Gun range employee Chris Twardy didn’t know how many of his customers cared about him–but he found out and as a result he has a new lease on life.
Twardy, 50, was diagnosed with Wilson disease, a rare inherited disorder that prevents the body from removing extra copper.
Most people don’t think too much about the fact that our body needs a small amount of copper to stay healthy. Usually, our livers filter out any extra copper we may ingest–it’s released into bile, the fluid that carries toxins out of the body via the gastrointestinal tract. If too much copper accumulates in the body, as happens with Wilson disease, it can damage the brain, eyes, and other organs–especially the liver. Over time, this copper build-up causes life-threatening damage.
The combination of Wilson disease and a battle with cancer left Twardy, 50, in desperate need of a new liver. That’s when things got interesting.
His employer sent out an email to their customer base explaining Twardy’s situation and a number of people responded. One brave mother of four stepped into the breach.
Cindy Greisz, a fellow gun enthusiast and regular customer at the range, came forward and offered to donate a part of her own liver. The liver is the only organ in the body that can regenerate itself. The outcome was everything they’d hoped for and both Twardy and Greisz have recovered from the surgery.
Without treatment, Wilson disease is always fatal.
Undiagnosed patients can experience jaundice, abdominal swelling, tremors, and difficulties with walking, talking and swallowing. The onset of symptoms usually occurs in late adolescence and because the brain is affected, patients suffer from all degrees of mental illness. Wilson disease appears in both males and females equally; and women with Wilson disease may experience reproductive issues.
Happily, Twardy is engaged to be married and he and his fiancée have become close friends with Greisz, whose husband is a gunsmith
