This Thing Called Life

Episode 32: October Is National Liver Awareness Month And We Wanted To Re-Share The Episode With Liver Recipient John Mock

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During this episode of This Thing Called Life, host Andi Johnson speaks with John Mock, a salesman for a large wheelchair manufacturer. His life took a turn two years ago when his liver failed after 56 years of perfect health. It took a ridiculous set of miracles for John to get his new liver, but he did, and his story is absolutely inspiring!

 

Episode Highlights: 

  • John details his background as a traveling sales manager for a large wheelchair manufacturer.
  • John discusses the moment, two years ago, when he realized that something was wrong with his liver.
  • The doctors could not figure out what was going on with John’s liver because he passed all tests that they could throw at him.
  • The ammonia build-up from liver failure was taking away John’s ability to focus.
  • Excessive sleeping led John to the conclusion that something was definitely going wrong.
  • John’s liver specialist sent him to the University of Cincinnati’s transplant program.
  • MELD (Model for Endstage Liver Disease) goes from 6 (years to live) to 40 (death); John was a 24.
  • After some mini-miracles, John was able to accelerate the process of getting on the transplant waiting list.
  • A battery of tests and blood work stood between John and getting on the transplant list.
  • Expecting a long wait to get on the list to get the tests run, a cancellation got John in for his test two days after his acceptance into the program.
  • Canceling the family vacation was tough, but John had to be close enough to get to the hospital.
  • John was accepted onto the transplant list and found a donor within the same day.
  • Recipients have to manage their expectations because there is a chance the organ is not a good match.
  • It was important for John to reach out to the family of the donor to express his gratitude and condolences.
  • Only 6 weeks after his surgery, John was on a plane to his national sales meeting in Colorado.
  • Relying on others for everything was incredibly humbling for John as a natural go-getter.
  • 27 days after his surgery, John and his family were able to meet his donor family and they hit it off.
  • The liver that John has now is not his own, but has been inside two other people along the way.
  • It’s incredibly difficult to have a healthy relationship between the recipient and the donor family.
  • What it was like connecting with his donor family and how hard it remains for them to this day.
  • If both sides can see that through donation, it can help both sides move forward.
  • The gift of life is shared between two families, two worlds really, in the case of organ donation.
  • It all starts with the decision that two people do not have to die.
  • You see life from a completely different perspective when you come so close to death.
  • John works tirelessly as an advocate to make sure that his donor’s family would be proud.
  • Hope doesn’t get people to become donors, but it is a strategy.
  • Anyone can be a registered organ donor and give hope to someone in need.

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    3 Key Points:

    1. John’s life completely changed when his liver failed two years ago. Through some mini-miracles, John was able to get in front of the board of the University of Cincinnati’s transplant program.
  • Organ recipients tend to question what they have done to deserve to live and why someone else had to die. The harsh reality of life sets in at some point.
  • It’s incredibly humbling when your body and mind stop you from doing certain things and you are forced to rely on others to do things for you.

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    Resources Mentioned:

    • LifeCenter (website) (Facebook) (Instagram) (YouTube) (Twitter)
  • Andi Johnson (website) (LinkedIn)
  • John Mock (Facebook) 
  • Hope is Not a Strategy - Book
  • United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
  • University of Cincinnati Medical Center
    • ...more
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