After years of non-stop drinking, Robyn O’ Kane had damaged her liver so badly, she was told she only had three months to live.

“Last Saturday, I called an ambulance to bring her to the hospital because her liver was shutting down,” says Sue Bauer, O’Kane’s cousin. “It affected her brain.”

Fortunately, O’Kane has been scheduled to receive a new liver.

“It’s like winning the lottery,” O’Kane says.

“She’s getting a second chance at life,” Bauer says.

The importance of the liver

While Bauer anxiously waits, Christie Gooden, M.D., a transplant surgeon at Piedmont, gears up to perform O’Kane’s surgery.

“I don’t think people realize how many things the liver does for you,” Gooden says. “We don't have a really good backup. It's not like kidneys where if your kidneys fail, you have dialysis. When your liver starts to fail, there's really no good backup. It's either transplant or you die.”

A new beginning

The surgery was a success, and O’Kane is grateful for her life.

“People told me to stop drinking, but I didn’t listen,” O’Kane says. “Now I’ve got a second chance, and I’m going to enjoy what I’ve got.”

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