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1,000 Chances for New Lifeby Graciela Gutierrez 
Dr. John Goss credits the generosity of families who donate a loved one's liver with making this lifesaving surgery possible. How many people get to say they have played a role in 1,000 miracles? If you are Dr. John Goss, professor of surgery in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, it's just another day on the job. Goss, along with his colleagues at The Liver Center at BCM, celebrated this year the completion of his 1,000th liver transplant since joining the BCM faculty. The milestone was reached June 7 at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. Goss is director of liver transplant programs at St. Luke's, Texas Children's Hospital and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He performed these lifesaving operations at these institutions as well as at The Methodist Hospital over the past 12 years with the support of his team of surgeons, nurses, hepatologists, medical specialists and administrative staff. "Liver transplantation provides the sole chance for survival for children and adults devastated by liver diseases. We are all grateful for the organs families have graciously donated to make these operations possible. The donors and our patients are our heroes," said Goss, who is also the chief of the division of abdominal transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery at BCM. On the brink and backDescribing a liver transplant as a miracle is not a stretch of the imagination, according to 39yearold Shane Torkleson of Houston. Back in October of 2007, Torkleson received a double transplant of a kidney and liver. "I was given about a 10 percent chance to live. I wasn't sure what would happen. Somehow Dr. Goss and Dr. Christine O'Mahony, assistant professor of surgery at BCM, found their way to me and saved my life," Torkleson said. Torkleson suffered from alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic disorder, and had been on dialysis and medication but nothing was working. While his liver was failing, so were his kidneys. "I went in to St. Luke's for blood work and was admitted immediately," he said. "I went down hill rapidly from that point and was in the hospital for almost eight months. The last three weeks I hardly remember." 
Dr. Risë Stribling, left, and Dr. Christine O'Mahony, assistant professors of surgery in the Michael E. DeBakey department of surgery at BCM. Torkleson is adamant that if Goss and his team were not there at that time, he would not be here today. He also is thankful to the donor and the donor's family and all involved in his recovery. "I have a second chance at life. My wife and I can now start planning for a family," he said. "I definitely do not take life for granted." The Liver CenterThe survival rate for patients of the Liver Center at BCM is the highest in Texas among highvolume programs—95 percent for programs performing more than 35 transplants yearly. Goss and Dr. Risë Stribling, associate professor of surgery at BCM and medical director of the St. Luke's Liver Transplant and VA Medical Center Programs, cofounded The Liver Center at BCM to provide comprehensive care for all patients with liver diseases. "The Baylor liver transplant program is an outstanding success," said Dr. Stephen Spann, senior vice president and dean of clinical affairs at BCM. "Dr. Goss, Dr. Stribling and their team have a commitment to excellence that is evident in their success and the lifesaving care they have given to hundreds of patients. Liver transplant patients at Texas Children's Hospital, the DeBakey VA and St. Luke's have benefited from the comprehensive team approach that they have championed." "Liver transplantation provides the sole chance for survival for children and adults devastated by liver diseases. We are all grateful for the organs families have graciously donated to make these operations possible." The Liver Center has also performed many other firsts, including:
"Our team of hepatologists, radiologists, oncologists, pathologists and medical consultants collaborate with our surgeons to provide advanced medical and surgical care based on the latest research and technologies," said Stribling. Where it beganGoss and Stribling both credit their UCLA mentor, Dr. Ronald Busuttil, with motivating them to pursue a collaborative approach to improving the care of all patients with liver diseases and the survival of those undergoing liver transplantation. "I congratulate Drs. Goss and Stribling on this landmark achievement of performing 1,000 liver transplants. One cannot underestimate the skill, dedication and selfless sacrifices that are required to save so many lives. They and their team should feel a great sense of pride on this momentous occasion," Dr. Busuttil, professor and executive chairman of the department of surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles. Moving Forward
Dr. John Goss, left, and Dr. Charles Brunicardi, DeBakey/Bard Professor and chair of surgery at BCM. In a special celebration for the 1,000th liver transplant, Goss was honored by members of those institutions of which he has been a part and who have played a part in the transplants. Colleagues from BCM, Texas Children's, St. Luke's and the DeBakey VA celebrated Goss' milestone and each presented him with an award to mark the occasion. He thanked his support team of surgeons, nurses, hepatologists, medical specialists and support staff. He also expressed his appreciation of LifeGift (lifegift.org), a nonprofit organ procurement organization that recovers organs and tissues for individuals needing transplants in 109 Texas counties. "I have a team of people and organizations who have been with me along the way," Goss said. "They have played important roles in not only making the surgeries happen, but in each patient's life." |
FeaturesThe Future of Health Care Starts at Med High Emergency Medicine: The Art of Juggling A Quarter Century of Invention at Baylor College of Medicine "Passport" Gives Childhood Cancer Survivors Entry into Adult Healthcare Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center Educates Through Entertainment Getting to the Roots of Cancer NewsDr. Paul Klotman: BCM's New Top Man Dan Duncan Leaves Solid Foundation for BCM's Research Future DeBakey Library & Museum Showcases Innovations of Pioneering Heart Surgeon SpotlightBIPAI Doctor Seeks to Serve in Africa Space Medicine Takes Medical Education Across New Frontiers Quest for a Gene Opens New Door in Personalized Medicine BriefsOut of This World Science Experiment Generates International Interest Predicting the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease Pool to Receive Academic Clinical Professionalism Award The Pea Aphid and the Wasp Genome Development/AlumniBelieve in BCM Campaign Engages Campus Development BriefsNational Osteoporosis Foundation Honors Lawrences DeBakey Heart Center of BCM Benefits from Partnership Event Pink Ribbon House Project Celebrates Success |
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Volume 6, Issue 1, Summer 2010 |
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| Last modified: August 11, 2010 |