Priest donates part of liver to parishioner

CHICAGO -- Technically, Father Gary Graf isn't family.

But when a dying parishioner needed a new liver, the distinction to the 42-year-old priest was meaningless. Graf last week donated half his liver to Miguel Zavala, who sometimes helped with collections and communion at his Waukegan church.

As rare as such a living donation is, doctors say having one come from a non-relative is almost unheard of. But Graf says his family is the Mexican immigrant community he has served for seven years since returning from a five-year exchange ministry in Mexico.

"Miguel being a parishioner kind of personified the people I've loved for years, the Mexican community," Graf said Saturday as he recovered at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

For seven years, he said, he has watched Zavala and others work hard and struggle to bring family members from Mexico. In February he officiated at the wedding of Zavala's son. Then Zavala asked for help finding a parishioner at Holy Family Church who might consider a liver donation.

Knowing that the part of his liver that remained could regenerate, Graf never looked further than himself. Zavala's brother and son were suitable matches for donation as well, but Graf wanted to spare the family a second member in the hospital.

Doctors said the surgeries went well for both men, and it was apparent immediately that the transplant had helped Zavala. He said his liver had been deteriorating for three years since an infection, and in September he was told he had just months to live.

On Saturday, three days after the operation, he was the one who walked to Graf's hospital room for a thankful reunion. Graf was on his back, weakened and feeling nauseated.

"Immediately, he felt better, whereas I felt groggy," Graf said. "I feel a little bit like he felt the last three years."

Another 100 years

Zavala joked that if the rest of him holds up, the priest's liver should keep him alive for another 100 years.

"When the Father upstairs says I'm going, that's when I'll go," Zavala said. "Not when the doctors say so."

Graf's gesture was little surprise to his parents, Ronald and Betty Graf.

"Since he was 5 or 6 years old he always talked about the priesthood," Ronald Graf said. "We couldn't be any prouder."

As with any major surgery, there is a risk with partial liver donation. That makes performing the surgery on a healthy person somewhat controversial, said Dr. Michael Abecassis, director of liver transplants at Northwestern Memorial.

The mortality rate for the procedure seems to be about 1 percent, Abecassis said.