DONOR | Michael's Story

Michael Teague

LIVING Liver DONOR NEEDED

To whom it may concern: Please come forward to help me. I know I am asking a lot, but I promise to take good care of the liver you give me. Thanks!

My name is Michael also known as Mike, Mikey, Uncle Mikey, and Uncle Monkey. I was diagnosed with end stage liver disease 13 years ago and put on the transplant list 11 years ago. I enjoy creative writing, (which is one thing I can do on good days), most sports, fantasy football, and the New York Yankees.

The same time I got listed, the side effects of the disease were kicking in. The confusion (hepatic encephalopathy) is the worst of them. They have slowly taken over my life since then. I can't work, drive, or be trusted to cook. I have lost about 60 to 70 pounds of muscle, that makes it painful on my joints and bones.

If I got a transplant, my life would no longer be ruled by physical or mental pain. Right now I feel like a prisoner trapped in my own body on a desert island. I would be able to spend a lot more time with my friends and family. I would be able to take care of myself, run my own errands, and believe it or not go back to work and make a living, and be able to drive!

I have been on the transplant list for eleven years now and even when I wanted to give up, friends and family got me through the tough times. I continue to fight every day. I am looking for someone who thinks they can help me. My brother tried but he was the wrong blood type. I didn't think brothers could be different blood types. Part of a liver would save my life. I also had a close friend try, but once again he was the wrong blood type. Those interested can confidentially start the donation process. PLEASE share this story with others, AS MANY AS YOU CAN!

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Become Michael Teague's Donor

If you are considering being a living donor please use links below to contact Michael Teague'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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annie and denny

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Annie