Man fights for liver transplant

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Time is of the essence for Ben Chatraw and his family. The husband and father of four suffers from a rare disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, a condition which causes a series of infections that directly attack his liver.

"So doctors coming out of that, my doctors looked at me and said, 'You need a transplant and you need one quickly, as quickly as you can,'" said Chatraw.

Chatraw was immediately put on the list for a match at the Mayo Clinic here in Jacksonville. On two separate occasions, Chatraw says he came close to receiving a liver, but at the last minute, the organs were found to be imperfect matches and both surgeries were called off.

"I mean that's really, that's really hard, it's really hard. It's getting all ready for the big game that's going to change everything and letting it slip away," Chatraw said.

The family admits the waiting game has been hard. His wife Stephanie, says despite all that's happened their faith and friends are helping them through.

"So I believe that God has provided us the friends that we have and He's made that apparent to us, we've got the best friends in the world," Stephanie Chatraw said.

For now, the family still waits and prays for a resolution. Their wish now is for others to become organ donors and help other families waiting for that perfect match. 

"There's very few times and opportunities that we have to actually give life to others and that's one way to do that so we want to encourage to donate organs and that's key," Chatraw said. "We believe prayer is powerful and effective and we know it makes a difference in day to day life, I know my attitude would be different without it."

If you're interested in helping the family you can contact them through their website, liverforben.com.


About the Authors:

Ashley Harding joined the Channel 4 news team in March 2013. She reports for and anchors The Morning Show.