Bishop Weigand Undergoes Liver Transplant

April 3, 2005

The leader of the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, Bishop William K. Weigand underwent a liver transplant Friday in San Francisco.

Doctors report the procedure went well and the 67-year-old bishop is resting comfortably.

Weigand was diagnosed with liver disease 24 years ago. The disease caused fibrous tissue to block the bile ducts to his liver. That in turn caused scarring, known as primary sclerosis cholangitis, which affects liver function. PSC can lead to liver cirrhosis and failure. In cases that have progressed, the only treatment is a liver transplant.

The bishop has gone to UCSF Medical Center once every six weeks for treatment for more than six years. In recent months he has had to curtail his workload and there have also been several hospitalizations.

The donor for Weigand was 50-year-old firefighter Dan Haverty, an assistant chief in the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. He learned he was a suitable candidate for Weigand's transplant in late December. Haverty is a member of a parish in El Dorado Hills and had met the bishop, but did not know him before his offer to donate.

In the eight-hour transplant procedure, 73 percent of Haverty's liver was removed. The liver was successful transplanted into Weigand. Now both men begin begin a four-to-six week period in which the liver tissue will regenerate itself, essentially giving both of them a nearly normal-sized liver.

Haverty can expect a hospital stay lasting about six days. Weigand should be hospitalized for about 10 days. The recuperation for both men will take several months.

Liver transplantation from living donors is uncommon. Only about five percent of the more than 6,100 liver transplants performed last year were from living donors, according to statistics from the United Network for Organ Sharing.

A liver donor must be the same blood and tissue type and about the same size as the recipient. Donors must be age 55 or younger.

Weigand has served as spiritual leader of the Sacramento Diocese since 1994. There are more than 500,000 members of the diocese in 99 parishes from Vallejo to the Oregon border.

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This article posted April 27, 2005.