I will be potential living donor for Liver - suggestions to prepare my body.

[markandsteve]

Just learned that my partner has GI cancer with liver metastasis.

If you knew anything about us you would know that I will be donating part of my liver to him if he needs it and if I am qualified to do so - there was never a decision to make on my part.  I only need to know the following:

How do I best prepare my body to be a living liver donor?

We are not even close to this stage right now but if there is anything I can do now to be as ready as possible if and when the time comes I am doing it NOW.

Maybe this is a no-brainer but if anyone has any suggestions for liver detoxification or dietary supplementation that is not snake oil that I can start to do now just in case this is an option to treat him in the future please let me know.

A healthy diet and exercise I already know.  Any suggestions on certain foods that I might want to eat more of?  Has naturopathic or chinese medicine helped anyone prepare to be a donor.  I am open to everything that makes sense and possibly a few things that don't.

First the GI cancer has to be treated and probably the liver but I do not want to wait until he is too sick to get the transplant to have it done.

Thank you all very much.

Steve

[Fr Pat]

Dear Steve,
     It would also be wise to clarify with his doctor as to whether he could receive a liver transplant. The recipient of an organ transplant has to take daily doses (for life) of anti-rejection medications so as not to reject the transplanted organ. Unfortunately those same meds can lower the person's immune response to other infections or to cancer cells. It may sometimes happen that the person's ability to fight the cancer is lowered by the same meds that permit the transplanted organ to be accepted. I'm not a medical professional, but am just passing along what I have read. So this may be one of the things that you both might need to clarify with his doctor.
     best wishes,
        Fr. Pat