OnTarget customer donates portion of liver to save Lake Villa man's life
Chris Twardy owes his life to Cindy Greisz.
Twardy, 49, of Lake Villa, was diagnosed with Wilson's disease last year, a degenerative illness that aggressively attacks the liver. To survive, he relied upon medications, which bought him some time, but doctors told Twardy he would eventually need an organ transplant.
That's when Twardy's friends and co-workers at OnTarget Range & Tactical Training Center in Crystal Lake stepped forward to help.
In January, OnTarget's director of operations, Tom Dorsch, the only employee to meet the initial criteria, underwent extensive tests and blood work to see if he could be a donor for Twardy. Unfortunately, he was not a good match.
"We then presented Chris' situation to our customers with a glimmer of hope that someone would step forward and at least attempt to donate a portion of his/ her liver to save his life," said Judy Claxton, one of the owners of OnTarget, 560 Beechcraft Lane.
Incredibly, 15 "heroic" individuals, all customers and patrons at OnTarget, volunteered to undergo donor-compatibility testing. Twardy and his co-workers were overwhelmed by their customers' generosity and quickly felt a renewed sense of hope.
"Many of the volunteers did not pass the initial screenings for a number of reasons, but at least three people made the trip to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and endured a full day of blood testing and an MRI," Claxton said.
In the end, it all came down to one brave and selfless donor - Cindy Greisz of Volo - who underwent all the tests and was determined to be a perfect match for Twardy. Doctors told Greisz, who shoots at OnTarget and has taken a few classes at the center, the human liver regenerates and will grow back to its normal size over time. The question she had to answer for herself was: would she be willing to give up a portion of her liver to save Twardy's life.
Fortunately, the answer was yes.
"Chris and the OnTarget staff were all ecstatic when they heard the amazing news that Chris had found his living donor," Dorsch said.
The transplant operation was conducted on Sept. 24 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital by two surgical teams - one for Chris and one for Cindy. Chris's surgeon, Dr. Michael Abecassis, is among the best in the field and has performed more than 100 of the surgeries - all successfully.
Doctors said Twardy's transplant was a success, and both patients are recovering quickly. Griesz was discharged from the hospital Tuesday, Sept. 29. Twardy may be home by the end of next week, Oct. 9, doctors said.
The OnTarget staff members now regard Greisz as a hero for saving their friend and co-worker's life.
"We wanted to thank Cindy and her family for coming to Chris' rescue," Dorsch said. "She is indeed an angel of mercy. OnTarget would like to recognize once again the true heroes who answered our plea, assessed the risks and had the guts to make that initial phone call. The overwhelming response to help Chris filled us with pride and emotion as the true American character of giving and compassion surfaced again and shone brightly for all of us to witness."
To show their appreciation to Greisz, OnTarget Range made her an "Elite Lifetime Member," meaning she will never have to pay for a lane or gun rental again. She will enjoy many other discounts and privileges granted to Elite Members.