On February 28, three members of Long Island TRIO appeared at the Hofstra University North Shore – LIJ School of Medicine. Liver transplant recipients Dennis Fearns, Dave Rodgers, and Ruth Pohl spoke of their successful journeys through liver disease and transplant surgery, as well as the aftermaths with staying healthy through immunosuppressants. All three participants emphasized the power of positive commitment to good health and communication with doctors and other medical personnel.

Dennis Fearns, Ruth Pohl, Dave Rodgers with Dr. David E. Bernstein MD, Gastroenterology, North Shore-LIJ Hospital

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After the TRIO members handled the first-year medical students’ questions, the students presented cases for transplant of three hypothetical individuals in need of a liver transplant. Each of the three patients had factors which alternately encouraged or discouraged the case for transplant. The factors and whether the patients could overcome their issues – age, language aptitude, alcoholism, tobacco addiction, obesity – were presented to the Transplant Committee which makes these same type of decisions in real-life situations.

After the seminar, many students thanked the LI TRIO members for their presentations and sought additional information on how they could become more involved in the cause of organ donation.- Howie Pohl