At 23 years old, Laura Criel was near death when she was diagnosed with liver failure and transferred to The Methodist Hospital. Doctors suspected that medication she had taken since childhood to combat rheumatoid arthritis had caused irreversible liver damage. Within hours of her rushed transfer to Methodist, Laura underwent a dramatic and unprecedented liver transplant performed by doctors at the J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center at The Methodist Hospital.
Laura’s liver was poisoning her body so quickly that her team of health care providers had to remove it and allow her body to recover for two hours before implanting the donor liver. Even still, the new organ was expected to last only temporarily, and was not suitable for other patients.
The perfect liver arrived five days later, just as Laura’s body began to reject the first organ. Her second transplant was a wonderful success, and after just a month in the hospital, Laura went home, resumed her online college studies and her part-time job, and is on the road to recovery.
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