Matching scars: Liver donor, recipient meet face-to-face for the first time since transplant
It was an emotional reunion in Edmonton, Alta., Tuesday when a Calgary woman came face-to-face with the co-worker who donated part of his liver to save her life.
“It’s been one month since I’ve seen this face,” said Karla Frisko in a Facebook post, which included photos of her hugging Scott Watson, and a side-by-side picture of their surgical scars.
“To say I’m grateful is an understatement. We have matching scars to forever remind us of the bond we now share,” wrote Frisko, who is the sister of CTV Atlantic anchor and reporter Bruce Frisko.
“Recovery has not been easy for either of us, but it was hard not to smile/tear up when he walked into the room.”
Thousands have been following their story for more than a month.
Diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis -- a rare condition that causes a narrowing of the bile ducts -- 46-year-old Frisko was told a liver transplant was the only remedy.
She had been on the list since July 2021, but was ineligible for an organ from a deceased donor because her case wasn’t considered enough of a priority.
Friends and family were screened under Alberta’s Living Liver Donation Program, but most were ruled out.
Disheartened, Frisko mentioned the situation during a work call that included Watson, a relatively new employee at Sun Life Financial, where they are both employed.
The conversation changed 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.”
Karla Frisko and Scott Watson embrace as they meet face-to-face for the first time since the procedure. (Submitted: Della Tarr)
Karla Frisko and Scott Watson embrace as they meet face-to-face for the first time since the procedure. (Submitted: Della Tarr)
Watson was a match and the combined 18-hour surgeries were performed on May 2.
The 40-year-old Watson, who grew up in Halifax, has been posting about his journey on Instagram.
“Seeing Karla today was like seeing a long-lost friend for the first time in years,” he told CTV News Wednesday via text, adding that he remains sore and is frequently tired.
He was cleared to go home to Calgary on May 14.
Frisko remains in Edmonton, where surgeons and specialists continue to monitor her recovery and manage complications.
Watson said the reunion was another memorable aspect to their story.
“The emotions were overwhelming, but the connection we have now is undeniable.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
For more than two decades, the unknown victim was nicknamed "Midtown Jane Doe" because she was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. But this week, investigators finally revealed her identity.