SARATOGA, WY — Ken Collamer says he looked like a man from a spooky story before a transplant changed everything. The 64-year-old Saratoga maintenance electrician had lost weight, turned yellow and felt worn down as end-stage liver disease advanced.
What makes his recovery especially meaningful is that one of his two sons stepped forward to donate part of his own liver. Collamer and his wife had never asked their sons for help, knowing how demanding the surgery and recovery would be. But when Ben and Cameron learned the wait for a deceased donor could be long, they offered anyway. Ben was ultimately the better match, and the family now says the decision helped save Collamer’s life.
A long fight with ulcerative colitis led to a much bigger problem
Collamer’s health troubles began with more than 30 years of trying to manage ulcerative colitis. In 2024, a doctor warned him that the polyps linked to the condition could turn cancerous unless they were removed or most of his large intestine was taken out.
Because of liver concerns, specialists also tested him for a possible transplant before the bowel surgery. He went ahead with the operation in July 2024 and seemed to recover at first. By November, though, his liver began to fail and he was sent back for another evaluation at the University of Colorado Anschutz campus in Aurora…