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“It surprised us,” says Mark, a Decatur
resident who to this day isn’t sure how he
contracted the disease.
What he is sure of is that he wouldn’t
have beaten it without a new liver and a
clinical trial through The Liver Institute at
Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
A body under attack
Mark was given a 10-year life expectancy
after his body stopped responding to
interferon, then the latest and greatest
treatment for hepatitis C patients. His
wife, Melanie, and son, Taylor, watched
as the disease began attacking his liver
and beyond.
“So much happened during that time,”
Melanie recalls. “The liver is a hub. It’s
amazing what damage it can do.”
In fall 2011, Mark was referred to The
Liver Institute, where he was ultimately
under the care of hepatologist Hector
Nazario, MD. Over the next three years,
Mark was in and out of the hospital.
He developed kidney failure, sepsis,
breathing difficulties, and an umbilical
hernia. His body retained fluid, adding
more than 50 pounds of water weight.
Most troubling were the bouts of
encephalopathy — when ammonia in
the blood stream alters brain function —
which eventually started inducing comas.
The Liver Institute team became a
rock for Mark and Melanie. Whenever
something went wrong, they knew
Methodist Dallas could handle it.
While a liver transplant was imminent
for Mark, the new organ wouldn’t clear
On the other side of
HEPATITIS
To
say that 2005 was a life-changing year for Mark
Whittle is an understatement. The hardworking, loving
husband and father never imagined that a routine
physical blood test would show hepatitis C.
Once faced with a 10-year life expectancy because of hepatitis C,
Mark Whittle (left) now has all the time in the world to be with his
family and start a new chapter in life.
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Methodist Dallas Medical Center
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Fall 2015