Grateful transplant patient donates to support the surgeon who saved his life

In late fall 2023, Wayne Daniel’s friends and family noticed he didn’t look right. Golfing buddies and relatives thought his skin appeared yellow and jaundice. Wayne brushed it off as a tan from his time on the golf course.

“Typical male,” Daniel said about his response to their concerns. “I thought I was fine.”

By December, it was more than just his appearance. Daniel felt sick. He checked himself into the emergency department at a nearby hospital at the urging of his sister-in-law, who has worked as a nurse there for more than 40 years. A week of tests brought alarming results.

“They told me my liver was failing,” Daniel said. “They said, ‘There’s only one hospital in the state of Indiana that deals with this, and it’s University Hospital at IU Health.’”

After transferring to IU Health, Daniel was placed under the care of transplant surgeon, Dr. Shekhar Kubal and his team. Dr. Kubal knew Daniel needed a new liver, but first his team needed to make sure he was eligible.

They put Daniel through a week of testing. His results were mostly positive, but doctors at Methodist Hospital installed a stent in one of his arteries due to a partial blockage.

While Daniel recovered from the stent surgery, his transplant team began to search for a new liver. Due to the medication he was taking, there were risks associated with the breathing tube Daniel would need during his liver transplant surgery. Daniel remembers his care team discussing whether they had time to wait until he was finished taking a blood thinner to prevent blood clots.

“He will not be here in two weeks,” Daniel remembered Kubal telling the team. “We need to do this surgery now.”

Dr. Kubal rejected the first liver they found for Daniel before accepting the replacement. Daniel spent several days in recovery at University Hospital after his liver transplant. Then he spent a week at Rehab Hospital of Indiana improving his strength and stability.

Since then, Daniel’s recovery has been relatively smooth. He still goes to IU Health North hospital to have his bloodwork checked by his transplant team every Monday. He has navigated some “hiccups” along the way, including a procedure to help his new liver drain into his intestine properly.

Every little bit helps

Over the course of his transplant journey, Daniel became close with Dr. Kubal. “We hit it off,” Daniel said. “I’m an engineer. He’s a PhD. We have similar personalities. Every time I’d see him in the hall at the hospital, he’d recognize me and stop to chat.”

Daniel was so enthusiastic about his care, Dr. Kubal let IU Health Foundation know Daniel might be interested in supporting transplant care at the hospital.

“I felt so positive about Dr. Kubal,” said Daniel. “When the Foundation reached out, making a gift to support his work was something I wanted to explore. I made it very clear to them, I’m just a regular guy. I don’t have millions of dollars hiding in a vault. I’m retired on Social Security. I have a little bit of income from savings and an IRA.”

Daniel spoke to his financial advisor about making a gift. Because he’s 70 and ½ years-old, he was eligible for a qualified charitable contribution. He decided to make a $5,000 gift to IU Health Foundation. He split the money between supporting Dr. Kubal and his work and Indy Health District. A lifelong Indy resident, Daniel is also passionate about reducing local youth violence. The way the Health District aims to address the social determinants of health resonated with him.

Daniel is modest about his gift, but he had a simple message for others who might be considering a gift in support of IU Health Foundation.

“Every little bit helps,” he said. “Even though it was a small gesture, I wanted to do something. Every little bit counts.”

Ahead of National Doctors’ Day on March 30, IU Health Foundation has challenged donors to celebrate physicians with a gift to support their work. Honor a physician who has positively impacted your life or the life of a loved one with a gift today. The flexible funding empowers clinicians to create the greatest impact on the patients and communities IU Health serves.