DONOR | Maria's Story

Maria Chiarelli

LIVING Liver DONOR NEEDED

What do we want? A liver! When do we want it? Now! Or as soon as possible.

My name is Maria. I have been a family attorney since the day I was born. Six years ago, I was diagnosed with liver failure and have since been unable to continue helping my clients and my family. I have created this page to share my story and search for a living donor. A living donor only has to donate a small portion of their liver and then their liver will regenerate in three months.

I've lost much of the energy and focus I've had from this condition and have been unable to continue my career. This has been crushing to myself as well as the clients who rely on me. Fortunately my friends, family, and two crazy cats have continued to support me through this time.

The physical and cognitive struggles I've had would fully recover! I'd have the energy to re-enter life and support those who helped me in my time of need. A transplant would let me fully live the life I used to have, and I feel I have so much more to give to those around me.

Once a month I need to have a Paracentesis procedure, which drains fluid built up in my abdomen. This can drain nearly 10 pounds of fluid in one sitting. This is one of the medical
commitments that would be resolved once I receive a liver transplant.

I'm searching for a generous and brave person to step forward to the donation process for the chance to share the gift of life. It's a safe process and many resources will be available to support your decision. If you're unable to donate, please share this story!

I'm a huge fan of UConn Women's Basketball and love to be able to get out to Gampel Pavilion to support the Huskies.

START YOUR JOURNEY

Become Maria Chiarelli's Donor

If you are considering being a living donor please use links below to contact Maria Chiarelli's Transplant Center. Begin by completing the donor questionnaire

Fill Out DONOR Questionnaire
(INQUIRES ARE 100% CONFIDENTIAL)

Becoming a Liver DONOR Find a Transplant Center near you

Yale New Haven Transplantation Center

333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520

(866) 925-3897 Email Transplant Center

Did you know?

Medical expenses for living organ donors are 100% covered, and inquires from potential donors are 100% confidential! Contact the Transplant Center to learn more about living donation.

More Donor FAQs

Share the Importance of Living Donation

Liver transplantation has been a successful treatment and standard of care for end-stage liver disease since the early 1980s.

Technical advancements in liver surgery, as well as the liver's tremendous ability to regenerate, have made living donor liver transplantation a life-saving reality.

There are currently 120,000 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in the U.S. Of these, 15,000 await liver transplants.

Although more than 6,000 liver transplants were performed last year, over 1,700 patients died while waiting on the list.

Deceased donor livers are allocated to patients based on how sick they are, determined by their MELD score, where sicker patients receive priority.

Living donation offers patients the option of transplant before they get very sick--regardless of MELD score--significantly decreasing the time they wait for a liver.

Living donation not only saves the life of the recipient; it also frees up a liver for a patient on the waiting list who does not have that option.

The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) and Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease (PELD) are numerical, objective scales that allocate available livers to the sickest patients. Patients move up the list as their scores increase.

The first living donor liver transplant took place in 1988. Since then, living donors have continued giving the gift of life and making a difference.

When a recipient has a living donor, the wait time for transplant is shorter and the transplant can be scheduled in advanced when the recipient is in good health and when it is convenient for both the donor and the recipient.

Financial burdens shouldn’t prevent the gift of life. The National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC) can offer financial support for living donor travel expenses.

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Maria's Champions

Linda

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Andrew

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