Lorenzo's Story

Serial entrepreneur, chief technology operator of multiple companies, and world traveler Lorenzo Swank had a lot of life left to live when he was diagnosed with a non-curable liver disease at the age of 25. Becoming the first person in the United States to voluntarily accept a Hepatitis-C infected liver with a view to cure the virus afterward, the Intermountain Medical Center Transplant Program team gave hope to Lorenzo’s chance at a future healthy life.

Leading this healthcare innovation with patient care top-of-mind, Lorenzo took six pills a day for 12 weeks following his surgery to eliminate the Hep-C infection – a cure developed in 2015 by a research team led by Intermountain Medical Center physician Michael Charlton, MD.

“Giving a curable disease to a patient is a lot better than letting them die from an incurable one,” said Richard Gilroy, MD, Medical Director of the Liver Transplantation Program at Intermountain Medical Center. “We feel this new method will save many more lives by increasing the number of available donor livers to those on the liver transplant wait list. This outcome means more people can be saved before they become too sick and allows them to move back to an active life sooner.”

You too can play a role in changing a life forever. Celebrating our 1000th liver transplant, Intermountain Healthcare is here to help you live your healthiest life possible. Our patients are our purpose. 

Resources Available

If you are considering becoming a living organ donor, you probably have a lot of questions. To learn more, give us a call at (801) 507-3380.

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