Jennifer Rexroat: A 43 Year Transplant Journey
OTS is happy to share the transplant story of Jennifer Rexroat, a member who had her first successful liver transplant in 1978 when she was just 5 years old.
It’s important to note that back in the ‘70s, organ transplants were still experimental, and there were a very small number of successful operations, which is part of what makes Jennifer’s story so unique. Jennifer was born with hereditary liver disease called Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AAT deficiency), which means her body was missing a protein that helps protect the lungs, and it also raises the risk of lung and liver disease. She was diagnosed at the fragile age of two years old, and the next few years involved multiple hospital stays due to her condition. Despite the many treatments they tried on her, nothing seemed to work. The doctors gave up and, after giving Jennifer’s mother two months’ worth of medicine, sent her home to die. As a last resort to save her life, Jennifer’s pediatrician brought up the idea of a liver transplant, stating, “What else do we have to lose?” and reached out to the transplant team in Denver, Colorado.
Since the process was so new, there was no waitlist to be put on, like you might expect today. When the hospital had a liver, they called Jennifer’s family alongside another patient, stating that whoever got to Denver first could undergo the liver transplant, which is a practice you wouldn’t hear of today. Yet, Jennifer’s family was determined to get her to the liver on time because this was the only chance they had. On February 26, 1978, Jennifer had her first liver transplant when she was just 5 years old.
Although Jennifer received a new liver, her spleen, right adrenal gland, and gall bladder were removed, with the latter causing new problems in the future. Without a gall bladder, Jennifer experienced difficulties when eating fatty foods, and she eventually needed bile reconstruction since the bile ducts were clogged. Unfortunately, that’s not where her troubles ended.
In the late ‘90s, Jennifer began to develop high blood pressure. At one point she blamed it on having gained weight, but when she began living a healthy lifestyle and lost the weight, the high blood pressure remained. Without knowing the real cause, the high blood pressure continued to damage the major artery connecting the liver to the heart.
On top of the high blood pressure, Jennifer also contracted Hepatitis C from the blood transfusion of the first transplant. Although she was able to receive treatment, the process destroyed the liver to the point she had started to turn jaundice, which had never happened before. The Hep C was cleared up, but the damage had been done. Jennifer tried to return to her life after the treatment, but the pain from her condition only increased until she couldn’t even walk up the stairs. Finally, she went back to the hospital for help, where she slipped into a coma. Thankfully, Jennifer did wake up, and when she did, there was another liver for her. On April 7th, 2005, Jennifer had a kidney transplant, aortic conduit transplant for her artery, and a second liver transplant.
Today, 16 years after the operation, Jennifer is free from Hep C, high blood pressure, and she has a healthy liver that she takes care by living a healthy lifestyle. Jennifer is now married, and she works full time for the University of Illinois in Bloomington.
Jennifer Rexroat’s transplant story teaches us to be proactive and listen to our bodies when it tells us that something is wrong. She also teaches us to appreciate the small things in life. Jennifer remembers being stuck at home sick and still hearing the birds and the wind outside her window, and it was a comforting feeling to know that the cycle of life was still going, which is something we can all hold onto as well.