Keith Karzin donated part of his liver to his mother-in-law, Sharon Dzuibala. Asked about his momentous gift, Keith says that "It goes along with the territory of being human. After all, we were put on this Earth to help others and each of us does it in a different way."

Keith and Sharon's Story

Sharon Dziubala became ill in 1995 with cirrhosis of the liver and was placed on the national organ transplant list. As she joined the thousands waiting for lifesaving organs, Sharon’s condition continued to deteriorate. She and her family feared she could be one of the many people who die every day in the United States because there are not enough donated organs.

“I seriously thought I would not get a liver in time. My doctors said my best chance was a living donor. But who was going to do that for me?” Sharon asked. No one in her family had the same blood type.

By early 2003, Sharon was profoundly weak, bedridden and frequently in the hospital. Then one day a miracle occurred: her son-in-law Keith Karzin learned that he was O-positive, like Sharon, although he had believed his blood type was different.

Armed with his convictions, much transplant information (including helpful conversations with a former living donor), and some reassuring prayers, he knew what he wanted to do. At first Sharon said no, as she feared for him, her eldest daughter Susan, and their three young children. But Keith’s mind was made up. Upon further testing, they found he was a perfect donor match.

Keith’s only concern was helping a family member who had been suffering for a long time and deserved a second chance at life. “I guess in a way I was being selfish,” he said. “I wanted my wife and her sisters to have a healthy mother and my kids to have their ‘Mimi’ back.”

Today, Sharon is once again living a normal life and is even able to travel. She and her husband recently took a two-week trip to Yellowstone National Park.

Knowing what he knows today about living organ donation, Keith says he would do it all over again and encourages others to become liver donors. “There are thousands of folks out there waiting for organs that they may never get. Transplantation from a living donor is a viable option, one that can save many lives.”