Son donates liver to father in rare live donation
First live liver donation at VCU in five years
HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - A lucky Henrico man is celebrating an amazing gift. Over the summer, he was on the receiving end of the first living liver donation at VCU Medical Center in five years.
It’s a complex procedure that only happens a few hundred times across the country each year.
Ed Foster had battled a chronic illness that made his body’s immune system attack his liver for more than a decade when he told his family - eight children, 21 grandchildren - that he would need a transplant.
Ed was placed on the national transplant list, but to rise to the top you need to be incredibly sick, and with the transplant cutoff age looming, his doctors looked at another option: a living liver transplant.
Many people volunteered to donate to Ed, including his brother in law, his son in law and his niece. But his son, Rick Foster, was the perfect match.
"He said, ‘well, you gave me life, it was time to return the favor,’” Ed said.
“'Cause I’m the better son? Absolutely!” Rick said.
The surgery lasted more than 10 hours, and both made it out safely.
“It’s surgery, so you know you’re going to have a little bit of pain, a little soreness," Rick said. “That comes and it goes, but I’ve got my dad, so the trade off is way more upsides."
“1 o’clock, I walked down the hall to check on my son,” Ed said. "Everyone is knocking on wood, saying ‘you’re lucky! You’re a walking miracle,’ so when you see me walking, say ‘walking miracle coming through!’”
If you would like to learn more about how to donate, you can go here.
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