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Follow the Henry FordHospital transplantteam members withDr. Lauren Malinzak,right, as they work to

give a patient a new liver.

C M Y K

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INSIDE NATION & WORLD

Church settlesabuse casesThe Catholic Archdioceseof Los Angeles is to an-nounce a $600-millionsettlement of some 500sexual abuse cases. 4A

ON POINT

Muck on the beachesMichigan needs to quitfeeding the algae that aregumming up the state’sshorelines. 1C

TRAVEL

Flying with poochAir travel need not be a dogfight,says an expert with tips for tak-ing Fido on your sojourn. 1K

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Vol. 177, No. 72© 2007Detroit Free Press Inc.Printed in the U.S.

A plane crash June 4 that killedthe members of a University of Michi-gan organ transplant team stunnedthe medical community. Despite therisk, transplant teams continue life-saving flights that are critical to thou-sands, including 905 people in Michi-gan who had transplants last year.

Henry Ford Hospital’s TransplantInstitute is the second-largest trans-plant program in the state, next to theU-M Transplant Center. Last year,the Ford institute gave a secondchance at life to at least 350 people,compared to U-M’s 425.

This is the story of one such trans-plant and the team that made it hap-pen.

Michael Johnson waited eightyears for the phone call that fi-nally came at 1:30 on a Satur-day morning.

Four shrill rings cut through theJohnson household in Warren, whereJohnson, a soft-spoken man with gray-ing hair, an easygoing grin and a dis-eased liver, lay sleeping.

“You better check if that’s HenryFord Hospital,” said Gail Johnson, hiswife of 34 years.

It was.“They said they had a liver,” she re-

membered of the call on June 30. The

couple had to get to the hospital onWest Grand Boulevard in Detroit, a tripthey had made only a few times before,always in daylight.

A similar call had raised the couple’sjittery hopes for an organ match amonth earlier, but that ended in disap-pointment when the donor liver wasjudged to be unsuitable for transplant.

Michael Johnson, 53, sensed thatthis time was different.

“I had a feeling the second time itwas going to happen,” he said. “It wasgoing too smooth.”

The past 17 years of Johnson’s lifehave been agonizing and exhausting,

LIVES AT RISKTeam takes to the sky to bring back a donated liver

Photos by DAVID P. GILKEY/Detroit Free Press

THE RUSH TO RETRIEVAL: An ambulance stands ready to take the team to Spectrum Health Butterworth Campus in Grand Rapidswhere a liver is available for Michael Johnson of Warren, who is waiting at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

By CATHERINE HOFREE PRESS MEDICAL WRITER

See TRANSPLANT, 12A

Michigan politicians raisemillions of dollars from corpo-rations, unions and wealthyindividuals for pet causes —and they don’t have to revealthe financial backers or howmuch they gave.

The Free Press found morethan 50 tax-exempt charitiesor civic education funds con-nected to current or formerofficeholders, including Gov.Jennifer Granholm, AttorneyGeneral Mike Cox, DetroitMayor Kwame Kilpatrick andOakland County Executive L.Brooks Patterson.

The fund-raising is legalunder the federal tax code.But political watchdog groupssay it’s cause for concern be-cause donors — who oftenhave financial stakes in whatgovernment does — can curryfavor with politicians by sup-porting their charities or civicfunds.

And those organizations,while potentially doing goodworks, can lift a politician’spublic image and help winvotes, critics say.

Contributors to the chari-ties or civic funds can give un-limited amounts. The public

Politiciansget millionsshroudedin secrecy

By JENNIFER DIXONand VICTORIA TURKFREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS

Read more at freep.com:Some funds are especially

mysterious. And why GM plans todisclose donations to politicians.

� A look inside several funds. 8A.

� Some work without licenses. 9A See DONATIONS, 8A

DETROITMAYORKWAMEKILPATRICK: TheKilpatrick CivicFund raised $1.1million in 2004-06. It’s one of atleast four suchfunds to whichhe has ties.

GOV. JENNIFERGRANHOLM: TheGovernor’sResidence Foun-dation hasraised at least$2.8 millionsince she tookoffice, includinga $100,000 giftfrom GM.

ATTORNEYGENERAL MIKECOX: His officesays donors tohis tax-exemptfunds asked notto be named, sohe won’t do it.That’s theirright under thefederal tax code.

OAKLANDCOUNTYEXECUTIVEL. BROOKSPATTERSON: Hedisclosed threedonations of atleast $5,000 in2006 to his twotax-exemptorganizations.

Critics say tax-exempt fundsinvite abuse by hiding donors

As Detroit automakers andthe UAW prepare to kick offformal negotiations for a newlabor contract this week, a not-so-revolutionary idea is win-ning new life as a possible wayto deal with retiree health careobligations — estimated at $90billion to $115 billion — facingthe companies.

All three automakers are in-terested in an idea to create aspecial trust fund into which

they can pump money now topay for retirees’ health carecosts in the future.

The Free Press has learnedthat at least one automaker,General Motors Corp., hopesto cut its obligation by 35%,which analysts say the unionwill not approve, because ben-efits would have to be cut morethan members could accept.

But at a higher level of fund-ing, such a plan could appeal toworkers who want to ensurethey will have benefits even if

Automakers to revisitold idea in UAW talks

By TIM HIGGINSand KATIE MERX

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITERS

See TALKS, 14A

CASEYAT THE CHATFirst base social clubis run by the MayorSPORTS, 1D

How will Tigersspell r-e-l-i-e-f?THE MITT, 6D

SAVE MORETHAN

$70IN YOURCOUPONPACKS

CARDREAMBUILDING MY

Mark Phelancombines favoritefeatures fromtoday’s vehiclesBUSINESS & MONEY, 1E

SEE THE VIDEOON FREEP.COM

Follow the Henry FordHospital transplantteam members withDr. Lauren Malinzak,right, as they work to

give a patient a new liver.

C M Y K

Entertainment ....1FFree PressEditorials..........1CDetroit NewsEditorials..........5CDeaths .............6BHoroscope ........2QLocal News ........1BLife ..................1J

Michigan ..........4BMotor City Sunday.......................2EMovie Guide .....7FPuzzle Page .....2MReal Estate ......1GTravel ..............1KYour Money ......3E

INSIDE NATION & WORLD

Church settlesabuse casesThe Catholic Archdioceseof Los Angeles is to an-nounce a $600-millionsettlement of some 500sexual abuse cases. 4A

ON POINT

Muck on the beachesMichigan needs to quitfeeding the algae that aregumming up the state’sshorelines. 1C

TRAVEL

Flying with poochAir travel need not be a dogfight,says an expert with tips for tak-ing Fido on your sojourn. 1K

PARTLY CLOUDYNice sleepingweather.ChuckGaidica’sforecast, 8B

WEATHER

81 63HIGH LOW

$1.50 WWW.FREEP.COM AN EDITION OF THE DETROIT FREE PRESS JULY 15, 2007 METRO FINAL �

ON GUARD FOR 176 YEARS

CONTACT USDelivery questions: 800-395-3300News tip hotline: 313-222-6600Classified: 800-926-8237

Vol. 177, No. 72© 2007Detroit Free Press Inc.Printed in the U.S.

A plane crash June 4 that killedthe members of a University of Michi-gan organ transplant team stunnedthe medical community. Despite therisk, transplant teams continue life-saving flights that are critical to thou-sands, including 905 people in Michi-gan who had transplants last year.

Henry Ford Hospital’s TransplantInstitute is the second-largest trans-plant program in the state, next to theU-M Transplant Center. Last year,the Ford institute gave a secondchance at life to at least 350 people,compared to U-M’s 425.

This is the story of one such trans-plant and the team that made it hap-pen.

Michael Johnson waited eightyears for the phone call that fi-nally came at 1:30 on a Satur-day morning.

Four shrill rings cut through theJohnson household in Warren, whereJohnson, a soft-spoken man with gray-ing hair, an easygoing grin and a dis-eased liver, lay sleeping.

“You better check if that’s HenryFord Hospital,” said Gail Johnson, hiswife of 34 years.

It was.“They said they had a liver,” she re-

membered of the call on June 30. The

couple had to get to the hospital onWest Grand Boulevard in Detroit, a tripthey had made only a few times before,always in daylight.

A similar call had raised the couple’sjittery hopes for an organ match amonth earlier, but that ended in disap-pointment when the donor liver wasjudged to be unsuitable for transplant.

Michael Johnson, 53, sensed thatthis time was different.

“I had a feeling the second time itwas going to happen,” he said. “It wasgoing too smooth.”

The past 17 years of Johnson’s lifehave been agonizing and exhausting,

LIVES AT RISKTeam takes to the sky to bring back a donated liver

Photos by DAVID P. GILKEY/Detroit Free Press

THE RUSH TO RETRIEVAL: An ambulance stands ready to take the team to Spectrum Health Butterworth Campus in Grand Rapidswhere a liver is available for Michael Johnson of Warren, who is waiting at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

By CATHERINE HOFREE PRESS MEDICAL WRITER

See TRANSPLANT, 12A

Michigan politicians raisemillions of dollars from corpo-rations, unions and wealthyindividuals for pet causes —and they don’t have to revealthe financial backers or howmuch they gave.

The Free Press found morethan 50 tax-exempt charitiesor civic education funds con-nected to current or formerofficeholders, including Gov.Jennifer Granholm, AttorneyGeneral Mike Cox, DetroitMayor Kwame Kilpatrick andOakland County Executive L.Brooks Patterson.

The fund-raising is legalunder the federal tax code.But political watchdog groupssay it’s cause for concern be-cause donors — who oftenhave financial stakes in whatgovernment does — can curryfavor with politicians by sup-porting their charities or civicfunds.

And those organizations,while potentially doing goodworks, can lift a politician’spublic image and help winvotes, critics say.

Contributors to the chari-ties or civic funds can give un-limited amounts. The public

Politiciansget millionsshroudedin secrecy

By JENNIFER DIXONand VICTORIA TURKFREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS

Read more at freep.com:Some funds are especially

mysterious. And why GM plans todisclose donations to politicians.

� A look inside several funds. 8A.

� Some work without licenses. 9A See DONATIONS, 8A

DETROITMAYORKWAMEKILPATRICK: TheKilpatrick CivicFund raised $1.1million in 2004-06. It’s one of atleast four suchfunds to whichhe has ties.

GOV. JENNIFERGRANHOLM: TheGovernor’sResidence Foun-dation hasraised at least$2.8 millionsince she tookoffice, includinga $100,000 giftfrom GM.

ATTORNEYGENERAL MIKECOX: His officesays donors tohis tax-exemptfunds asked notto be named, sohe won’t do it.That’s theirright under thefederal tax code.

OAKLANDCOUNTYEXECUTIVEL. BROOKSPATTERSON: Hedisclosed threedonations of atleast $5,000 in2006 to his twotax-exemptorganizations.

Critics say tax-exempt fundsinvite abuse by hiding donors

As Detroit automakers andthe UAW prepare to kick offformal negotiations for a newlabor contract this week, a not-so-revolutionary idea is win-ning new life as a possible wayto deal with retiree health careobligations — estimated at $90billion to $115 billion — facingthe companies.

All three automakers are in-terested in an idea to create aspecial trust fund into which

they can pump money now topay for retirees’ health carecosts in the future.

The Free Press has learnedthat at least one automaker,General Motors Corp., hopesto cut its obligation by 35%,which analysts say the unionwill not approve, because ben-efits would have to be cut morethan members could accept.

But at a higher level of fund-ing, such a plan could appeal toworkers who want to ensurethey will have benefits even if

Automakers to revisitold idea in UAW talks

By TIM HIGGINSand KATIE MERX

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITERS

See TALKS, 14A

CASEYAT THE CHATFirst base social clubis run by the MayorSPORTS, 1D

How will Tigersspell r-e-l-i-e-f?THE MITT, 6D

KC M Y

12A SUNDAY, JULY 15, 2007 � DETROIT FREE PRESS | WWW.FREEP.COMLIVES AT RISK

The mission beginsAs Steve Johnson’s car

darted through the emptystreets of metro Detroit, a three-person transplant team gath-ered at 2:45 a.m. outside HenryFord Hospital’s emergency de-partment north of downtownDetroit.

They were alert but calm,professional yet relaxed.

Dr. Lauren Malinzak, a staffsurgeon, and Dr. Ayman Al-Ha-rakeh, a physician on a fellow-ship who is training to be atransplant doctor, met up withRob Hayes, one of three donorcoordinators at Henry Ford’sTransplant Institute. Hayes has20 years of experience in organrecovery.

An ambulance took them toCity Airport on Detroit’s eastside, where two pilots waited inan eight-seat jet, chartered fromWaterford-based CorporateFlight Inc. The trio movedquickly in their green scrubsand sneakers, strapping them-selves into their seats. Airborne,they drank bottled water andcans of pop as they pointed outfamiliar sights.

“There’s 75, the intersectionright here is 696,” Hayes said ofthe freeway landmarks as the jetglided across the dark blue skytoward Grand Rapids. “Can yousee your house?”

Hayes has made these trips

common for people with prima-ry sclerosing cholangitis, a bileduct disorder that ravages theliver.

He spent eight years on thetransplant list, longer thanmost, because medication stabi-lized his liver enzymes to a pointthat his status wasn’t consid-ered urgent compared to the 398people also waiting for a liver inMichigan. Only one in four waitfive years or more.

Johnson struggled to controlfevers for months at a time, aswell as chills, constant fatigueand itching so unbearable thathis sheets would be stained withblood from scratching.

Sometimes he could barelymake it through work as a su-pervisor at the Warren water di-vision before coming home andcollapsing. The disease was dev-astating for an athletic, do-it-yourself guy who used to playtennis with his son and tacklejobs around the house.

“You get so tired of beingtired,” he said. “It’s hard justknowing you can’t do anythingabout it except a transplant, andyou never know for sure if that’sgoing to happen.”

It finally did, and a frantic,nighttime scramble to the hospi-tal in their son’s car was just thebeginning.

numerous times before, to Mis-sissippi, Kentucky, New Yorkand Georgia. He understandsthat risks are part of the job.

“Every time I get on a planeI’m aware of the fact that it’sdangerous to fly,” he said. “Ev-ery time I drive home at 3 in themorning knowing I’m on thefreeway with all the drunks, I’maware of the risks. How scaredam I? I’m not. I’m aware there’sa risk involved, and maybe it’sincreased because I fly morethan you. But you might be atmore risk on the highway than Iam on a plane.”

Hayes knew three of the sixpeople on the U-M SurvivalFlight that plunged into LakeMichigan — surgeon Martinus

Spoor, transplant specialistRichard Chenault II, and fire-fighter and part-time transplantspecialist Rick LaPensee. Thecrash also killed surgical fellowDr. David Ashburn, copilot Den-nis Hoyes and pilot Bill Serra.

Hayes spent time with thethree he knew at conferencesand dinners, and often crossedpaths with them when they wentto retrieve multiple organs fromthe same donor.

“You talk to them, you askthem, ‘Hey, how’s your fami-ly?’ ” Hayes said. “If you’ve got afew hours to kill, you sit and talkin the cafeteria. You talk aboutsports, you talk about the elec-tion. It’s your competitor, butyou talk to them, you get in-sights.”

On this night, the job is atSpectrum Health ButterworthCampus in Grand Rapids.

They land at 4:05 a.m. at Ger-ald Ford International Airport.

The donorFor 21⁄2 hours, Malinzak and

Al-Harakeh operated on Rich-ard Herald, an Indiana manwhose death held the promise ofsaving Johnson’s life.

Herald died June 29, fourdays after a motorcycle accidentat Grattan Raceway Park, nearGrand Rapids.

Herald, 54, was a South Lyonnative and U-M alum whoworked as a General Motors en-gineer until 1992, when he beganworking for Golden EngineeringInc., which develops X-rayequipment. He relocated to Indi-ana when the company movedfrom Ann Arbor. He and his wifeof 32 years, Linda Herald, have

Thetransplant clock is ticking

Time is critical in any organ recovery mission. Once a liver’s been extracted, it shouldn’t be preserved for more than 16 hours. Within a 14-hour span on June 30, transplant surgeons from Henry Ford Hospital extracted a liver from organ donor Richard Herald at Spectrum Health Butterworth Campus in Grand Rapids, and implanted it in Michael Johnson at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Here’s how it happened:

1:01 a.m.: Gift of Life notifies Henry Ford donor coordi-nator Rob Hayes that a liver has been offered for Michael Johnson, a patient at Henry Ford Hospital.

1:05 a.m.: Hayes phones Dr. Marwan Aboul-joud, director of the Transplant Institute at Henry Ford Hospital, who accepts the surgery.

1:30 a.m.: Johnson gets a phone call from a recipient coordinator at Henry Ford, telling him to be at the hospital by 4 a.m.

2:45 a.m.: A three-person Henry Ford transplant team meets outside the emergency department to prepare to retrieve a donor liver in Grand Rapids. They load supplies into the ambulance that will take them to the airport.

Photos by DAVID P. GILKEY/Detroit Free Press

Meetthe team

The Henry Ford Hospi-tal transplant team thathandled Michael John-son’s new liver includes:

MARWAN ABOULJOUD

� Director of the HenryFord Transplant Institute� Approved donor liverfor Johnson� Led surgery for implan-tation

LAUREN MALINZAK

� Staff surgeon� Led surgery to removedonor liver� Prepared liver for im-plantation

AYMAN AL-HARAKEH

� Fellow, completingsecond year of training intransplant surgery� Assisted in liver remov-al and implantation

ROB HAYES

� Donor coordinator� Coordinated with donorhospital, Henry Ford’srecipient coordinator,surgeons, ambulance, jetcompany, Gift of Life(which manages organdonation and allocationin Michigan), UnitedNetwork for Organ Shar-ing

- CATHERINE HO

How to be anorgan donorGift of Life Michigan� 2203 Platt Road, AnnArbor 48104� 800-482-4881� www.giftoflifemichigan.org

‘Every time I get on a plane I’m aware of thefact that it’s dangerous to fly. … How scared am I? I’m not.’

Vena cava

Vena cava

Bile duct

Liver

Intestines

Stomach

Hepatic artery

Portal vein

Organ retrieval

The organ is placed in a large plastic bag with an ice-cold sterile preservation solution. Air is squeezed out and the bag is sealed. This process is repeated two more times, until the organ is triple-bagged.

The bagged liver is put on ice inside a cooler.

The organ is kept refrigerated at 2 to 8 degrees centigrade until it is transplanted.

5 Major complications include infection, bleeding, clotting of major blood vessels, bile duct problems, organ rejection and cancer, a long-term consequence of antirejection drugs. Cirrhosis patients also have a 30% higher risk of cancer.

5

Liver transplant

1 The operation is performed under general anesthesia. Sometimes the patient is placed on a liver bypass machine.

2 An incision is made in the patient’s abdomen. The diseased liver is cut away from nearby structures and blood vessels.

3 Four major blood vessels are connected to the new liver.

4 A small tube is connected to the bile duct, to carry waste to the intestines.

1

3

4

2

Sources: Gift of Life Michigan; United Network for Organ Sharing; American Liver Foundation; Bill Madek, Henry Ford Hospital.

Text by PATRICIA ANSTETT, Graphic by DAVID PIERCE/Detroit Free Press

READY TO GO: Dr. Lauren Malinzak, on the flight to Grand Rapids, willperform the surgery with Dr. Ayman Al-Harakeh that removes the healthyliver for transplant. The operation is to take 21⁄2 hours.

From Page 1A

On freep.com: The head ofthe transplant team

describes the surgery.

See next page

CONSERVING ENERGY: Dr. Ayman Al-Harakeh, left, and Rob Hayes, donor coordinator for Henry Ford Hospital’s Transplant Institute, take catnaps during the flight back to Detroit. Hayes got the call from Gift of Life at 1a.m., telling him a liver was available for Michael Johnson of Warren. The transplant team’s long night-into-day mission will conclude at 6 p.m.

KC M Y

DETROIT FREE PRESS | WWW.FREEP.COM � SUNDAY, JULY 15, 2007 13ALIVES AT RISK

What isprimarysclerosingcholangitis?

It is a progressive,chronic disease thatdamages the bile ductsinside and outside theliver. The ducts becomeblocked with bile, a liquidthat helps dissolve fatsand fatty vitamins, caus-ing them to becomeinflamed. It results inscarring or cirrhosis ofthe liver. That decreasesthe liver’s ability tofunction properly. Actualliver failure could take aslong as 10 years.

WHAT ARE THESYMPTOMS?

The most common areprofound fatigue, itchyskin and yellowing of theskin and eyes. Patientsalso may get chills andfever, pain, mental con-fusion and fluid buildupin the abdomen or legs.Swelling of the lower endof the esophagus mayresult from increasedblood pressure in thevessels that lead to theliver.

WHAT CAUSES IT?The cause is not

known. Many patientshave had bacterial orviral infections. It couldbe hereditary.

WHO GETS IT?It is relatively rare,

occurring in 1 to 6 ofevery 100,000 people inthe United States. It ismore common in menthan women and occursmostly in people ages 30to 60. Three of fourpeople with the conditionhave inflammatory boweldiseases, including ulcer-ative colitis.

HOW IS IT TREATED?Patients use creams to

relieve itching. Manytake antibiotics foryears. Sometimes theyneed bile duct surgery toreduce inflammation.Liver transplants are alast resort.

- PATRICIA ANSTETT

three daughters, Laura, 26, Va-lerie, 24, and Bonnie, 21. Heraldhad told his wife his intentionsabout organ and tissue dona-tion.

Graham Martin, a friend formore than 30 years, said Her-ald’s decision to donate was“right in line with who he was.He would’ve wanted to helpsomebody. He was a very self-less person and always put otherpeople before himself.”

Martin had known Heraldsince the early 1970s, when Mar-tin was a program director atthe Upper Peninsula BibleCamp in Little Lake, Mich., andHerald was one of his campcounselors. His fondest memo-ries of Herald — who loved to ca-noe and bike, and used to go bythe nickname Homer — are oflaughter and kindness.

Bob Morrow, a friend andneighbor for 13 years, said Her-ald’s Christian faith was a cen-tral part of his life. They met af-ter Morrow noticed that Her-ald’s black 1981 BMW motorcy-cle was nearly identical to hisown 1982 BMW.

“He was one of these guys

that are so rare,” Morrow said.“Anytime anyone needed helpwith something, even if he was inthe middle of something himself,he’d come immediately to help.”

Herald was a multiple-organdonor: Johnson got his liver, twoothers received his kidneys andtwo got his corneas. Two morereceived his heart valves, andseveral others benefited fromhis bone donation.

The extractionAt Butterworth Campus,

Malinzak and Al-Harakeh ex-amined Herald’s liver for dam-age, flushed it with preservationsolution and soaked it in ice in-side the abdomen before remov-ing it, packaging it in bags andplacing it on ice. Hayes hadcalled ahead to Ford hospital totell them Herald’s liver was agood match for Johnson.

At 7:38 a.m., the Ford teamloaded a red Igloo cooler — onethat might otherwise tote cansof soda to a picnic — with the liv-er, precisely packaged, into anambulance and headed to theGrand Rapids airport, sirensblaring.

By 8 a.m., the team was backin the air.

The ride backThe jet took off smoothly, this

time in daylight. The teampassed around turkey and ham-and-cheese subs, knowing theyhad only 30 minutes before theywere to land and take an ambu-lance back to Henry Ford.

“You’ve got to eat to keep go-ing,” said Malinzak, unwrappingher sandwich.

Beside her, Al-Harakeh half-joked that he hates flying beforeclosing his eyes — with his scrubcap still on — to grab a few mo-ments of sleep.

Behind him, Hayes had al-ready fallen asleep.

They landed at City Airportat 8:33 a.m.

The transplantInside a Ford operating

room, a transplant team had Mi-chael Johnson ready for sur-gery.

Because surgeons were re-moving his entire liver, bloodcirculation between the lowerand upper half of Johnson’s bo-dy would be interrupted. So hehad to be hooked up to a heartbypass machine. The machinetook his blood, warmed it andautomatically returned it to hisheart.

The normally five-hour oper-

ation dragged on for nine hours.Johnson’s liver was more diffi-cult to remove than most. Block-ages in Johnson’s bile ductscaused his liver to shrink insome parts and swell in others.Years of disease had left the or-gan scarred with collateral ves-sels, which bled when touched.He required more than 20 unitsof A-negative whole blood andplasma.

“If you combine the scarsfrom the surgery, the hyperten-sion and the rotation of the liver,you wind up having a technicalmix that is quite a challenge,”Dr. Marwan Abouljoud, directorof Henry Ford’s Transplant In-stitute, said later.

RecoveryOn July 6, six days after his

surgery, Johnson went home.He looked relaxed in a plaidrobe, grey socks and Nike slip-pers.

Although the total cost of the

transplant has not been deter-mined, the Virginia-based Unit-ed Network for Organ Sharingestimates a liver transplantdone in the United States costs$314,600 for surgeries, evalua-tions and a year’s worth of fol-low-up medications. Johnson’smedical bills are covered byPPOM Midwest, a health main-tenance organization headquar-tered in Farmington Hills.

Johnson’s daughter, Mi-chelle, 33, visiting from Rich-mond, Va., recalled times grow-ing up when she rode bikes withher dad during the healthy yearsof his life.

“My dad’s not a real ‘look atme’ guy, he’s not always touchy-feely, but he’s just a nice hard-working and honest guy,” shesaid. “He’s always been a do-it-

yourself guy. Drywall, floors,ceilings … all the outdoor stuff.Everything I know how to do, hetaught me.”

Johnson talked about re-claiming his life. His wife had herown expectations for him, in-cluding finishing a list of jobsaround the house that he startedand abandoned one too manytimes as his health waned.

But that’s for later. Now wasthe time to savor the life astranger in Indiana had givenhim.

“You get this second opportu-nity in life,” he said. “I don’tknow what the end will be butI’m certainly blessed with theopportunity to find out.”

Contact CATHERINE HO atcho@freepress.com.

3 a.m.: The team leaves Henry Ford Hospital by ambulance.

3:39 a.m.: Team takes off from City Airport.

4:05 a.m.: Land at Gerald Ford Interna-tional Airport in Grand Rapids. Load supplies into ambulances that will take them to Butterworth hospital.

4:31 a.m.: Team arrives at Spectrum Health Butterworth Campus.4:55 a.m.: The first incision on the donor patient, Richard Herald, is made.

5:30 a.m.: The liver is found suitable for transplant.

7:30 a.m.: The extraction is complete, and Hayes calls ambulances and pilots for the team’s return to Detroit.

7:38 a.m.:Ambulancesleave Butter-worth for Gerald Ford Interna-tional Airport.

7:57 a.m.: Team arrives at airport.

8 a.m.: Jet takes off from airport.

8:33 a.m.: Land at City Airport.

8:43 a.m.: Arrive at Henry Ford by ambulance.

9 a.m.: Johnson’s surgery begins.

11:23 a.m.: Liver is placed in Johnson’s abdomen.

6 p.m.: Surgery concludes.

3:23 a.m.: Team arrives at Detroit City Airport, where they load supplies into a private jet.

From previous page

Herald family photo

THE DONOR: Richard Herald with daughter Bonnie, 21; wife Linda, anddaughters Laura, 26 and Valerie, 24. He was 54 when he died after a motor-cycle accident. More than 10 people received his organs and bone tissue.

STEPHEN MCGEE/Detroit Free Press

A NEW LIFE: Five days after surgery, Michael Johnson talks with doctors. He is able to go home a day later. He willneed medication for the rest of his life to prevent his body from rejecting his new liver.

DAVID P. GILKEY/Detroit Free Press

THE TRANSPLANT BEGINS: The team at Henry Ford Hospital’s Transplant Institute starts the nine-hour operation that will replace Michael Johnson’s diseased liver with Richard Herald’s healthy one.

STEPHEN MCGEE/Detroit Free Press

JOY AND RELIEF: Gail Johnsonwaited eight years for her husband,Michael, to get a transplant.They’ve been married for 34 years.Since the plane crash

that killed six members ofa University of Michiganorgan transplant teamJune 4, U-M transplantsurgeons have implement-ed ways to reduce the dan-gers inherent in organrecovery missions.� Medical students no lon-ger fly on organ recoverytrips. “It’s been an emo-tional time,” said Dr. Jef-frey Punch, director of thetransplant center at U-M.“It’s hard to imagine how itcould be more painful, butif there had been a 21- or23-year-old medical stu-dent on that plane, it wouldhave been even worse.”� U-M transplant surgeonswill meet next week todiscuss how to rely less onair travel for organ retriev-al. U-M’s team now drivesto hospitals within a 50-mile radius.

- CATHERINE HO

U-M strivesto increaseteams’ safety

Michael Johnson got Richard Herald’s liver, twoother people received his kidneys and two got his corneas.

The making of “Lives at Risk” by Catherine Ho About a month after a plane crash killed a University of Michigan organ transplant team, the Free Press followed up on the incident by shadowing a transplant team from Henry Ford Hospital, the second-largest transplant program in Michigan. I got a phone call around 1 a.m. from a hospital spokesperson alerting me that a team would be flying to western Michigan that night to retrieve a liver. I spent the next 12 hours with the transplant surgeons and coordinator, flying to Grand Rapids and back to Detroit on a jet, then watching the liver transplant in the operating room, inches away from the table. I later interviewed the recipient and his family, and tracked his recovery over several days. The piece was meant to capture the human drama of organ transplant, and to help readers grasp what goes into the process of organ donation. Writing was a challenge. I worked with several editors to craft a piece that was broken down into chapters, each one leading up to a pivotal moment in the process, and from the different perspectives of the patient and their loved ones, and the doctors. I went through several drafts and got a lot of helpful feedback from my editors and my mentor, Pat Anstett. In the end, we presented a Sunday 1A package with the main story, a timeline, graphics explaining the medication condition of the patient, a cast of characters, and an update on safety measures at the University of Michigan transplant department. The Free Press Web site also included a video, shot by one of our photographers. This article, which originally ran on July 15, 2007, is reproduced on our website with permission from The Detroit Free Press.