Life took a radical turn for me in April. I got very sick very quickly. My husband and I were all set to travel to Mayo Clinic - Phoenix Instead I was rushed to UCSF in San Francisco. My MELD had shot up and I had an unrelated problem with being allergic to statins. Atorvostatin was slowly destroying my muscle mass!

I was listed at UCSF in 4 days and on 4/20 a liver came in. At last minute the surgeons told me it wasn't right for me and I was taken back to my room. One half hour late they took me back to surgery because a SECOND liver came in. I woke the next morning with a 'new' liver!!!!! I thought I might have to wait months or years for a transplant, especially in California.

I feel like I cheated in a way because I only had one serious bout of illness after living with Hep B and Hep Delta for decades and I only felt really bad in late March of this year.

I'm doing really well. The staff at UCSF was wonderful but I found the liver ward chaotic, I'm so glad to be in my humble little house. My husband is an excellent care giver. I'm improving rapidly.

I am still considered chronic for Hepatitis B with a co-infection of Hepatitis Delta.

Curiously my Hep B numbers were undetectable BEFORE I started to feel really ill in late March. I had gotten a Hep Delta Quantitative blood test in mid March. My numbers were 25,000, down from over 600,00 in last fall.
Over all I feel immensely grateful and so very lucky. I know I would have gotten great care at the mayo clinic but it would have been challenging to be 900 miles from home, having to find family and friends to stay with me for an unknown amount of months.

You can see the video I made for the Hepatitus B Foundation in 2019 here: https://www.hepbstories.org/justb-storytelling-campaign/joe?rq=Joe
The photos show me at UCSF and then at home with my sister and old school freinds.