PATIENCE AND HOPE: Milledgeville man creating awareness while he waits for a liver transplant match

Published 12:15 pm Saturday, August 14, 2021

Scott Brown’s life was changed in 2020 when he found out he had liver disease. 

Doctors could not diagnose what was wrong with Brown, so he continued searching for answers.

“My symptoms were that I was bone tired, I didn’t want to do anything,” Brown said. “Not that I didn’t want to do stuff I needed to do, I didn’t want to do stuff I enjoyed.”

Brown enjoyed fishing, hunting and hiking but due to this extreme exhaustion, he was confined to his bed. He needed to uncover why he was experiencing the symptoms, so based on a doctor’s recommendation, Brown and his wife traveled to Emory in Atlanta to see a specialist in hopes of getting some answers.

The answer — end-stage liver disease — shocked Brown. 

There was no way of knowing what caused it. 

At that moment, doctors put Brown on medication so that he could return to his home. The reality of the situation is that end-stage liver disease is life-threatening. 

“The first question I asked the doctor was am I going to die?” Brown said. “She said, ‘well of course you are going to die, but not today. It’s my job and it’s Emory’s job to keep you alive as long as we can.’”

Brown was then enrolled in the transplant program. To receive a transplant patients must undergo tests and qualify to receive the organ. The process is not quick because for Brown to receive a liver someone else that is a match for his blood type must pass away. There is no way of knowing when Brown will get the call that there is a liver that is a match. 

“Put me on the list,” Brown said. “If I get it I’ll treat it like a piece of gold.”

The transplants are often very successful. A mentor that Brown speaks with who received a transplant has had his new liver for 25 years. 

In January, Brown received a call from Emory saying that they had a liver for him. He and his wife jumped in the car and drove to Atlanta. Brown was prepped for the surgery ready for his new liver. The surgeon left the room and returned 30 minutes later and said that the transplant liver was not a match. Doctors told Brown that they wanted to wait on the transplant to be able to provide the perfect liver for him.

Brown said the thing that touched him most was that the surgeon told him he wouldn’t give him the liver if he wouldn’t give it to his brother or his father. This high standard gives Brown confidence that when he receives his liver it will be a successful transplant.

“I have 100% confidence that I will get the call one day and I’ll have a successful transplant,” Brown said. “It is just a matter of waiting.”

Right now, Brown’s life consists of waiting. 

He said that the patience of sitting and waiting is difficult. He has been unable to work due to side effects from his medication and the disease overall. This has not stopped Brown from being involved with his church and ministries associated with his church. 

His church, Black Springs Baptist, will hold a benefit gospel concert at 6 p.m. on Sept. 19. The money raised will go toward a donation to the Georgia Transplant Foundation. The money will go to educate and help other people understand more about transplants. Brown discovered that the disease is hereditary so he wants to create awareness. 

“It’s really not about me, I’m just one person,” Brown said. “It’s about educating people about transplants because they do save lives.”

Brown remains positive and asks solely for prayers. He said that he has people all around the globe praying for him and that is enough for him. 

“You can say hey, I’m alive today and I have hope for an extended life tomorrow,” Brown said. “That is just the attitude I chose to take.”