Lynda Trachtman

Type of Donation:       liver recipient

Age and Location:      Age 71 - Fullerton, CA

Date of Transplant:           12/17/1999

Sponsor:                      Honored by OneLegacy

LYNDA’S STORY

Lynda Trachtman was diagnosed in 1985 with non-A, non-B viral hepatitis, which today is called hepatitis C. She discovered 6 years later that she was misdiagnosed and that she had HIV secondary to artificial insemination, and she learned that the sperm donor had tragically died from complications due to AIDS. The combination of HIV attacking her liver, along with the early HIV antivirals such as AZT, led to a fatty liver and subsequently liver disease. This was a life altering episode in Lynda’s life, and in the life of her husband and family. At the time, she owned a thriving physical therapy business with 40 employees.

Still, Lynda was overwhelmed by the amazing support of family and friends while she navigated this crisis. Many people volunteered to donate part of their liver to Lynda, but her beautiful 25-year-old niece, Sherri, insisted she wanted to be the donor. Sherri was a perfect match! Due diligence by Lynda’s 80-year-old mother and the support of her husband lead Lynda to receiving care at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. Although the doctors did not know how much immunosuppressive medication to give a person who was already immunocompromised due to HIV, they agreed to perform the surgery.

The transplant team, led by Charlie Miller, MD and Hepatologist Leona Kim Schluger, MD, performed the surgery, and Lynda became the first woman in the world to undergo this relatively new live donor transplantation with these set of circumstances. She went from 70 pounds and reliant on a wheelchair for mobility to a thriving person again. She has had numerous opportunities to share her story and journey and has presented to several organizations, as well as a multitude of medical students. She calls her talk “From Illness to Wellness,” and with some sense of humor, also refers to is as “It’s All About the Hug!” emphasizing that compassion and shared humanity is particularly needed in the medical field.

Lynda is also outspoken about praising the many people who were involved in the process of returning her to health. By speaking openly and honestly about her health journey, Lynda hopes to combat silence and stigma about personal health issues, and to help others become advocates for their own health.

More than ever, Lynda has come to appreciate TODAY. She believes that dealing with one’s own mortality opens you up to enjoy the MOMENT.

She acclaims the many people she has been blessed to meet on this journey, but pays special tribute to Alexandra Mary Levine, MD, past Medical Director of City of Hope and to her husband David Trachtman, who kept all the balls in the air! And of course, most of all, her niece Sherri, whose living liver donation saved her life.