Davey Tree Flipbooks

March/April 2015 | 15 R etired Davey Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Doug Cowan is on a crusade to promote live-donor liver transplants. He will tell his story to all who will listen— more than 300 people so far. He says he has yet to meet the first person who knows a live- donor liver transplant is even possible. Approximately six years ago, several warning signs landed Cowan at the Cleveland Clinic for liver tests. The verdict? Cowan suffered from cirrhosis of the liver, a disease that had been causing a serious deterioration of his liver over the course of several years. His liver specialist determined Cowan would eventually need a transplant. "I didn't want a transplant; I didn't think my condition was life-threatening and the symptoms I had felt normal," Cowan explains. But now, and ever since Cowan was introduced to his new liver in September 2013, "normal" has a different definition. "I feel like I'm 50 or 55 now," he says. "I'm much stronger, I'm healthier and I'm in better shape than I have been in 20 years." After waiting for a cadaver liver transplant for more than two years, Cowan began publiciz- ing he was looking for a live donor in mid-2013. Within two months, six people volunteered to be tested to be his live liver donor. Ted Engle, the 42-year-old son-in-law of Cowan's best friend, was tested and was a perfect match. "Ted not only volunteered to be my donor, but he also told the doctors he wanted to be a donor for a pediatric transplant if he and I were not compatible," Cowan says, adding, "Ted is a remarkable young man." Now Cowan is involved with substantial activism for the benefit of patients who need liver transplants. "I want to help people avoid the problems I suffered through," he says. Out of more than 18,000 patients on waiting lists for liver transplants throughout the U.S., only approximately 6,000 are performed each year; and merely five percent (approximately 300) of those involve living donors. "There simply aren't enough cadaver livers to satisfy the needs," Cowan says, "and about 10 percent of patients waiting for liver transplants die each year." He adds, "I want to shrink the list of needed transplants and help prevent the deaths of those who cannot receive transplants in time." Cowan now appreciates his new, "normal" life. He golfs, spends time on his boat and works out weekly with a personal trainer, activities he hadn't been capable of doing in the months leading up to his operation. Cowan also has a whole new appreciation for the function of the liver, thanks to his life-changing live organ transplant experience. "Not many people know the portion of the donor's live transplanted liver will re-grow in the recipient," he explains. "It's the only organ that can re-grow if damaged or partially removed." Cowan received approximately 35 percent of Engle's liver. Engle's liver re-grew to 100 percent in six weeks; Cowan's new liver grew to 100 percent in four months. Through awareness and education, Cowan hopes to help increase the number of living donor transplants to 10 percent or 20 percent of all transplants. More information about Cowan's crusade and his pledge to create the Cowan Family Endowed Fund for Living Donation can be found at the Cowan Family Fund page on Cleveland Clinic's website at http://ccf.convio.net/goto/cowanfamilyfund. Passion for Patients Eddie Fisher, Allen Popik and Dawn Corall (pictured left to right) help transport gifts to the Salvation Army Portage County in Ravenna, Ohio, for its Angel Tree program. Their LIVE UNITED t-shirts represent all efforts on behalf of the corporate Davey United Way program. L ast December, Davey employees from the corporate office in Kent, Ohio, collected clothing and toys for children on behalf of the corporate Davey United Way program. The donations benefited the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program, now the cornerstone of the organization's Christmas efforts. Davey employees donated approximately 50 items for young and older children. "My desk was almost completely covered with boxes and bags," says Sue Straub, supervisor of human resources administra- tive services. "There will be nearly 50 very happy, smiling faces on Christmas morning due to the support of Davey's corporate office employees." Overwhelming Support Doug Cowan, retired Davey chairman and chief executive officer, promotes the support of an endowed fund he created for live-donor liver transplants. His fundraising page is accessible from the Cleveland Clinic's website, where he is pictured (left) with his liver donor, Ted Engle (right).

• Cover