FARMINGTON MAN GIVES PART OF LIVER TO SAVE DAD

A Farmington man may have sacrificed more than just a portion of his liver last month in an attempt to save his ailing father.

Joseph William, 27, of Farmington, donated the right lobe of his liver in a rare living-donor transplant performed June 25 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. The operation was to save his father, Robert William, 50, and was performed in a 12-hour operation in which father and son were operated on simultaneously in adjoining rooms.

After the procedure both Williams were listed in good condition, but since then Joseph William has been in recovery and it should be two months before he can return to work, leaving his family in a financial bind.

Dr. Todd Howard, head of the liver and kidney transplant program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital said both patients are progressing normally.

"Both of them are doing just fine," Howard said. "I haven't heard from Joe so I assume that means he hasn't had any problems."

Tests done on Robert William Monday indicate the grafted liver has taken hold and he is recovering at a good pace.

"He was released nine days after the surgery, which is pretty consistent with liver transplants," Howard said.

Both the transplanted liver portion, and the remaining organ, should grow to the size of normal livers and function normally in about three months, Howard said.

A liver dissection, which is the operation that was performed on Joseph Williams, requires a lot of cutting, Howard said, which is one reason that is limiting his rehabilitation.

Williams had moved to Farmington with his wife and child in April and began working with Joe Fajkowski Electrical. Almost immediately he submitted to tests at Barnes-Jewish to see if he was a compatible donor and missed work days because of it.

Since the operation his rehabilitation has kept him from returning to work and his family has suffered, Fajkowski said.

"They don't really have any income," he said. "We've told him not to rush back into working and risk some kind of complications. I'm not sure when he'll be back to 100 percent."

This led workers at Fred Barnes Construction, which contracts with Fajkowski for electrical work, to try and organize a fund for the family. Kristi Gurule, of Barnes Construction, said donations can be made to the First State Bank of Farmington at 201 E. Columbia.