Kellie Wesner grew teary-eyed with the memory.
"When I was younger, I played basketball all year around," the 20-year old Penn State Altoona student said. "Every season, my dad insisted that I got new basketball sneakers. He would sacrifice just so I could have those new sneakers."
Her father, Kevin Wesner, 52, sat close beside her on the couch of their Altoona home.
"Now I insist on going to all of his doctor's appointments with him," Kellie said. "If I miss work or class, so be it. My employer and my professors understand. I am sacrificing that time. This is me sacrificing for him now.
"This is him getting his basketball sneakers."
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Kevin Wesner is now in the fight of his life.
Two years ago, Kevin was diagnosed with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, also known as NASH, a liver inflammation caused by a buildup of fat on the liver. NASH can progress to cause cirrohosis of the liver in about 15 percent to 20 percent of patients, according to WebMD.com.
Kevin developed cirrohosis, and that requires him to get a liver transplant.
NASH can be a silent disease. Early on, the fatty buildup does not affect the function of the liver, and no symptoms can be seen. But as inflammation occurs, it can lead to scarring of the liver, which then becomes cirrohosis, when scar tissue replaces healthy tissue and prevents the liver from working like it should.
"You can get NASH three different ways," Kellie said. "You can get it through fatty liver disease, through a virus or it's hereditary, caused by copper deposits in your liver. His doctors don't know how he got it. ... They can speculate, but they can't pinpoint it."
One way Kevin didn't get it was through drinking alcohol. To be diagnosed with NASH, a patient must have no history of significant alcohol intake, which constitutes fewer than one or two drinks per day. Kevin was never a big drinker, "maybe a few beers while watching a football game," he said.
He was first diagnosed after a trip to the hospital with kidney stones.
A subsequent CT scan revealed he had an enlarged spleen, which, according to Kellie, can be a symptom of NASH.
After that, Dr. Robert Sullivan of Altoona kept an eye on his situation with blood work and CAT scans, and Kevin was referred to UPMC in Pittsburgh.
He took a turn for the worse May 10 as he began to retain fluid around his abdomen and lungs. He also had high toxin and ammonia levels in his body, due to his malfunctioning liver. He was hospitalized in Altoona for a week and at UPMC in Pittsburgh for three weeks.
"In Pittsburgh, they did all kinds of tests to see if he could get onto the (transplant) list," Mary Jo Wesner, his wife of 26 years, said.
Kevin's name went onto the nationwide transplant list, the United Network for Organ Sharing or UNOS.
"The list is region by region," Kellie said. "Whatever region is next on the list gets the next available organ. He might be on top of the East Coast list, but the West Coast might be next on the list."
When it is finally Kevin's turn, events will quickly unfold.
"It will be exactly like you see on TV shows," Kellie said. "They will rush him to UPMC. You have to get there within four hours. They have to shorten the amount of time that the blood is not flowing to the organ. The shorter the window, the better."
After the transplant, Kevin will have to stay in the hospital for about a month, maybe two. Then he and a member of his family will have to stay in a family house in Pittsburgh for three to eight weeks, as he will be required to have his blood work and liver functions monitored twice a week.
"They gave us a ballpark figure (for the cost of the transplant); it could range from $1 million to $2 million," Kellie said.
He will also have to take anti-rejection medicine for the rest of his life, which costs about $9,000 a month, Kellie said.
For now, Kevin remains on a medicine called Lactulose, which cleans his body of the toxins and high ammonia levels, and all he can do now is wait.
"As soon as they call, I'm ready to go," Kevin said. "I just hope the weather isn't bad, because my family is going to have to run back and forth."
"Even with everything going on with him, he's still concerned about his family," said Kevin's son, Mike, 25.
He is "a very good husband and a loving father, who worries about everyone else other than himself," said Mary Jo. According to his family, he is a hard worker who would labor from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m., six days a week, just to provide for them.
He is a fan of Bishop Guilfoyle athletics - especially football and basketball - and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he loves to fish.
Any monetary contributions to help defray the cost of Kevin's impending liver transplant can be made payable to the Kevin Wesner Irrevocable Trust Fund, c/o Reliance Bank, 1921 Pleasant Valley Boulevard, Altoona, PA 16602.
Mirror staff writer Cory Dobrowolsky can be reached at 946-7428.
