Wendy Muth Kmet Needs a Liver

01/30/2025

Here's a picture of Wendy from a while back with her beloved pup Fritz on a visit to Florida. Wendy is still looking for a living donor, and on average it takes 3 donors to find one that's a suitable match. While she and her family are incredibly grateful for the kind words, prayers, and laughs some of you have been providing (keep 'em coming!), we've still got work to do.

Here are some tangible things you can do to help:

1. If you’re considering donating, fill out the Health History Questionnaire for the Living Liver Donor. Wendy needs people to fill this out so they can be evaluated as a potential match. That link is pinned at the top of this page.

2. Like AND Follow this page. The more activity that happens on this page, the more visible it will be, and the more likely someone who is a match for Wendy comes forward.

3. Interact with the posts on this page - Like, Comment, Share. Again, the more activity that this page gets, the more likely we are to find a match.

4. Share this page with your networks. This is probably starting to sound like a broken record, but the larger the pool, the better the odds.

01/10/2025

Dear Friends,

Wendy was diagnosed with end stage liver failure due to autoimmune disease and septic shock in 2024. Since then, she’s gone through countless tests, procedures, trips to and from the hospital, and has undergone infusions to keep her feeling herself. Her treatment options are now limited to a liver transplant.

A transplant would offer Wendy the freedom and ability to live a longer, healthier, more normal life. It will also give her more time to do the things she enjoys the most.

Finding a liver for transplant is difficult, and the average wait time for a deceased donor is five years, which she does not have. The other option is receiving a liver from a living donor.

It’s difficult making this public request, but it greatly increases Wendy’s chances of getting a transplant. Living donation of a liver is possible because the liver is the only organ that can regenerate itself, and both the liver of the donor and recipient (in this case - Wendy) regrow rapidly, reaching normal volume and function within a couple months. Living-donor transplants also have a higher success rate than deceased-donor transplants.

Some other things you should know:

• The recuperation period is usually fairly quick
• The cost of your evaluation and surgery will be covered by Wendy’s insurance
• You will have a separate team of healthcare professionals to evaluate you as a living donor. Their job is to help you understand the risks and benefits and look out for YOUR best interests

Thank you for taking the time to read Wendy’s story. If donating part of your liver to Wendy is something that you’re interested in doing, please reach out.

Living donation may not be right for everyone — but you can still help! Consider being an organ donor after death and also, help Wendy by sharing her story with everyone you know.

Solid Organ Transplant ProgramFor the questions below, please answer them as they pertain to you, not anyone else in your family.The information provided here will be used by our Transplant Team to detect any medical conditions that may affect your ability to be a donor.