Expressions of Hope
Renewing lives by transplanting hope
With a hardhat in one hand and a briefcase in the other,
Dorna Seanez runs one of the top 100 most successful companies in California.
Owning a grading and paving company and raising three teenagers, at age
42, Dorna didn't have time to experience major health problems.
Things changed, however, in January 1995. Dorna's health unexpectedly took a dramatic turn, leaving her near death in a matter of weeks.
Dorna's skin and eyes developed a yellow appearance, and she experienced unexplained fatigue. She visited her doctor who ran tests to determine if her body was unhealthy in any way. The initial tests were simple but they soon became more involved. Dorna feared something was very wrong.
The tests revealed that Dorna had primary biliary cirrhosis (cirrhosis of the liver). This diagnosis was a surprise to Dorna, who chose to live a lifestyle free of alcohol and drugs. Nor did Dorna have a history of liver problems in her family. But now, she was confronted with receiving a liver transplant or death. She had heard good things about Loma Linda University Medical Center and decided to trust them with her care.
Upon her first visit, she learned the Transplantation Institute at Loma Linda University Medical Center has the only liver transplant program of its kind in inland Southern California. She was reassured by her doctor that the team at the Transplantation Institute would work together to ensure the most comprehensive, accessible, and advanced medical treatment available.
Dorna had confidence in the transplant team but was still concerned whether her quality of life would ever be the same. "People depend on me," Dorna thought. "I am president of a construction company and a wife and mother. How can I give up all this responsibility?"
She and her husband, Carlos, joined a support group for transplant candidates and recipients at Loma Linda. She met others who had successfully recovered from a transplant and felt encouraged she could still function in her many capacities after a transplant.
Just a few weeks after her diagnosis, Dorna was admitted into Loma Linda University Medical Center as a patient. The transplant team knew they needed to find a liver donor soon, since Dorna's condition was growing worse.
Less than two weeks after her admission, Dorna went into a coma. "I remember her being surrounded by a lot of equipment and beeping machines," says Carlos. Family and friends, many of whom traveled several hundred miles to be near her, offered support and prayers.
The day before Easter Sunday, doctors knew Dorna had only a few hours to live. That night, Dorna received the gift for which she and her family had been waiting. A liver matching her type had been found, and transplantation surgery was scheduled.
Awakening from her transplant surgery, Dorna smiled at her husband Carlos. Her life had been spared thanks to another's generosity.
Within four months, a much healthier Dorna was back signing contracts, doing public relations, working with safety inspectors, and managing a business. "I am back 100 percent," says Dorna. "I'm also able to give more of my time and energy to my family.
"I am so thankful for the beautiful gift of life I have received from a person who is no longer alive today," says Dorna, who was so inspired by the experience that she frequently holds presentations about the importance of organ and blood donation.
"The nurses and doctors at Loma Linda are wonderful," says Dorna. "The staff has a good attitude -- which makes me feel good. They help me to believe this experience is not going to hold me down and that my attitude is very important. I have learned to take everything in stride."
"With a 90 percent one-year success rate (compared to the national average of 79.2 percent one-year success rate), the liver transplant team has achieved one of the best survival rates in the country, and we are continuing our rapid rate of growth," says Waldo Concepcion, MD, medical director of the Transplantation Institute.
Last year, 26 people received liver transplants at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Fifty-six people are currently on a waiting list to have a liver transplant.
Following recovery, Dorna wrote and presented a poem to the transplantation team and other patients. The following lines are taken from the closing paragraph:
Just when time had almost run out for Dorna, she received the donated liver she needed for survival. Today, she is back one hundred percent.
The Transplantation Institute maintains educational and clinical support as hopeful recipients wait, go through surgery, and learn to lead a normal life. April Paredes (right), 15, received a kidney transplant on April 1. Agnes Pascua, RN, outpatient transplant coordinator, regularly meets with April and evaluates her individualized treatment program designed to maintain April's health.I live day to day with a new outlook in living,
Seeking ways of helping, sharing, and giving. More caring, more loving, and with more wisdom, I recall unforgettable experiences I once shared with you all.
Photo (above): Dorna Seanez, owner of a grading and paving company, recently underwent a liver transplant at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
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