June 28, 2021, should have been a momentous date for David Beverley
That was the day surgery was scheduled for the young man to donate the right side of his liver to his father Peter, suffering from non-alcoholic liver disease. But the life-saving surgery never took place.
“The day before the surgery, my health advocate called saying the surgery might need to be postponed,” David recalls. “Then the transplant surgeon called to confirm that because of a nationwide blood shortage, the surgery had to be canceled.”
This startling news wasn’t anything David or Peter could have anticipated, even after all the ups and downs the family had experienced over the past year of Peter’s many serious health issues. “The doctor said he was shocked, too, and that in all his years, he’d never had to postpone critical surgery due to lack of required blood,” Peter says.
The ripple effect of surgery postponement
David struggles to describe the impact of postponing his dad’s critical procedure after all they’ve already been through. “I never really expected to make it this far in the donor process,” he states. “It’s pretty rigorous.” But no one told David that he wasn't a match, so he kept on plugging – “until the day they finally told me that I was a match for my father. It’s a pretty surreal feeling when I think about how a part of me can go to my dad and save his life.”
The family had already shifted their lives dramatically to plan for the scheduled procedure, but postponing has demanded even bigger adjustments. “Of course, I don’t want my dad to have to wait any longer, but in addition, my wife and I are parents to two wonderful boys aged 2 and 4, with a baby girl coming along in September.” David says. “The postponement pushes my recovery into when the baby is due to be born, making things even more stressful.”
The blood shortage continues to strike home
David and Peter realize they aren’t the only ones who have been affected by this blood shortage. Many others across the country have had to postpone surgeries and procedures for the same reason. “My new surgery date is July 27,” says Peter, “but I can't help but be a little worried that the shortage might still be a problem by then.” Ramped up blood donations could certainly put his mind at ease.
David admits that his siblings and he had been avid blood donors in the past, “but as life got more complex, we just didn't have the time in our schedules to go anymore.” After everything they’ve experienced, however, he has learned a great lesson about taking time for important things.
“I really want this surgery to happen so that my father will be here, and my kids can have an amazing grandfather in their lives.” So when friends, family, and acquaintances ask what they can do to help, David adamantly tells every one of them: “Dust off the donor cards and donate blood!”