EVERY DAY’S A BLESSING: GV couple near anniversary of miracle transplant

Peg Dosch will soon celebrate the anniversary of her second chance at life.

The Green Valley woman is a liver transplant survivor and on Dec. 22, 2004, she was given a second opportunity to live when a close friend donated part of her liver to save her life.

Sharing that special anniversary is Dosch’s husband, Ken Becker, who has documented his wife’s medical journey, covering the highs and lows of her life since she was diagnosed with metastatic carcinoid disease in September 2001.

So moved were Becker and Dosch with the support they received, not only from the medical professionals working Dosch’s case, but with the love and encouragement from friends and strangers alike, Becker wrote a book about his experience, describing himself as “a liver transplant survivor as well.”

In the words of the couple’s close friend, Barbara Rasmus, Becker’s book, “Transplanted: A Love Story,” opens a window to the difficult and soulful journey that can unfold when cancer therapies fail.

“It is a true story, as told by a caregiver (Becker), of a journey that challenges life on all levels—physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual,” Rasmus says.

“Ken’s retrospective observations, woven together with chronological entries from their CaringBridge journal, tell a truly inspirational story about the sustaining power of love,” Rasmus adds.

“His raw, uncensored account of their journey is also a story about survival. It teaches us how to do more than cope; indeed, it teaches us how to keep living while in the midst of life-shattering turmoil and uncertainty. The book will touch you in many ways.”

Dosch, 67, received part of a liver in December 2004 from Gretchen Beckstrom, a 47-year-old health teacher at Northstar Middle School in Eau Claire, Wis.

Dosch was Beckstrom’s health professor at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in the late 1970s and they have remained friends for more than 27 years.

Dosch and Becker taught health at UW-La Crosse for more than 20 years. After retirement they became snowbirds and escaped the Wisconsin winters by retreating to Green Valley.

Dosch was initially diagnosed in La Crosse, and at the advice of her doctor, sought medical help at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. It was determined that without a liver transplant, Dosch had about a year to live.

At least 15 people tried to become a liver donor for her. The age cut-off to donate a liver is 55, and that meant that her husband, who at that time was 66, and Dosch’s sister, also over 55, were ineligible, although both wanted to donate part of their livers to keep her alive.

Becker’s son was a potential donor but he was eliminated after a medical test revealed abnormalities in his liver.

Unbeknownst to Dosch and Becker, Beckstrom started the investigation to see if she could be a candidate for the liver donation and after four “grueling” months of tests and interviews, Dosch’s former student and longtime friend was accepted.

As of Dec. 22, 2004, Dosch was the 1,499th liver transplant done at the Rochester Mayo Clinic and just the 15th person to receive a liver transplant with her diagnosis—neuroendrocrine metastic cancer.

Throughout his book, Becker features dated entries he wrote on the CaringBridge Web site. CaringBridge is a free, online service that connects patients with family and friends.

“It is a wonderful way to communicate with others without spending hours on the phone, repeating the same message over and over again,” he says. “It also offers friends and relatives the chance to respond in the ‘guest book’ section.”

Some of the responses Becker received about his wife and her illness are included throughout the book.

“My comments in CaringBridge were usually written late at night and at the end of exhausting days,” he adds. “The other entries you will read are my thoughts and reflections in retrospect. These are my attempts at making sense out of this very scary and very wonderful part of our lives.”

It has almost been three years since Dosch’s liver transplant; however, Becker says their journey continues to be “neither easy nor smooth.”

Becker sadly writes that the most recent development has been difficult. Dosch’s latest tests have shown that the carcinoid tumors have returned to her abdominal area.

“Peg continues to fight and to survive with dignity and grace,” Becker says. “We continue to be engaged with our friends, our activities, and life, ever grateful for each new day we have together.”

“If it were to come to pass that one of us dies before the other, I do not see that as an end to our relationship. It will only be a change in how we relate. I find that comforting. Until then, we continue to hope for the best...one day at a time.”

“Transplanted: A Love Story” is self-published by Wheatmark, September 2007. The 200-page, illustrated paperback is available online at www.wheatmark.com or by e-mailing the author at kbpd598@cox.net.

About the author:

Dr. Kenneth C. Becker, DEd, is a professor emeritus who was chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Health Education and taught at the University of Wisconsin—La Crosse for more than twenty-seven years. His expertise is in the area of mental health, counseling, human sexuality, communication skills, and philosophy. He is a Gestalt therapist and owned a counseling agency with his wife, Peg Dosch. Both he and his wife are retired and living in Arizona. He has been his wife’s primary caregiver since she was first diagnosed with cancer in 2001.

rford@gvnews.com