{"id":25440,"date":"2019-07-18T13:07:42","date_gmt":"2019-07-18T19:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=25440"},"modified":"2024-12-24T09:20:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T16:20:19","slug":"liver-transplant-forges-bond-shes-part-navy-seal-hes-everyones-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/liver-transplant-forges-bond-shes-part-navy-seal-hes-everyones-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"Liver transplant forges bond: she\u2019s part Navy SEAL, he’s everyone’s hero"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Jeff
Melinda Ray, left, and her liver transplant donor, Jeff Bramstedt, were honored at an American Liver Foundation event in 2018. Photo courtesy of Melinda Ray.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The former Navy SEAL and Hollywood stuntman didn\u2019t hesitate for a moment when he heard that a young mother he didn\u2019t know needed a liver donation or she would die.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d do it,\u201d Jeff Bramstedt told his wife.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the kind of guy he is.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe hears bullets and he runs into those situations,\u201d said Robin Ihnfeldt, Jeff\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n

\"Jeff
Jeff Bramstedt, center, during his service as a Navy SEAL. Photo courtesy of Jeff Bramstedt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After more than a dozen family members and close friends got tested, but none were a match, both Robin and Jeff stepped up. Robin learned she couldn\u2019t be a donor, but Jeff was a perfect match.<\/p>\n

Fearless in battle and on film, Jeff had never spent a night in a hospital and wasn\u2019t keen on needles and scalpels. Still, he didn\u2019t flinch.<\/p>\n

\u201cBest odds I\u2019ve been given on anything in a while,\u201d Jeff told Dr. Elizabeth Pomfret, UCHealth\u2019s Chief of Transplant Surgery<\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I have a little bit of Jeff\u2019s liver and he\u2019s living right through me\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So, in December of 2017, Jeff traveled from his home in San Diego to Colorado and joined a rare club of altruistic organ donors \u2013 people who volunteer to give up an organ for someone they don\u2019t know. Jeff saved a life and for him, that\u2019s business as usual.<\/p>\n

\"James
Melinda Ray, right, feared she would die if she didn’t get a liver transplant. She and her husband, James, adopted their oldest son, Callum, soon after they started dating. Their younger two children are Mary, left, and Kieran. Photo courtesy of Melinda Ray.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The beneficiary of his sacrifice was a young mom from Centennial with severe liver disease. As Melinda Ray became sicker and sicker and feared she would die before receiving a transplant, she posted an emotional plea for help on Facebook. Jeff\u2019s wife is friends with Melinda\u2019s sister and saw the post. Jeff had never met Melinda before volunteering to save her life, but in typical Jeff fashion, he said \u201cyes\u201d immediately and sorted out the details later.<\/p>\n

Now, nearly 18 months later, the two families are deeply intertwined. Jeff, now 48, seems to have twice the energy even though he has half his liver; actually, the liver regenerates, so he\u2019s in good shape. Melinda, 36, figures she\u2019s part Navy SEAL now. She has absorbed some of Jeff\u2019s fearlessness and plans to use her new superpowers to become a nurse. Someday, she\u2019d love to work in the transplant unit where kind nurses tended to her.<\/p>\n

\"Jeff
Jeff Bramstedt didn’t know Melinda Ray when he stepped up to donate part of his liver to her and save her life. The two and their families have since become liver transplant advocates and their families have bonded. Photo courtesy of Melinda Ray.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And both families continue to be heroes to children. Years ago, Melinda\u2019s husband, James, had stepped up to adopt his former girlfriend\u2019s son when she couldn\u2019t care for him and his dad had disappeared. James was only 18. Melinda met James soon after and signed on to become a mom and a newlywed at the same time. The Rays\u2019 son, Callum, is now 19 and graduated from high school this year. He hopes to follow Jeff and an uncle into a career of service. Melinda and her husband, James, also have a younger son and daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all doing really well. Going through this as a family has made everyone so much stronger,\u201d Melinda said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m no-nonsense now. Before I was timid and nice and I didn\u2019t want to hurt anyone\u2019s feelings. Now, I fight for myself. I started doing that with the liver. I don\u2019t know where I\u2019d be if I hadn\u2019t requested a referral to a liver specialist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Jeff and Robin last year stepped up to become legal guardians for a 7-year-old boy. They\u2019re in the process of adopting him and have four children now. Jeff continues to run his company, Skydive San Diego<\/a>, while also heading Life of Valor<\/a>, which encourages men to embrace their faith and become leaders in their families and their communities.<\/p>\n

\"Jeff
Jeff Bramstedt was on the parachute team while he served as a Navy SEAL. He now owns a skydiving company in San Diego. Photo courtesy of Jeff Bramstedt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jeff is part tough guy, part comedian, part drill sergeant and part teddy bear.<\/p>\n

He now speaks regularly at events promoting organ donation, ribs his transplant surgeon as often as possible, continues to do stunt work, and jumps out of planes when he\u2019s in the mood.<\/p>\n

Jeff and Melinda have joked about doing a tandem parachute jump together. The old Melinda would have been too scared to try it. The new Melinda is 100% game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would do it in a heartbeat. I would do it 10 times in a day if he\u2019d let me,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like I have more guts now. I\u2019m not afraid of anything. I used to be afraid of needles and getting my blood drawn, but now I have a little bit of Jeff\u2019s liver and he\u2019s living right through me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jeff and Melinda pose for a selfie. They get together as often as possible to promote liver transplants. He thinks of her as his little sister now. Photo courtesy of Melinda Ray.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jeff, meanwhile, hasn\u2019t lost any of his sense of humor since the surgery. During his recovery, he wasn\u2019t supposed to lift more than 10 pounds or drink any alcohol. He hosted a party soon after returning home to San Diego and texted Pomfret with a photo showing a grocery cart full of big, heavy liquor bottles. (They weren\u2019t for him, just for the guests. And, no he didn\u2019t lug them himself.)<\/p>\n

Asked at one event which movies he\u2019d appeared in, Jeff responded with a grin and this gem: \u201cThe first one was Men of Honor,\u201d he said. \u201cThen there\u2019s a few of the smaller, independent films like Transformers and Ironman…It\u2019s a paycheck, man.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second chance at life<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The two families see each other as often as they can. And Melinda relishes feeling well enough now to enjoy normal life. Prior to the transplant, her liver was swelling so much in her belly that she could barely eat and move around. She had little energy to spend time with the kids.<\/p>\n

After the transplant, she coped with some bad side effects from anti-rejection drugs that were causing severe memory problems for several months. Now, she\u2019s on new medications and the brain fog has lifted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a second chance at life. Instead of experiences, it\u2019s just made me want to be a better person and more involved with my family and friends. I want to be there for them in their good times and hard times.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to caring for their children and taking nursing classes, Melinda loves to work out.<\/p>\n

She lifts weights, does cardio and relishes time in the sauna after a great workout.<\/p>\n

At home, she appreciates the simplest moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, it\u2019s just walking in the room and the kids are cuddled up on the couch together. They don\u2019t realize they\u2019re hugging. It\u2019s moments like that that make me feel so good. They\u2019re happy, carefree little kids, not dealing with the loss of a parent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018An easy decision: I\u2019d want someone to do this for me\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The first time Jeff and Melinda met was during extensive screenings about a week before the Dec. 4 transplant at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Melinda jumped into the burly stranger\u2019s arms as tears gushed from her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just couldn\u2019t let him go. Just being able to feel this guy who would do this for me, I immediately loved this person. It\u2019s like having a family member in a split second that you love completely,\u201d said Melinda, who lives in Centennial.<\/p>\n

\"Jeff
Jeff, Melinda and her husband, James, snapped this selfie the first time they met in UCHealth’s transplant unit. Photo courtesy of Melinda Ray.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jeff spotted James across the room and came up with a joke immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m kind of wearing your wife right now. Nice to meet you,\u201d Jeff said.<\/p>\n

He later recalled James tearing up too and knew immediately that he had made the right choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a man\u2019s man,\u201d he said. \u201cI connect with them. My big thing in life is getting guys to be who they\u2019re supposed to be for who they\u2019re supposed to be it for. You need to be a miracle.<\/p>\n

\"Jeff
Jeff Bramstedt right after surgery. Photo courtesy of Jeff Bramstedt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis was an easy decision,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I laid my eyes on James, I knew, \u2018I\u2019m doing it for that dude\u2019 because I can\u2019t imagine being told your wife has a limited time and there\u2019s nothing you can do about it. Seeing James, I thought, \u2018I\u2019m doing this for you because I\u2019d want someone to do this for me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus, he scored a new little sister in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe literally share DNA at this point \u2026 and that\u2019s pretty cool,\u201d Jeff said.<\/p>\n

Heroes to kids<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If anyone deserved a good turn, it was James and Melinda. When James was just 18, his former girlfriend couldn\u2019t care for her infant son and the boy\u2019s biological father had disappeared. James instantly claimed Callum as his own. He met Melinda a short time later when both were 20. She bravely stepped into both a new relationship and motherhood all at once and the couple adopted Callum.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou fight for each other and you never give up. That\u2019s just the standard. It\u2019s our code,\u201d James said. \u201cWe wanted to ensure that he got what every child deserves: a loving, safe home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"a
Kieran Ray honored Jeff Bramstedt at his school on Veterans Day. Jeff has become a hero to the Rays and a member of the family. Photo courtesy of Melinda Ray.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the families got to know each other better, they were surprised to learn that along with a liver, they shared a bond over adoption. Jeff\u2019s parents had adopted him when he was a baby. Among many other gifts, they gave him a love for swimming that later led to the SEALs and his Hollywood stunt gigs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents saved my life by adopting me. I wouldn\u2019t have made it to 30 without them stepping up to the plate. When I learned that James and Melinda had adopted their oldest, it made me feel as though I was paying it forward. My parents mean the world to me. They made me who I am today,\u201d Jeff said.<\/p>\n

Now, Jeff and Robin are adding an adopted son to their family.<\/p>\n

The bonds between the two families kept growing from the moment they met to the recovery after surgery.<\/p>\n

These days, they meet up whenever Jeff is in Denver for work. And the two have teamed up to give talks at events promoting transplants.<\/p>\n

\u2018Desperately need a liver transplant\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The connection that led to the liver transplant was forged back in college at Colorado School of Mines<\/a>. Jeff\u2019s wife, Robin, had studied chemical engineering at Mines and has stayed close ever since with Melinda\u2019s sister, Michelle Aikman. Robin had never met Melinda. But she and Michelle go on annual trips with women from college. In June, they were in Times Square when Michelle received a call from her sister.<\/p>\n

The news was bad.<\/p>\n

Melinda was getting worse fast. And none of the people who so far had offered to donate livers had qualified.<\/p>\n

\"Melinda
Melinda Ray with her family. During 2017, her liver enlarged to nearly 10 pounds and was suffocating her from the inside. The liver transplant saved her life so the mother of three could watch her children grow up. Photo courtesy of Camile Morrison of The Abstract Owl – www.theabstractowl.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Melinda has known since she was about 20 that she had a disease called Polycystic Kidney Disease<\/a>. But her doctors didn\u2019t expect it to cause her any trouble for many decades.<\/p>\n

In rare cases, the cysts grow and cause problems in other organs. Starting in January, cysts — including one as large as a grapefruit — started ballooning inside Melinda\u2019s liver, essentially suffocating her from within.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy lung has collapsed and both are slowly closing up. My heart is literally lying on my liver and being pushed up into my sternum,\u201d she wrote in a public appeal for help earlier this year. \u201cThe worry is how long until they stop working? How long until things start shutting down?\u201d<\/p>\n

While Melinda\u2019s illness was terminal, her liver technically was still functioning, so she couldn\u2019t score high enough on the transplant list to get a liver from a deceased donor.<\/p>\n

In order to survive, she would need a live liver transplant.<\/p>\n

Hope and humanity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Robin came home from New York and told her husband about Melinda\u2019s scary prognosis.<\/p>\n

Instantly, Jeff offered to help.<\/p>\n

\"Jeff
Jeff Bramstedt with his children and his wife, Robin Ihnfeldt. Not pictured: their newest adopted son, Adrian. Photo courtesy of Jeff Bramstedt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even though Robin is well acquainted with her husband\u2019s courage, she was floored that he also seemed immune to fear. Drawing inspiration from him, she decided to get tested herself. Both she and Jeff had the right blood type to donate to Melinda, so Robin got tested first. She learned that her blood clots too fast, so she was out.<\/p>\n

It was Jeff\u2019s turn. He kept passing screening after screening and turned out to be a match. Robin worried about her husband, but learned to stop making decisions out of fear and has stood by his side throughout the process.<\/p>\n

Finally, Jeff came to Colorado for two days of testing where he met with Pomfret. She has performed more than 300 successful surgeries, leading the nation in surgeries for patients who need a live liver transplant.<\/p>\n

Some risk, no hesitation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pomfret and her team carefully review the risks with the donors. Removing about half of their liver is a major surgery and it\u2019s agonizing to put donors under the knife when they are not sick. She asked Jeff several times if he was sure he wanted to proceed. She did her first live liver transplant in 1998 and thus has saved the lives of hundreds of recipients. But, she told Jeff that death was a possible risk.<\/p>\n

Jeff didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n

\"Jeff
Jeff Bramstedt was adopted as a child. He became a competitive swimmer and later joined the Navy SEALs. Photo courtesy of Jeff Bramstedt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He\u2019s used to putting his life in the hands of people he trusts. And he trusted her.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is a master at what she does. She\u2019ll forever be part of my life.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Besides, he\u2019s pretty comfortable doing things that other people find scary from skydiving to scuba diving to shooting weapons and serving overseas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at risk as normal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jeff and Pomfret have become friends since.<\/p>\n

\u201cI liked her as soon as she walked in the room. She knows her stuff and I like humor and she\u2019s very funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pomfret said all organ donors are remarkable and that it\u2019s a privilege to work in a field where she sees true human kindness every day. Altruistic donors, like Jeff, who step up even when they don\u2019t know the recipient, are even more amazing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is just a really extraordinary human being,\u201d said Pomfret, who is also a professor of transplant surgery for the University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a> on the Anschutz Medical Campus. \u201cThe guy had already done his part for society. He had served in the military around the world. He has his own young children and a wife. His decision speaks volumes to his character. These are really honest to God true heroes.\u201d<\/p>\n

A great need for organ donors<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The need for live liver donors is clear. Every year, there are about 14,000 people in the U.S. who need a liver. In 2018, doctors around the U.S., including Pomfret, performed 8250 liver transplants, 401 of which involved live liver donors<\/a>. Nearly half of those on the transplant list did not receive livers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always a greater need than the number of organs available,\u201d Pomfret said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAltruistic donation has been going on for years, but it\u2019s not common in liver donation. That\u2019s because the severity of the operation is more significant than for kidney donation, which is also significant,\u201d she said. \u201cWith liver donation, we actually have to split the liver. It\u2019s a substantial operation with substantial risks. It\u2019s less common to see people do that for people they don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jeff
Dr. Elizabeth Pomfret, left, and her husband, Dr. James Pomposelli, right, teamed up to do the liver transplant surgeries for Jeff Bramstedt and Melinda Ray, center. Photo courtesy of Melinda Ray.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pomfret came to Colorado to head UCHealth\u2019s transplant program from Massachusetts in 2016. She\u2019s thrilled with her team here and has also found that more people in Colorado and the West are willing to donate organs for people they don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something about the people here,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s heartwarming, but also extraordinary to see this communal sense of wanting to make a difference and help people. Not that it doesn\u2019t go on elsewhere, but I\u2019ve been doing this a long time and more people here are willing.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Jeff\u2019s decision made a world of difference to Melinda. When she heard that Jeff was a match and was willing to leave his home and business for weeks and undergo a tough surgery, she was stunned and overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s this guy that doesn\u2019t know me and wants to do this thing for me,\u201d Melinda said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gave me great hope in humanity and also hope that I could be a mom and a wife. That was something that I wasn\u2019t sure was going to happen throughout the year. The fact that someone would put their life on hold for me and stop their life to save mine, it meant everything to me. It was the greatest relief I\u2019d ever felt,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u2018The liver\u2019s in\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On the morning of the surgery \u2013 December 4, 2017 \u2013 Jeff and Melinda\u2019s families knew they faced a long day, but they gathered in the waiting room to wait for updates.<\/p>\n

In one operating room, Pomfret would remove part of Jeff\u2019s liver. He happened to have an unusually large, healthy liver, so she only needed to remove about 30 percent of it. Typically, a transplant requires about 60 percent of the donor\u2019s liver. While Pomfret took less of Jeff\u2019s liver, she had her work cut out for her cutting through the muscles in his abdomen to get to the liver.<\/p>\n

In an adjacent operating room, someone close to Pomfret was waiting to help.<\/p>\n

Back in high school, Pomfret had met a young man on the school bus. They stayed together through college and medical school and now Pomfret works every day with her husband, Dr. James Pomposelli, Surgical Director of Liver Transplantation at UCHealth.<\/p>\n

\"Liver
Jeff Bramstedt and his wife joined Melinda Ray and her family at an event to promote liver transplants. Photo courtesy of Melinda Ray.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Melinda was petrified as she waited to go under. But Pomposelli reassured her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very, very scared and very nervous,\u201d Melinda said. \u201cHe held my hand like my dad would have done.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me, \u2018you\u2019re going to wake up and you\u2019re going to feel so much better.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Robin remembers the moment she heard the first bit of good news.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was 3:15 and we heard they had gotten his liver out. They got more than they needed and were stitching him up. Everything went well. \u201c<\/p>\n

The focus shifted to Melinda.<\/p>\n

Robin expected to have to wait another three hours or so, but the news came sooner.<\/p>\n

James got the call.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe liver\u2019s in. They\u2019re closing the incision. Everything has gone great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone hugged each other and James exhaled, physically releasing some of the strain from the past year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt something catch and break free,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018The difference between life and death\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After the transplant, Jeff and Robin were thrilled to get home to his children, Micah, Sam and Annie, who are all teens. The newest addition to their family, Adrian, is now 8.<\/p>\n

Among Jeff\u2019s goals is encouraging more veterans to become organ donors. If more of them knew about the need for organ donation, he thinks many would step up.<\/p>\n

\"Liver
Melinda with her younger son, Kieran, and Jeff in the background. Melinda relishes the simple moments with her children after Jeff Bramstedt saved up to save her life. Photo by UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIf there are veterans out there who are healthy, who are strong, who are athletes, who are young, you can make a big difference in someone\u2019s life by just putting your name down and saying you\u2019ll be a donor.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet out there and do it,\u201d Jeff said. \u201cIt could mean the difference between life and death for somebody.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

As for Melinda, she can\u2019t wait to become a caretaker instead of a patient.<\/p>\n

And, every year on Dec. 4, she plans to celebrate her \u201cliver-versary\u201d and light a candle to celebrate Jeff\u2019s selfless gift. She thanks Jeff all the time. And he always tells her, \u201cJust stop saying thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, she\u2019s never going to stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to honor this forever,\u201d Melinda said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The former Navy SEAL and Hollywood stuntman didn\u2019t hesitate for a moment when he heard that a young mother he didn\u2019t know needed a liver donation or she would die. \u201cI\u2019d do it,\u201d Jeff Bramstedt told his wife. That\u2019s the kind of guy he is. \u201cHe hears bullets and he runs into those situations,\u201d said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":25449,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[3230,2773,39,1497],"class_list":["post-25440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","category-stories","tag-liver-transplants","tag-living-liver-donation","tag-transplant-services","tag-uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLiver transplant forges bond: she\u2019s a 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