, said Butler. As the Bikur Cholim of Pittsburgh, Im simply organizing the generosity of volunteers to provide the specific support that each patient wants. That started before Jeff or Eric arrived, answering their questions about housing, Shabbat observance and kosher food.
Eric is observant and came unaccompanied, so his housing was complicated because the Family House does not allow patients to stay completely alone, Butler explained. We provided home hospitality, and we also organized volunteers to drop off meals for Eric while his hosts were at work. Most of all, we formed relationships with both patients and Jeffs family so they knew there were Pittsburghers who had their backs.
Robin Kurtz-Lendner said that she and her husband felt so supported, even before we got here. Its been incredible. The whole community has been rallying around us and its really been appreciated.
Donating part of his liver was not easy, Steger acknowledged. Still, he wants to encourage others to consider organ donation.
Im not going to sugarcoat it, he said. It was the hardest thing Ive ever done. It was a year out of my life, one full year when I was thinking about this all the time.
There was a battery of tests, the surgery itself, and now the recovery phase, he said, which all carry physical and emotional risks.
But he is hoping what he did will help generate continued interest in organ donation.
I hope my experience will inspire other people to investigate it for themselves, he said.pjc
Toby Tabachnick can be reached atttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
- Bone Marrow Donors Can Be Hard to Find. One Company Is Turning to ... - November 15th, 2024
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Their Niche in Bone Marrow - November 15th, 2024
- Bone Marrow Transplant Program - Overview - Mayo Clinic - November 15th, 2024
- Bone Marrow Donors Can Be Hard to Find. One Company Is Turning to Cadavers - WIRED - November 15th, 2024
- More stem cells for sickle cell gene therapy readied with motixafortide - Sickle Cell Disease News - November 15th, 2024
- Skull bone marrow expands throughout life and remains healthy during aging, researchers discover - Medical Xpress - November 15th, 2024
- Adult skull bone marrow is an expanding and resilient haematopoietic reservoir - Nature.com - November 15th, 2024
- Evaluation of standard fludarabine dosing and corresponding exposures in infants and young children undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation -... - November 15th, 2024
- Stem cells grown in space show super powers but theres a catch - Study Finds - November 15th, 2024
- Getting a Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplant - October 21st, 2024
- Acquisition of durable insulin-producing cells from human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells as a foundation for cell- based therapy of... - October 21st, 2024
- 1.5 Lakh Indians Register To Save Lives: Join the Mission To Fight Blood Cancer - The Better India - October 21st, 2024
- How Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Transplants Are Used to Treat Cancer - October 13th, 2024
- Stem Cell (Bone Marrow) Transplants - MD Anderson Cancer Center - October 13th, 2024
- Donating Bone Marrow and Stem Cells: The Process and What To Expect - October 13th, 2024
- What to expect as a stem cell or bone marrow donor - October 13th, 2024
- Structural organization of the bone marrow and its role in ... - October 13th, 2024
- Stem cell donor from down the road saved my life after global search - BBC.com - September 23rd, 2024
- Awaiting the call: family hopes to find blood stem cell donor - Claremont Courier - September 23rd, 2024
- Michigan woman one of first in world to successfully receive bone marrow from deceased donor - WDIV ClickOnDetroit - September 23rd, 2024
- Next-generation stem cell transplant: Revolutionizing a lifesaving cancer therapy - The Business Journals - September 23rd, 2024
- Sophie's life was saved by a stranger. Some in her position have an 'unfair' disadvantage - SBS News - September 23rd, 2024
- What Are Leukemia and Lymphoma and How Are They Treated? - LVHN News - September 23rd, 2024
- Giralt on MDS Transplant Timing and Candidacy - Targeted Oncology - September 14th, 2024
- Aging is associated with functional and molecular changes in distinct hematopoietic stem cell subsets - Nature.com - September 14th, 2024
- A practical guide to therapeutic drug monitoring in busulfan: recommendations from the Pharmacist Committee of the European Society for Blood and... - September 14th, 2024
- ISU researcher blown away by blood cell replication discovery - Radio Iowa - September 14th, 2024
- Pausing biological clock could give boost to lab-produced blood stem cells - Phys.org - September 14th, 2024
- 9-year-old gets successful bone marrow transplant - The Times of India - September 14th, 2024
- Dr. Crandall: Stem Cell Treatment Heals the Heart - Newsmax - September 3rd, 2024
- Orion Corporation: Managers’ transactions – Hao Pan - August 19th, 2024
- BioCorRx Reports Business Update for the Second Quarter of 2024 - August 19th, 2024
- Tevogen Bio Reports Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results, Eliminates Doubt About Company’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern, Eliminates... - August 19th, 2024
- Aligos Therapeutics Announces Reverse Stock Split - August 19th, 2024
- Lumos Pharma to Participate in H.C. Wainwright 26th Annual Global Investment Conference - August 19th, 2024
- Protect Pharmaceutical Corp. (PRTT) Announces New CEO and New Director; Moves to Finalize the Karinca Logistics Merger - August 19th, 2024
- OKYO Pharma Participates in H.C. Wainwright 4th Annual Ophthalmology Virtual Conference - August 19th, 2024
- CORRECTION – Tevogen Bio Reports Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results, Eliminates Doubt About Company’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,... - August 19th, 2024
- NurExone Biologic Achieves Key Milestone in Support of Robust Exosome Manufacturing Process - August 19th, 2024
- Silexion Therapeutics Ltd. and Moringa Acquisition Corp Announce Closing of their Business Combination - August 19th, 2024
- Vericel Announces FDA Approval of NexoBrid for the Treatment of Pediatric Patients with Severe Thermal Burns - August 19th, 2024
- Codexis Publishes FY2023 Sustainability Disclosures - August 19th, 2024
- MediWound Announces U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approval of NexoBrid® for the Treatment of Pediatric Patients with Severe Thermal Burns - August 19th, 2024
- First Successful Paediatric Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant In Bengaluru; Know All About The Procedure - Onlymyhealth - August 4th, 2024
- Is Stem Cell Transplant Often The Only Treatment Option For Blood Cancer Patients? Why So? - News18 - June 2nd, 2024
- This Swedish startup wants to reduce the cost, and controversy, around stem cell production - TechCrunch - March 10th, 2024
- Bone Marrow Transplantation | Johns Hopkins Medicine - December 20th, 2023
- Mansour bin Zayed witnesses inauguration of ADSCC Bone Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapy Congress 2023 - ZAWYA - November 26th, 2023
- ADSCC Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Congress 2023 to take place in Abu Dhabi - ZAWYA - November 18th, 2023
- Orchard Therapeutics Reports First Quarter 2023 Financial Results and Announces Initiation of Rolling Submission for Biologics License Application of... - May 16th, 2023
- Family of 7-month-old in need of bone marrow transplant hosting donor registration event - CBS Pittsburgh - May 8th, 2023
- Anika Continues to Expand Addressable Market for Tactoset Injectable Bone Substitute with Additional 510(k) Clearance from FDA - Marketscreener.com - April 5th, 2023
- MorphoSys Completes Enrollment of Phase 3 MANIFEST-2 Study of Pelabresib in Myelofibrosis with Topline Results Expected by End of 2023 -... - April 5th, 2023
- VOR BIOPHARMA INC. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (form 10-K) - Marketscreener.com - March 25th, 2023
- BioRestorative Therapies to Seek FDA Approval to Expand the Clinical Application of BRTX-100 - Marketscreener.com - March 17th, 2023
- BioSenic delivers a new post-hoc analysis of its Phase III JTA-004 trial on knee osteo-arthritis with positive action on the most severely affected... - March 17th, 2023
- JASPER THERAPEUTICS, INC. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (form 10-K) - Marketscreener.com - March 9th, 2023
- For a range of unmet medical needs, India offers a fantastic opportunity to push cell and gene therapies: B .. - ETHealthWorld - March 9th, 2023
- NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS INC Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. (form 10-K) - Marketscreener.com - March 1st, 2023
- Bone health: Tips to keep your bones healthy - Mayo Clinic - January 27th, 2023
- Bone marrow drive held for military wife with cancer - January 27th, 2023
- Bone cancer - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic - January 27th, 2023
- Bone | Definition, Anatomy, & Composition | Britannica - January 19th, 2023
- Bone Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster - January 19th, 2023
- What Is Bone? | NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National ... - January 19th, 2023
- Anatomy of the Bone | Johns Hopkins Medicine - January 19th, 2023
- Bone Health: Is Eating Meat Healthy For Your Bones? - January 19th, 2023
- Bone Keeper | Deepwoken Wiki | Fandom - January 19th, 2023
- With blood and plasma donations in short supply, uniting communities to give the gift of life - Toronto Star - January 3rd, 2023
- Side Effects of a Bone Marrow Transplant (Stem Cell Transplant) - December 25th, 2022
- 28-year-old cancer patient at Nebraska Medicine advocates for diversity in bone marrow registry - KMTV 3 News Now Omaha - December 17th, 2022
- Stem Cell Technologies and Applications Market Report 2022-2032 - Yahoo Finance - December 9th, 2022
- Fred Hutch at ASH: Global insights on AML outcomes, COVID-19 and cancer, CD19 CAR T-cell therapy updates, latest on precision oncology and more -... - December 9th, 2022
- Types of Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Transplants - American Cancer Society - December 1st, 2022
- Getting a Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplant - American Cancer Society - December 1st, 2022
- Woman, 41, With Bubbles In Her Urine Dismissed By Doctors. Turns Out To Have The Blood Cancer Multiple Myeloma. - SurvivorNet - December 1st, 2022
- Stem cell and bone marrow transplants - Cancer Research UK - November 22nd, 2022
- Donating Bone Marrow Experience | Be The Match - November 22nd, 2022
- Learn How to Donate Bone Marrow | Be The Match - October 29th, 2022
- Stem Cell Transplantation Program - DanaFarber Cancer Institute - October 29th, 2022