Matthew Rosiello is back in the DJ booth after getting a liver transplant.
Matthew was born with biliary atresia. Bile builds up in the liver and damages the vital organ.
"So, basically I was dying and I didn't even know," Matthew said.
Matthew was on the transplant list near his home in New York City. Experts say in some metropolitan areas the wait for an organ can be longer. Matthew decided to multi-list and visited two other hospitals, in Connecticut and Ohio.
He got his new liver in Cleveland, but multi-listing can take more time, money, and support from family. It's one reason why some say the system needs to change. In the United States, there are eleven regions for organ sharing.
"Do I believe that this is the best way to divide the country? No," Lewis Teperman, MD, Director of Transplantation and Vice Chair of Surgery of New York University, Langone Medical Center said.
Rather than state borders, transplant doctor Lew Teperman suggests concentric circles, meaning organs would be shared by a group of states or cities, organized by distance, time, and population—giving more patients more options.
"I'm a prime example of how it can save people's lives," Matthew said.
On average, 18 people die in the U.S. each day waiting for an organ, but more donors can help prevent that.
