In a world where the demand for transplanted organs always exceeds the supply, saving the most lives with the least organs is the goal. In October 2023, surgeons with UNC Health in Chapel Hill were able execute a domino transplant, saving the lives of two men with one donated organ.
For 30-year-old florist Seth Webb of Macclesfield, that meant receiving an organ and donating an organ of his own.
Due to a genetic condition complicated by type-1 diabetes, Webb had a healthy liver to donate, but also needed a liver that would produce the enzymes he needed for his digestive and overall health. By the fall of 2023, Webb’s health was in sharp decline.
Retired carpenter Scott Owen, 72, of Cameron was living on borrowed time with liver cancer. Fortunately, because Webb’s metabolic problems were genetic, his liver could be used to save Owen’s life.
In November 2023, surgeons saved the lives of both men by implanting Webb’s liver into Owen and Webb receiving the healthy liver of an organ donor, according to a UNC Health spokeswoman.