WITH A GRATEFUL HEART: At her darkest point, a Doniphan resident receives a life-changing donation

DONIPHAN — Karen Broyles always checked the organ donor box on her driver’s license.

She liked the idea that if she should die, her last charitable gesture would be to save or improve the quality of life for someone else.

“In all that time, it never occurred to me that I might someday be the one to receive an organ,” she says, still in awe of this recent event which not only saved her life, but opened her up to a whole new appreciation for the people in her life.

On Aug. 15, Broyles became the recipient of what her surgeons described to her as, “a beautiful, healthy, young liver.” She says, “It still blows my mind when I think about it. You just never know what is in store for you.”

Karen Broyles received a life-saving liver transplant in August, and says this Thanksgiving she is grateful for the support of friends and family during her darkest hours. DAR/Ron Smith

In the months leading up to her surgery, Broyles had been gravely ill, suffering from the final stages of non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.

When her MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) score indicated that surgery was her only hope of recovery, she was placed on the transplant list at Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Transplant Center.

However, there were many ups and downs on her journey to the operating table.

Broyles was initially diagnosed in 2016, but says, “I didn’t really get too sick from the disease until February of this past year. When it hit me, oh, it hit me hard!”

At the time Cirrhosis took over her body, Broyles was just a few months shy of celebrating her 33rd year of employment at Vitronic, Inc, in Doniphan, where she was lead over the silkscreen department. She was a busy housewife, mother and grandmother, and an active member of her church. Other than being a diabetic, she enjoyed reasonably good health (although diabetes did play a contributing role in her liver diagnosis).

Suddenly, without any warning, her condition began to deteriorate to the point where she became completely disabled, and in just a short time was considered critical.

“I had so much fluid and swelling in my body that my husband (Rick) had to put my shoes and socks on for me and help me walk just from one room to the other. At one point, my weight was up to 230 pounds (her normal weight is about 160). My blood sugar level was crazy high, but my blood pressure was crazy low,” she remembers.

Another concern was that Broyles’ blood ammonia levels were also out of control, as high as in the 300 μmol/L range, causing periods of delirium.

“I was so sick I couldn’t function. For the six months before my transplant I was in the hospital every month for some reason,” she says. “Finally, my kidneys were trying to shut down, and my doctor and the hospital staff at Poplar Bluff were doing all they could do to try and keep me alive.”

That was during the summer, and her primary doctor was about to go on vacation.

“He motioned for my daughter, Prentha, to follow him out of the room and he told her he probably wouldn’t see her when he got back. That was his way of letting her know I probably wouldn’t last that long,” Broyles says.

Although her MELD score had qualified her for transplantation, sometimes Broyles’ name had to be removed from the list because doctors believed she was not strong enough to survive the rigors of the procedure.

This was one of those times.

She had an infection and had to be transported by ambulance to Barnes. “They got me back on my feet,” she says.

Broyles remembers that interval as being among the darkest hours of her life.

Doniphan resident Karen Broyles posted this photo to Facebook of a member of hospital staff who helped her during her journey to a transplant.Photo provided

She struggled between the realization that death could come at any time, but also experienced horrors of the unknown with regard to having a vital organ of her body replaced.

“I was hoping for the transplant, but I was also terrified at the thought of it,” she recalls. A chance conversation between Rick and a woman he met in the elevator (whom Karen says, “was sent by an angel”) became a turning point for her.

Rick tells the story of how the couple came to meet Tom, a liver transplant survivor, and his wife Sherry.

“I just started talking to this woman, and told her about Karen’s illness and that she was needing a transplant and how frightened she was. She said her husband had gotten a liver transplant 15 months before, and he was doing just great. She asked me if she could bring him to meet Karen,” he says.

“Tom talked to Karen about his experience and put her mind at ease about things,” Rick says, expressing his gratitude.

The two couples have become great friends.

“Sherry is such a sweetheart. She did other thoughtful things for us, too. She brought care packages to the hospital filled with snacks and gift certificates for our family. These two people have come to mean so much to us. They live in St. Charles and drove in to visit me after the transplant,” Karen says.

The two couples plan to get together socially, possibly for a summer vacation. The idea of planning an event months in advance is a sobering thought for Karen, who only recently regained the hope of being alive next year.

Today, she bears no resemblance to the patient who was admitted to Barnes-Jewish for transplant surgery, now less than three months ago.

“My transplant coordinator, Melanie, had let us know my name was back on the list, and to be packed and ready to go at a moment’s notice,” she says.

At about 10:30 p.m., on Aug. 14, the couple “finally got the call” for which they had been hoping.

“Pam, who was also on the transplant team, said she had two potential matches for me,” remembers Karen, “It was like being prepared for childbirth. We had our suitcases sitting on the sofa and we were just waiting.”

Karen Broyles (back, left) is pictured with her daughter Prentha, and granddaughter, Marley. Photo provided

The couple had a willing chauffeur to the hospital.

“Our niece Tiffany had told us to call her any time, day or night, and she would take us,” Broyles says.

This offer proved to be a huge relief, as Karen’s call from the transplant coordinator came only hours after she and Rick had just got back home from one of her long, very tiring appointments in St. Louis. Tiffany had prearranged for her children’s dad pick them up so that she could make the trip.

“Also, I should mention that Tiffany is a lab technician. She has done all my blood draws here at my home so that I don’t have to get out. She takes my blood with her when she goes to work,” she says.

This was especially helpful during the weeks following her transplant, when Karen was extremely vulnerable to any types of germs or infections that could have made her sick. She says she has come too far to risk any type of setback.

Broyles says she could never adequately express in words the heaviness of mind, body and spirit that comes with dealing with a life-threatening illness.

However, the ordeal also had a positive side. It created a rare opportunity for her to reflect and be thankful, not only for the gift of life but also its greatest blessing — in particular, having friends and family who genuinely love her. She is amazed and very humbled at all the love and support that have been shown to her and her husband, not only before her illness but during this time of her healing.

“Throughout everything Rick and I have been through, our family, friends, church and the employees at Vitronic and even the hospital doctors, nurses and staff have all been so wonderful, helping in every way possible. I haven’t a single complaint. I am so grateful for everything they have all done to help us. There have been so many people involved, we couldn’t name them all,” Karen says.

She mentions a few of the more meaningful sacrifices of time and attention that made such a difference.

“Rick’s little brother, Kenny came to our home every day while I was in the hospital to feed and water the dogs. He also kept our lawns mowed. My sister Teresa, who works at Vitronic, organized a silent auction to help raise money for hospital expenses, and the employees have raffled off a quilt and a coin collection, and also took up a collection,” Karen explains.

“Our daughter, Prentha, and Rick’s sister, KayAnn, were there at the hospital with us, offering moral support. This was extremely important to me, personally because I know my husband would not have taken proper care of himself without them. Also helping out were my sister, Mary, and our 8-year-old granddaughter, Marlena (Marley), who is just a delight and kept grandma’s spirits up,” she says.