Thank you for visiting our CaringBridge website. We created this site so that we can have one place where we can keep everyone updated on the upcoming transplant surgery. We are beyond thankful to have all of you in our lives and are forever grateful for your love and support throughout this journey.
Mark Busboom aka “boomer”, “boompa”, “boomps”, “boom”, and “daddio” is a man like no other. He is the epitome of integrity and humility. He loves his family unconditionally and would sacrifice anything for them. He has a rare ability to connect with anyone he encounters. His humor is contagious...you can always count on him to make you laugh and put a smile on your face. Honestly, words cannot describe him and what he means to our family. We love him more than words can say.
Here is a little background on Marks health so that everyone is in the loop. As many of you may know, Mark has been struggling with liver disease for several years. Over time, his health deteriorated to the point that his doctors said his only hope of survival was to have a liver transplant. He was added to the transplant list, but his doctors told us that due to the severe shortage of deceased donor livers, Mark was too far down the list to have any chance of surviving long enough to receive one.
A few months ago, one of his doctors told us about one last option that could save his life--- a living donor liver transplant. We were unaware that this option existed and were elated to know that we had another option to save his life. For those who don’t know about live liver donation, here is a brief overview. The biggest difference in live liver donation is that, unlike other organs, the liver regenerates. If the donor and recipient match in a variety of ways, surgeons can take up to 70% of a donor’s liver and transplant it into the recipient. The liver will then regenerate in both the donor and the recipient.
Without hesitation, Marks 3 children volunteered to undergo extensive testing in hopes that one of them would be a donor match. The first step was to check their blood type. Carlisle, Kris, and Katie were all a blood match to Mark and therefore they then each underwent extensive testing to see if they met all the additional criteria to be a donor match. We found out on October 15th that Carlisle was the best donor match for Mark and that the transplant surgery was scheduled for October 30th. As a mother of two, it was a big decision for Carlisle, but she never once second-guessed her decision to be his donor. Her strength and courage to donate part of her liver to save his life is beyond admirable. She is truly our family’s hero.
