Debora Chambless was on a steady decline. She suffers from nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, the most extreme form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Debora and her husband Bill are active churchgoers, and Debora was determined to make it to service on Sunday no matter how much her condition worsened. To learn more about nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, click here.
Despite her resolve to keep attending church services, Debora’s liver and kidneys were starting to shut down. Eventually, she was not able to leave the house. One Sunday in March, Debora and Bill came to grips with the fact that they would have to start staying at home for Debora. However, that same day, about the time services normally start for them, the phone rang.
The call was to inform the Chambless couple that they had a match for an organ transplant. The new kidney and liver were a new lease on life for Debora.
She doubts that she would have survived much beyond her upcoming birthday the following month. Debora is back to playing with her three grandchildren again. For Bill, the operation means that his best friend and wife can become an active and engaged part of his life again, and they no longer have to feel restricted by her health limitations.
Debora’s story is one of a miracle born from tragedy; her new organs were from a recently deceased young boy. The donation, decided by the child’s parents, was an loving act that saved her life. Bill hopes that her story can be one of inspiration and resilience for others who are dealing with similar health challenges.
While the company that arranged the organ donation does not permit the recipient of the new organs to get in touch with the donor’s family for seven months after the procedure, Debora and Bill say that they definitely plan to reach out once the seven month window is up.
While the death of the boy is a sad loss, hopefully the news that his organs helped save a woman’s live will serve as a degree of consolation for the child’s family. Debora simply would not be around any longer without him. Read the original article in the Leading Local News.
