Everyday you save lives

After his liver failed, it took 23 units of blood and the support of the Blood Center’s Specialty Diagnostics Laboratories to sustain Gary Arvan through his liver transplant surgery. Primary sclerosing cholangitis, a disease of the bile ducts, had destroyed Gary’s liver and threatened his life. A vibrant man with a wife and two sons, Gary was determined to raise his boys to manhood.

He made good on his promise. Not only did he achieve that goal, he rode the Seattle to Portland bicycle ride exactly one year after his transplant operation, played first base on his softball team, continued working full-time as a Boeing software developer, and became a proud advocate for the Blood Center.

Today, side effects from medication that prevents Gary’s body from rejecting his new liver make additional blood transfusions necessary. Whenever he needs blood, the Blood Center is there, again. The boys—one now in college, one in high school—have grown up with their dad beside them to nurture and guide their journey. To the unknown people who donated the blood that helped save his life, Gary says, “I have been given a great gift, a gift of life, a gift of time, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”