Larry Kramer Undergoes Liver Transplant Surgery

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - Author, playwright and AIDS activist Larry Kramer was listed in serious condition Monday after undergoing liver transplantation surgery over the weekend.

Kramer's doctors said his condition was improving and was about where it should be after the 12-hour surgery Friday.

Kramer, 66, spent seven months on the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's waiting list. He moved to Pittsburgh in early November to wait for an organ to become available.

While many transplant centers oppose the surgery for HIV-positive patients, UPMC's Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute has performed 10 liver transplants on HIV-positive patients since 1997. Eight of the patients have survived.

Kramer's HIV has been relatively well controlled, but he suffered from end-stage liver failure caused by hepatitis B.

Kramer is the author of the plays "The Normal Heart" and "The Destiny of Me" and books about the front line of AIDS and gay activism. His screenplay for the film "Women in Love" was nominated for an Academy Award.

Kramer helped found Gay Men's Health Crisis, a provider of services to those with AIDS, and later helped created ACT UP, an AIDS advocacy group.

Copyright © 2001 AP Online.

This article posted January 27, 2002.