A New Liver, A New Heart

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

Many of you know a young man in our church called Blair Kitchen. He is a husband and a father of 3. Blair has a liver disease, which has plagued him for years. He has been hospitalized numerous times and his condition has deteriorated to the place where he needs a new liver. Blair is on the donor list, but the list is long and there is no guarantee when the next suitable liver will become available.

I am a part of the same small group as Blair. Every meeting we hear the latest updates on Blair’s condition and we get the chance to lay on hands and pray for him and his family. Another member of our small group is Joe Biggar. Joe recently felt prompted to begin the process of being tested as a possible liver donor for Blair.

The human liver has remarkable regenerative capacities. In a living donor transplantation, a piece of the healthy liver is surgically removed from a living person and transplanted into a recipient, immediately after the recipient’s diseased liver has been entirely removed. In a typical transplant, 55 to 70% of the liver is removed from a healthy living donor. The donor’s liver will regenerate approaching 100% function within 4–6 weeks of the procedure. But there is a significant risk to both the donor and the recipient.

To be an organ donor you have to go through rigorous testing. First of all, you need to be a compatible blood type. Secondly, your liver needs to be a comparable size with the recipient’s. Thirdly, your liver needs to be  dividable. Up to 70% of the donor’s liver is removed and some livers can’t be divided in the appropriate location.

Joe has gone through all of these tests and has been found to be a suitable donor. The operation date is October 17th.

Although, we will all pray like crazy and believe that Joe and Blair will come through strong and healthy, there is a chance of complications. Joe knows these risks, yet has chosen to go ahead with the procedure, because he loves his friend and wants him to be restored to health.

What a picture of the gospel. Jesus knew that he would need to lay down His life – for you, for me. He gave us His heart – pure, healthy and eternal, for our hearts – sick and dying with sin. We call it the great exchange. “God made him who knew no sin, Jesus, to become sin,” that would be our sin, “so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor 5:21. We have been given Jesus’ righteousness. He gave us a heart transplant and unlike Joe, He knew for certain that it would be unto death. He took our sick and dying heart upon himself. He gave us everything in return.

Pray for Joe and Blair. Pray for their families. Pray that Jesus is glorified through their bodies on October 17th. Pray that the gospel is proclaimed through their lives. Worship the God who gave you a new heart.