American Fork caregiver donates part of liver, befriends recipient

It’s not often that a living organ donor meets the person who receives that organ, but Shaylin Crandall and Erika Morton not only met, they became close friends. 

Shaylin, a social service worker at American Fork Hospital in American Fork, Utah, began to look into becoming a donor after the topic came up in a work huddle, and her application was approved after half a year of testing and lab work. She chose to donate part of her liver because that organ regenerates itself within a year. 

“I thought it was a really cool way to donate because it will grow back,” Shaylin said. 

Within months Shaylin was matched. She was scheduled for surgery last October, but that procedure was postponed when Shaylin tested positive for COVID-19. When Shaylin, who had been documenting her experience on social media, announced the delay on Instagram, a friend of Erika Morton took notice. 

“A co-worker texted me and said, ‘I think I know who your donor is,’” said Erika, who was diagnosed in 2018 with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare autoimmune disease of the liver. 

Erika remained relatively healthy and active, expecting she wouldn’t need a transplant “until I was 80.” However, in February of 2023, she became jaundiced and ill and was told that she needed a transplant. Several family members offered to be donors, but the matches weren’t right, which led to her being matched with Shaylin, a fellow Utah County resident. 

The transplant was rescheduled for November, and on the morning of the procedure, Shaylin and Erika met for the first time in the lobby of Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah. 

“Meeting Erika was crazy.  I know for my parents it was very emotional, and for Erika’s family, it was super-emotional,” Shaylin said. “I was in a state of shock. It was surreal to meet her in person and know that’s where my liver was going.” 

Following the transplant, the women continued to communicate as they went through their shared recoveries. For Shaylin, that meant eight days in the hospital and then eight weeks off work as she experienced extreme fatigue. 

“I felt like my ab muscles had been torn apart,” she said. 

About six months after her surgery, Shaylin began going to the gym, and now, approximately seven months later, she feels close to fully recovering. 

Erika, who works at Domo, followed a similar timeline as she dealt with a recurring infection and other issues. 

“I had a few struggles trying to eat and sleep and be a normal human again,” she said. “You have to learn how to do everything again, even walking, which is kind of wild.” 

In recent weeks she has felt “close to 100 percent,” and the two have begun exercising together. 

“I see her every Monday at the gym,” Shaylin said. “We ‘Marco Polo’ daily, we FaceTime a lot, and I see her bi-weekly when she comes to the hospital for her lab work. We became best friends really fast.” 

Erika said that it has been “nice to have someone in the same boat, healing at the same time, and be able to talk about the things you’re going through. We work out together and just hang out, so it’s fun. 

“I couldn’t believe that someone out there just wanted to give part of their liver to someone. I lucked out that it was Shay.” 

The transplant turned out to be a lifesaver in more ways than one for Erika — her surgeon, Dr. Richard Gilroy, Intermountain Health’s director of liver transplantation, found a previously undiagnosed liver cancer. 

“Had I waited six months or a year, I wouldn’t have made it,” Erika said. 

Instead, she and her husband, Zach, hope to enjoy a summer of wakeboarding and soaking up the sun. 

“My doctors were great,” Erika said. “If it weren’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be here. My surgeon was fabulous; I was concerned about having a scar, but they made it look as minimal as possible. They listened to my needs, and that was really important to me.” 

Shaylin and Erika have shared their story with Good Things Utah and Fox 13, encouraging others to consider organ donation. Shaylin may rejoin that list herself. 

“One thing I’ve learned is that you can be a double-donor — you can donate a kidney after your liver recovers, so I’m looking into donating a kidney,” said Shaylin, who enjoys taking her nieces to Disneyland and is considering becoming a single mother. “I absolutely would do it again. If my liver would grow back and I could give it again, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I felt in the end I didn’t lose anything, but I gained a really good friendship.” 

For her part, Erika said that thanks to Shaylin, “I get to live my life.” 

“I’m really thankful for Shaylin and her decision to be a living donor,” she said. “I don’t take that lightly for her or her family. I’m sure it was scary for them as well. I still have a hard time talking about it without getting emotional, because I don’t know where I’d be without her.” 

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For information on Intermountain’s organ donation program, go to https://intermountainhealthcare.org/medical-specialties/transplant/become-a-donor