‘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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.