DONOR | Joseph's Story

Joseph Lewis

LIVING Liver DONOR NEEDED

I am praying for a transplant so that I can be the best husband, dad, grandpa, brother, and son I can be. My heart goes out to everyone.

My name is Joseph Lewis. I will be 62 years old April 20, 2024. My mother and mother in law are doing well. I have four siblings, four children, and eight grandkids. I am passionate about receiving a new liver so that I can spend quality time with my family!! I was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver in August 2022. I am a recovering alcoholic. I have been sober for 16 months. I faithfully attend meetings and work everyday to improve my mental health. I attend church weekly and have a renewed faith in God. I have been seeing my gastroenterologist and family doctor on a timely basis and getting bloodwork every other week. I take all my prescribed medicines daily and get hospital tests done as required. My last two tests were scans of my liver. I very much am looking forward to my turn to receive a liver transplant.

My liver failure prevents me from working. It also prevents me from attending all my grandkids sporting events and school programs. I also cannot drive long distances without help from family members.

A liver transplant would allow me to be more active with family activities. My family all live close to me, but now I cannot be with them as much as I want because I get tired, dizzy, and confused. I say my prayers daily to do God’s will, not mine.

I am making my situation known so that any person interested in helping me with a partial liver transplant can contact me. I want feel healthy and stronger so I can better enjoy my family. Thanks to any person willing to help me. Myself and my family will be eternally grateful!

START YOUR JOURNEY

Become Joseph Lewis's Donor

If you are considering being a living donor please use links below to contact Joseph Lewis'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

Johns Hopkins Hospital

1800 Orleans St, Baltimore, MD, 21287

(410) 614-2989 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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Joseph's Champions

Beth

Family (invited)

Beth

Family

Help Joe live a full life!

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Eileen

Family (invited)

Rick

Family (invited)

Joseph Lewis

LIVING Liver DONOR NEEDED

I am praying for a transplant so that I can be the best husband, dad, grandpa, brother, and son I can be. My heart goes out to everyone.

START YOUR JOURNEY

Become Joseph Lewis's Donor

Johns Hopkins Hospital

Share Joseph Lewis's Story

Share the Importance of Living Donation

Joseph's Champions

Beth

Beth

Eileen

Rick