The Fundraising Page of Eugene Higgins

My name is Gene Higgins. February 2, 2007, I received a live saving gift. I received a much-needed liver. In 1995, I was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. I had a corrective surgery where the doctor advised it could last ten years or the rest of your life. Well, ten years later I was put on the transplant list. My normal weight was about 170lbs. I was down to 138 lbs before surgery. I consider myself extremely lucky because I was on the list for 5-6 months. I remember going to bed one night thinking, well at midnight, my score will probably drop and knock me further down the list. I woke up to my phone ringing, and the nurse told me, "I hope your bags are packed cause we found you a liver". I immediately started to cry. My liver came from Puerto Rico and arrived a few hours after I arrived at Tulane Hospital. Surgery went so well that I would have broken the record of being discharged by a day, but the doctor wanted to keep me one more day for observation. My daughters were 11 and 9 years old at the time. I remember one of them saying "Is daddy going to be able to speak Spanish since his liver is from Puerto Rico"? Recovery went well. All I can say is Organ Donation is such a blessing. It is amazing what it has done for so many people. I encourage everyone to register to be an organ donor. It may be you one day needing that blessing. I have been a member of Team Louisiana since 2015. In these games I am competing in Basketball and Cornhole. Last games our basketball team won gold, and I won silver in cornhole. Any assistance to help me get to the games is greatly appreciated. Thank you and thank you LOPA for this opportunity.