Getting a Second Chance With Just Hours to Live

Media Resources

Bob Hallinan

Executive Producer

Office: (913) 588-7284

Cell: (913)-481-7329

Email

newsmedia@kumc.edu

             Imagine knowing you were down to your last half day of life. Heidi Goff from Wakeeney, Kansas was so sick from liver failure she knew without a transplant she was within hours of death. She remembers saying a prayer and telling Jesus she was ready to go before slipping into a coma. It was only then that her doctor at The University of Kansas Health System came to her family with the news…they’d found her a new liver. Just in the nick of time, she had the transplant, and after a month and a half of recovery, she was able to get back to a normal life, with her husband and three children.

            In the video, Dr. Ryan Taylor, a liver specialist at The University of Kansas Health System, describes how seriously ill Heidi was when she came to the hospital and how she was within hours of not surviving. He says seeing her recovery and getting back to a normal and full life is one of the most fulfilling things of his career.

            Next is Heidi Goff of Wakeeney, KS. She describes the unexpected way she found out she had autoimmune hepatitis…a deadly condition if untreated. She says she grieved for her donor, but is so grateful for her second chance. She’s been able to be there for major family events like weddings and graduations. She’s also been able to resume her job managing two veterans cemeteries. Her husband Chane also talks about his round-the-clock bedside vigils with his wife, and how he and his children coped during Heidi’s illness. The video also includes a clinic visit with Dr. Taylor and video of Heidi at work.