Contact: Ryan Davenport, Fairview, 612.672.4164

MINNEAPOLIS (August 16, 2006) – Andrew Alt didn’t know it at the time, but his lifesaving liver transplant became a medical milestone not only for him but also for the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview. 

It also ended up being an early wedding present.  Five days after the surgery, Alt, 28, and his fiancée Julie scrapped their July wedding plan and got hitched—right on the 7th floor of the hospital. 

"It quickly became apparent that our wedding plans for July 22nd would have to be abandoned, but with so much to celebrate we decided to get married right away," said Andrew.   "We had a beautiful, small ceremony with our parents and a couple close friends.  The hospital staff even made us a cake, and one of the nurses brought in flowers from her garden," added Julie.

The surgery, performed June 29 and led by Abhi Humar, M.D., professor of surgery at the University of Minnesota, was the medical center’s 10,000th transplant--spanning more than 40 years of transplantation. 

“It’s a tremendous achievement for the program,” said Humar.  “Along the way, we’ve never forgotten how important the organ donor and their family have been.  Andrew’s case is a perfect example of somebody who became ill suddenly and needed a liver transplant in a very short timeframe.  Thanks to the generous gift of the donor’s family at their time of sorrow, Andrew was able to get the life-saving transplant and can look forward to the possibility of a long, healthy life.”

Alt found out he needed a new liver after a trip to the emergency room for abdominal pain.  Luckily, his wait lasted just over a week.  Given the severity of his illness, his case moved him nearly to the top of the liver transplant waiting list.  In a six-hour operation, he received a new liver thanks to a deceased donor’s generous gift.

However, Alt is one of the lucky ones.  More than 92,000 people in the United States are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, including more than 2,200 in Minnesota.  Each day an additional 100 names are added to the list.

The University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview is participating in the National Organ Transplant Breakthrough Collaborative (NOTBC).  The goal is to reduce the number of deaths among people waiting for an organ transplant.

“The University of Minnesota’s transplant program has a strong and vibrant history.  We are proud to have them as a partner and leader in helping to save more lives through donation and transplantation,” said LifeSource CEO Susan Gunderson. LifeSource is a non-profit organization responsible for management of organ and tissue donation in the state.

The university’s first successful transplant, a kidney, was performed in 1963.  Today, the hospital performs transplants from deceased donors, living-related and acquaintance donors and even non-directed donors who wish only to help somebody in need.  Although Andrew doesn’t know much about his donor yet, he and Julie plan to send a letter to the donor’s family expressing their gratitude.
 
"The outpouring of love and support from my family, friends, and co-workers at Medtronic as well as the medical expertise of the hospital staff has been absolutely incredible,” said Andrew.  “But all of this pales in comparison to the gift that one person gave--the gift that ultimately saved my life.  It has been truly touching to hear from people who have decided to designate themselves as organ donors after hearing about my situation."

The University of Minnesota Medical Center has performed more than 900 liver transplants since the program began in 1964, and some 6,700 kidney transplants.  More than half of these transplants came from living donors.  Today the medical center performs about 400 transplants per year, including heart, lung, kidney, liver, pancreas, intestine, small bowel and islet cell.  The University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital has one of the largest pediatric transplant programs in the country.

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