SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Erin Roberts and Henry O’Loughlin are much closer than just catching up over coffee. Aside from being brother and sister-in-law, the two are quite literally a part of each other.
"Just looking at Henry sometimes, it's just so crazy to me that I have his liver," Roberts said.
Part of their story starts in 2018 after a run led to pain in Roberts’ side and trips to different doctors.
“And was diagnosed a very rare autoimmune disease called primary biliary cholangitis,” Roberts said.
UC San Diego Health said it is a condition that can ultimately lead to liver failure.
The active and healthy woman said the diagnosis was a shock to her and her family.
“Symptoms really started arising; extreme fatigue, pain, and severe nausea,” Roberts said.
Hope began to dwindle on finding a donor for her liver.
“After I had started medication, my liver numbers kind of leveled out and were pretty good. And I was years and years from qualifying for a deceased donor,” Roberts said.
She later learned about UC San Diego Health’s living liver donation program. It was a game changer for changing how life was for her, but challenges were still on the horizon.
“I was so blessed with people that also grieved almost more than I did once they went through the process, and they didn’t end up being a match," Roberts said.
Roberts' match would come from her brother-in-law.
Admittedly, O'Loughlin said there were some nerves about being a match and having what UC San Diego Health said was more than 60 percent of his liver removed and transplanted to help his sister-in-law.
“But also really excited that there was finally a solution for Erin. And, by the time it had come around that I was approved, I felt like I was the right person to do the job,” O’Loughlin said.
Roberts said it was miraculous to find out her brother-in-law was the match for the job.
“I just truly feel like I have my very own personal superhero in Henry,” Roberts said.
It’s been a little more than a year since the two went under for the procedure. Roberts told ABC 10News the surgery took place June 10, 2022.
O’Loughlin told ABC 10news his lifestyle hasn’t changed since the procedure.
He said after three months, he was doing everything he used to, and he added physicians believe that a portion of his liver he still has will grow back to about 80 percent of what his liver used to be.
