New liver and a new life for Matthew Polisseni

    The diagnosis that doctors gave 17-year-old Matthew Polisseni four years ago during a routine gall bladder removal surgery, dramatically changed the teens life. Diagnosed at age 13 with a rare liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis, doctors told Polisseni he would eventually need a liver transplant. He was placed on the waiting list in September 2007. On a very cold and blustery Sunday morning, February 10, 2008, he received a new liver at Strong Memorial Hospital Golisano Children’s Center, and a new lease on life.

   Life that Polisseni says he’s had to put on a slight hold while awaiting a donor liver. Primary sclerosing cholangitis is an inflammation of the bile ducts in the liver. Over time, his disease progressed and eventually caused blockage of the bile ducts and hospitalization for the teen. Living with the progressive disease has been difficult for Polisseni, though his teachers and classmates barely knew anything at all was wrong because he didn’t talk about how he was feeling nor did he use his illness as an excuse in school.

   "There were times when he would get very tired but he just kept going. He told us he didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him," said his mother, Gina.

   The disease caused Polisseni to be fatigued and he experienced uncontrollable itching all over his body. Several times his blood count would reach a dangerous level as his liver function continued to decline and he would be hospitalized. Still, the teen attended high school, completed his assignments and didn’t really talk to anyone about how he was feeling. Occasionally, the fatigue was so bad that he had to lay down in the school health suite until he could get enough energy to return to class.

   "I just hid how I really felt. My friend James (Sickles) knew; he was the only person I told things to," Polisseni admitted.

   Sheri Backus was his advanced biology teacher. She and Polisseni would discuss his condition and she knew he was in a great deal of pain. Backus copied notes for him and allowed him to take tests in the health suite.

   "He’s a tough kid. He never complained to me that he didn’t feel well. I knew that he didn’t because he would get so tired that he’d have to go the nurse and lay down. I kept water in the classroom for him and I knew that he was getting worse, but he never gave in to it," Backus commented. "He’s a fighter."

   Throughout his four-year illness and as his condition deteriorated, his parents never treated him with kid gloves. Instead, they encouraged their son to keep going. And so he did, despite how he was feeling. As he looks back over the four years, Polisseni says he understands why his parents acted the way they did.

   "It got harder and harder every day. Mom and dad did a good job; they didn’t baby me at all. It’s a good thing. They knew that if they didn’t act like everything was okay, I might give up and not make it to the transplant," he commented.

   Polisseni was hospitalized several times in the past few months and each time he moved higher up on the liver transplant list. Days passed by and Polisseni got sicker. Doctors had planned to use a piece of his father, Alan’s, liver to transplant in to his son if a donor liver did not become available in time. That surgery was scheduled for March 4 of this year. Three weeks prior to the day, a donor became available, one that doctors called a perfect fit.

   Alan Polisseni got the call at 10:30 a.m. that a liver was available for his son and that he had to report to Strong Hospital within the half hour. He woke his son and the family jumped in the truck and headed for the hospital. Matt says he reacted very matter of factly since he had been waiting for this day to happen and it was finally here.

   "They woke me up and said, "let’s go." I was scared and happy. I got up and go into the truck," Matt said.

   After surgery, his doctors reported that Polisseni’s condition was much more serious than they had anticipated and his liver was very near total failure.

   "The doctors told us he could have only made it one to five more days and the liver would have been in total failure," his mother said.

   After about three days, Polisseni became conscious enough to say that already he felt more energized and the itching had stopped. Doctors told him that the surgery went very well and everything was working fine.

   Now recovering at home, Polisseni is doing well but still is very tired. Blood work monitors how his body is adjusting to the new liver. There are some signs that his body wants to reject this foreign object, but doctors tell him that is normal in the first few weeks following the transplant.

   It will be at least one year before Polisseni can make contact with the family of his liver donor. He wants to tell them thank you for donating their loved ones liver to him. He says organ donation wasn’t a subject that would ever have crossed his mind before he found himself on a waiting list for a liver. To those who may be considering organ donation, he says, "It’s very important because it saves many lives."

   Polisseni completed his high school course work in January and will walk with his classmates in the Class of 2008 at commencement this June. His parents say that will be a good feeling, knowing that their son is finally able to head on in life like the rest of his classmates. Polisseni is looking forward to attending college this fall majoring in industrial engineering and eventually he plans to get back on the ice to play hockey.