A Very Special Thanksgiving at the Dziubala Home

Diana Sevanian Weekly Columnist

November 24, 2005

Nothing pleases Sharon Dziubala more today than preparing a big Thanksgiving dinner and having a messy kitchen to contend with.

Why is this 68-year-old wife, mother and grandmother grateful for what some people lament at holiday time?

Thanks to a successful liver transplant in late 2003, Sharon is again the hands-on matriarch she has long prized being. This year is the first in many that she is well enough to make the annual family feast.

For a woman who at one time was succumbing from liver failure, Sharon is now the picture of health. Rosy-cheeked, smiling and walking with a strong gait, she acknowledges her momentous transition.

"I couldn't even stand before. Now look at me. I never thought I'd be this well," she said enthusiastically as she sat next to her husband of 44 years, Tom Dziubala.

To don her Thanksgiving apron is something she now treasures more than ever.

"It's wonderful. This is the sort of occasion I most cherish, being surrounded by immediate and extended family members and close friends for a joyous celebration of life."

I first wrote in November 2001 about Sharon's desperate battle with acute liver failure -- her cirrhosis caused by regularly combining an evening cocktail with long-term Tylenol use. I also wrote about living donor organ transplantation -- in Sharon's case, a segment of healthy, compatible liver would be surgically removed from the donor and transplanted into her; eventually the donor's liver would thoroughly regenerate.

At the time of my story, Sharon had already spent several years anxiously waiting for a cadaveric liver. It never arrived, and her fate grew dimmer each day.

A living donor transplant would be the best option, but who would do that? Sharon's family members wanted to help, but none were matches. Those loved ones included Tom, a retired aerospace engineer who first met Sharon in 1959 when both worked at Lockheed; their three daughters, Susan Karzin (a teacher at Helmers Elementary), Nancy Tomei (who teaches at Newhall Elementary) and Leslie Bruecher (a local stay-at-home mom), and their spouses.

After reading about Sharon, two selfless teachers, both total strangers to Sharon, stepped forward. One was from Helmers Elementary, the other from Newhall Elementary. Unfortunately, neither proved to be a match -- about 25 percent of living donor volunteers actually qualify -- but both proved to be tremendous humanitarians.

Months crawled by. Sharon grew sicker, weaker, jaundiced and bed-bound. The calendar turned from 2002 to 2003.

Then, in late summer 2003, came an epic surprise.

Son-in-law Keith, then 42, discovered he was not the blood type he'd thought he was. He was compatible with Sharon -- and he wanted to be her living donor.

As grandmother of eight children, three being Keith's (and daughter Susan's), Sharon worried something bad could happen to him. This was major surgery on either side of the surgical suite. But Keith wouldn't be deterred. He immediately underwent invasive tests to determine complete compatibility with Sharon. He passed them all with flying colors.

Performed Nov. 10, 2003, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the surgery went perfectly. Although Keith mended rapidly, Sharon's recovery was slow and with numerous setbacks. This was largely to be expected, as she was exceedingly ill at the time of the transplant, something common in such life-saving surgeries.

Now she's resumed her full state of health and even has her doctors impressed.

Kevin, who works as the director of safety and risk management for the Saugus Union School District, says he'd do it again if need be. After all, "the risks are minimal compared to the benefits."

"Today Sharon's doing all of the things she loved to do before her illness, spending time with her grandchildren, traveling with her husband, shopping with her daughters and just enjoying life. For this we are all thankful," he said.

Among the blessings Sharon is most thankful for is, of course, Keith.

"Without him, I likely wouldn't be here at all," she said.

High praise also goes to Tom. It was his kindness, she said, that attracted her in '59. It's that same precious quality that has helped to keep her alive.

"He was always 'Steady Eddie,'" she said, looking into her husband's gentle face.

Sharon is grateful for the love and support of her entire family, the many prayers from friends and community, and the generosity of those two teachers who so wanted to help her live.

When asked what she sees for her future, Sharon grinned and quickly answered, "I'm looking forward to being here for many years."

Glancing to her youthful son-in-law, she added, "Hey, why not? I have his liver. Now even my cholesterol is lower."

Diana Sevanian is a Stevenson Ranch resident. Her column reflects her own views, and not necessarily those of The Signal.

Copyright © 2005 The-Signal.com.

This article posted December 15, 2005.