Let Jayme Liver Her Best Life - Jayme's Transplant Journey

04/10/2026

Another good read on living liver donation. Check out Northwestern’s Transplant Village at transplantvillage.org and give their page a follow.

If you’re interested in learning more about living liver donation, please take a few minutes to fill out this form:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=jwOWJaQ-DE-u0QZutlRMO5Sl-FKEqh9Om-KZ8FKgjnZUN09FMkhMQU9LUk1HVUJDQTdPR0xDQVZMSC4u&lang=en

Most organ donations for organ transplants come from deceased donors. But the liver is special. The liver is the only organ that can regenerate itself and grow back from a small piece to its full size. This means that a living donor can volunteer to donate a part of their healthy liver to someone else in need. Miraculously, when you become a living liver donor, your healthy liver can become two healthy livers.

A living donor liver transplant is two procedures that happen simultaneously: one for the liver donor and one for the transplant recipient. If you donate, a surgeon will remove a portion of your liver — typically one lobe, or less for a child — and transplant it in the recipient right away. After a successful living liver donation and transplant, both pieces of the divided liver will grow back to full size within a few months.

If you and your liver are in good health, you could become a living liver donor and save a life. You can’t always donate your liver to a particular person you know — it depends on if your blood type and liver mass is compatible with theirs. But when you donate a part of your liver to someone in need, you reduce the greater need. This makes it more likely that another donor liver could save the person you know.

03/11/2026

Second time at Northwestern Memorial, in downtown Chicago, in the past 48 hours.

Today is my usual 3 month follow up with my hepatologist and MRI to monitor the progression of my PSC.

Yesterday, I arrived at the hospital at 3am, after being asked to be a backup recipient for a liver donation from a patient who passed from cardiac arrest.

Ultimately, after a long day of waiting, the primary recipient was able to receive the donated liver. Yesterday’s experience was a whirlwind that left me feeling emotionally and physically exhausted. It was the first time I was offered this opportunity and I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I wasn’t going to pass an opportunity where I even had the slightest chance of getting a new liver.

I am grateful knowing that someone was able to get a transplant that they really needed, at the same time I felt disappointed that it was not me who was receiving it. Yesterday will probably not be the last time I am a backup recipient. There may be multiple times I am called and the original recipient ends up getting the liver, but this is just another part of what comes with being on the transplant list.

Lastly, and most importantly, yesterday has reminded me of how incredibly grateful I am for the large support system I have and have been there with me every step of the way. I felt overwhelmed and not prepared for the offer, and I was able to lean on my support system to help me through this experience. Their love and support is what gets me through some of the most difficult times of this journey.

If you’re interested in learning more about living liver donation, please visit take a few minutes to fill out this form:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=jwOWJaQ-DE-u0QZutlRMO5Sl-FKEqh9Om-KZ8FKgjnZUN09FMkhMQU9LUk1HVUJDQTdPR0xDQVZMSC4u&lang=en

03/03/2026

IYKYK
A lot of people are surprised to learn this, but you don’t actually need your entire liver to live. In fact, a person can live with as little as 25% of their liver. Even more amazing? The liver has the unique ability to regenerate — meaning it can grow back to its original size. 🤯That’s what makes living liver donation possible and such an incredible gift.
If you would like to see if you are a viable donor for me, please complete this questionnaire: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=jwOWJaQ-DE-u0QZutlRMO5Sl-FKEqh9Om-KZ8FKgjnZUN09FMkhMQU9LUk1HVUJDQTdPR0xDQVZMSC4u&lang=en

02/24/2026

Did you know that a living liver donor match only needs to match the ABO blood type of the recipient?

Take a look at Northwestern Medicine’s living liver donor page for more fun facts:
https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/organ-transplantation/liver-transplantation/donors

If you’d like to consider donating a sliver of your liver to me, please take a few minutes to fill out this form:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=jwOWJaQ-DE-u0QZutlRMO5Sl-FKEqh9Om-KZ8FKgjnZUN09FMkhMQU9LUk1HVUJDQTdPR0xDQVZMSC4u&lang=en&fbclid=IwdGRjcAQJ039leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeMrbN9OtcA4n57bGrP8AvnsaRPGiLHWPhD5ocjD-8pCZTwz0eKIKDUGERnCY_aem_1c999n-20Q6A3Wlr9bQ9AA

02/16/2026

02/16/2026

I’m creating this page to share my health journey and to ask for support in a way I never expected to need. Over ten years ago I was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), a rare and progressive liver disease that causes inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts and can eventually lead to liver failure. Over time, PSC has significantly affected my health and daily life, and I’ve reached the point where a liver transplant is necessary for my long-term survival. While this has been an incredibly overwhelming journey, I’m choosing to share my story openly in hopes of raising awareness and possibly connecting with someone who may be willing to consider becoming a living liver donor.
Many people aren’t aware that a liver transplant can come from a living donor. The liver is a unique organ with the ability to regenerate itself. In a living liver donation, a healthy person donates a portion of their liver, which is transplanted into the recipient. Both the donor’s liver and the transplanted portion grow back to near full size within a few months. Potential donors go through extensive medical testing to ensure their safety, and donation is always completely voluntary. This page is meant to provide information, answer questions, and help people learn more about what living liver donation involves.
Whether by sharing this page, keeping me in your thoughts, or learning more about living liver donation, every bit of support helps and is deeply appreciated.
If you are interested in taking the first step to becoming a living liver donor, please complete this health history questionnaire (5-20 minutes). All information provided is confidential and will not be shared with anyone other than Northwestern Medicine personnel. Please make sure to notate the intended recipient is Jayme Fullone.: