Wife’s liver gives new life to husband

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

Something wasn’t right and Jacob “Jake” Thar wasn’t getting the answers he needed. Back in 2022 he was so dehydrated he was drinking 17 bottles of water a day. One doctor diagnosed him with gastrointestinal issues. Another physician discovered he has an autoimmune disorder.

In a matter of months, Thar began losing his memory, his ability to drive, walk, and carry on his normal lifestyle. It was at a hospital closer to his home in Niles, Mich. where he learned his kidneys and liver were failing. Thar and his wife of 31 years, Shauna were referred to IU Health. Jake arrived by ambulance and became a patient of Dr. Marco Lacerda, who specializes in liver, intestinal and multivisceral transplantation and Dr. Lauren Nephew who specializes in gastroenterology and hepatology.

“He was a mess when he arrived in Indianapolis and had a whole team working with him,” said Shauna Thar. Several times, he went through paracentesis to drain the excess fluid from his abdomen. He received some relief from the pain and breathing difficulties but knew that it was temporary. In the care of Dr. Matthew Johnson, Jake received a Trans jugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) that creates a shunt in the liver to reduce high blood pressure.

“Dr. Johnson changed my world because TIPS allowed me to function like a normal person while I was waiting for transplant,” said Jake, 55, a retired truck driver. During that wait time, the couple made numerous trips to IU Health – driving nearly 200 miles each way. In all, he said he had about 11 different procedures.

It was during one hospital visit when Shauna, 47, learned about living liver donation.

IU Health started the living liver donor program in 2020, providing patients with another option toward renewed health.

Living donors help reduce the wait time for a life-saving organ, and in some cases, a living liver donor may provide the best option for transplant. Patients and donors undergo initial screenings and multiple tests and evaluations. They work with a team of transplant experts including physicians, living donor coordinators, social workers, dieticians, pharmacists, and financial coordinators.

The transplant involves removing a portion of the donor’s liver and then using it to replace the diseased liver in the recipient. The liver regenerates and returns to full function within a month.

IU Health’s Transplant Program is nationally ranked in both volume and specializations. The team has averaged 520 transplants since 2021. IU Health is the only center in Indiana approved to perform all organ transplants and the only liver, lung, and pancreas transplant program in the state. IU Health is the only living liver donor transplant program in Indiana.

A living liver donor isn’t necessarily related to the recipient. Compatibility is based on blood type and tissue typing. Age and size are also taken into consideration.

The Thars have a blended family of six children. They also have 14 grandchildren, ranging in age from two to 15. One of Jake’s sons was first tested to be a living donor. When he wasn’t a match, Shauna tested. “When I received the call from Dr. Lacerda, I knew it was the right decision.”

On Aug. 12, 2024, the Thars were in the surgical care of Drs. Chandrashekhar Kubal and Plamen V. Mihaylov as Shauna donated her liver to her husband. He remained in the hospital for nearly a week before transferring to a local rehabilitation center. Since then, they have made the three-hour trip back to Indianapolis several times for clinics and follow-up visits. Many times, they have stayed at Fair Haven, a foundation that provides free housing to patients and their families facing medical challenges.

“From the maintenance man who sang as he mopped the hospital floor, to the folks at Fair Haven who always offered a kind word, to my doctors who saved my life, and to the nurses who sat with me and prayed with me, I can’t say enough about IU Health. I wish everyone of them lived in Niles, Michigan and were my neighbors,” said Jake.

The couple has a phrase they like to share: “You don’t have to die to be a hero. You can be a living donor when you’re alive and healthy.”

Shauna said, “One hundred percent I’d do it again. You are giving just a little bit of yourself to give someone else a whole life.”

Now Jake enjoys a little bit of fishing and a whole lot of family time. They also spend time volunteering at their church and driving on treasure hunts to stock their resale booth.