Organ donation was 'meant to be'
Seaford residents Eileen Navagh, left, and Paul Thompson on their first hike in Bethpage after Navagh donated most of her liver to Thompson. Credit: Kolin Smith
For 12 years, Seaford residents Eileen Navagh and Paul Thompson have done everything together, from hiking and biking to kayaking and road tripping.
So, when Thompson, 62, learned in April he needed a liver transplant after years of managing cirrhosis, Navagh, his fiancée, volunteered.
"We were told the waiting list is very, very long," Navagh said. "I said, 'Paul, if it's a match, it's meant to be.'"
At 59, Navagh was at the upper-end cutoff for living donors. But after physicals, tests and scans, the call came in July, while the couple was hiking at Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown: She was a match.
In late August, the couple arrived at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, where transplant surgeon Dr. Nabil Dagher oversaw 10 hours of surgery, involving five surgeons and two anesthesiology and nursing teams, in two neighboring operating rooms. Dagher, who heads Northwell Health's Transplant Institute and has done about 1,000 liver transplants, removed 65% of Navagh's liver and transplanted it into Thompson.
The couple celebrated Navagh's 60th birthday in the hospital. Now, as Thompson's recovery continues, they're ready for a truly special Thanksgiving.
Approximately 8,000 New Yorkers are in organ failure and awaiting a transplant, according to the state Department of Health. Living liver donors make particular sense because the organ remarkably can regenerate. But just 5% of liver transplants are done through living donors, Dagher estimates. They are particularly important, he noted, because the recipient can stop waiting and get the organ faster, while others then move up on the list.
"Their story is many people's story," Dagher said. "It's the perfect example of how living donation can really help. And because there's an organ shortage, the fact that she donated to him, means she likely saved someone else's life too."
The state is trying to encourage others to do the same. Last month, the Health Department launched the Living Donor Support Program to help cover expenses for living donors, including lost wages, travel, caregiving and more, an effort that emerged from legislation Gov. Kathy Hochul signed in 2022. Navagh hopes to seek reimbursement for her time off from work and other costs. The program, she said, could make the difference for future donors.
Now, Thompson and Navagh are savoring each moment, including their first post-transplant "hike" — a gentle walk in Bethpage this month. And they're planning for the future: Some springtime hiking locally, a summer trip to see Thompson's family in Australia, and, once fully healed, a wedding.
"It's a wonderful feeling that you can save somebody's life," Navagh said. "It's a great thing to be thankful for ... Now, we are looking forward to everything."
Columnist Randi F. Marshall's opinions are her own.
Randi Marshall is a member of the Newsday editorial board.
