‘He has given me hope’: Co-workers recovering, share special bond, after liver transplant
Two co-workers involved in a living liver transplant in Alberta are making amazing progress two weeks after the major surgery in Edmonton.
The recipient, Karla Frisko, had the last of her IV tubes removed on Sunday -- something she called a “game-changer,” especially since she was allowed to sit outside in the Edmonton sunshine for a while.
The 46-year-old Calgary woman, who is the younger sister of CTV Atlantic anchor and reporter Bruce Frisko, is also getting more mobile, developing more of an appetite, and participating in regular physiotherapy.
Doctors determined a transplant was the only remedy after Frisko was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare condition that causes a narrowing of the bile ducts.
She had been on the transplant list since July 2021, but says her procedure wasn't considered enough of a priority to make her eligible for an organ from a deceased donor.
Friends and family were screened under Alberta’s Living Liver Donation Program, but most were ruled out.
Discouraged, Frisko vented about the situation during a work call that included Scott Watson, a relatively new employee at Sun Life Financial, where they’re both employed.
It was a conversation that would change both of their lives.
"Karla just made a huge impression on me when she told me her story," Watson told CTV News Calgary on April 29.
"I had this overwhelming feeling when we were talking that I should go and get tested,” he said.
Watson was a match and the surgery was performed on May 2.
Karla Frisko enjoys the sunshine in Edmonton, Alta., on May 15, 2022, as she recovers from a liver transplant. (Submitted: Kim Fiesel)
Karla Frisko enjoys the sunshine in Edmonton as she recovers. (Submitted: Kim Fiesel)
Frisko was in the operating room for 12 hours; Watson for more than six.
Surgical teams removed her liver and replaced it with part of his.
Doctors say they’re both healing nicely and both organs appear to be functioning well.
Although pain management remains a work in progress for both patients, Watson was released from hospital in Edmonton a little more than a week ago and cleared to return home to Calgary on Saturday.
Scott Watson is seen in hospital in Edmonton. He donated part of his liver to Karla Frisko -- a co-worker he barely knew. (Submitted: Joe Connors)
Scott Watson is seen in hospital in Edmonton. (Submitted: Joe Connors)
In an Instagram post, where he’s been documenting the journey to a growing number of followers, Watson admitted the three-hour car ride wasn’t the most comfortable he’d ever had, but was doing well, all things considered.
The two have video-chatted regularly before and after the surgery, and will doubtless share a lasting bond long after they have healed.
“Hope. He has given me hope,” Frisko said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.