HoustonChronicle.com – Mystery ailment leaves Marine clinging to life
LOMA LINDA, CALIF. – With little time left before his organs would likely fail, a U.S. Marine received a new liver Sunday for a mysterious ailment doctors said would kill him if he didn’t get a transplant.
Doctors operated on Lance Cpl. Chris LeBleu, who had been in a coma and on life support, for nearly 12 hours Sunday after an unidentified donor from New Mexico was found late Saturday night.
Doctors said the procedure went well, said Sgt. Jennie Haskamp, spokeswoman at Twentynine Palms, where Le-Bleu was stationed. He was in critical condition late Sunday.
In the hospital lobby, his 21-year-old wife, Melany, found comfort in photos of her wedding last fall, shortly after Le-Bleu returned from Iraq.
Several of LeBleu’s commanding officers, fellow Marines and other family members huddled with his wife Sunday.
This is terrific news! This young Marine has at least a shot at life, albeit a much different life than he’d want. I was very afraid this story would have an unhappy ending.
I wonder whose life ended in New Mexico, and what family is now grieving for their loved one. I’m not a philosopher, and the calculus of human life is beyond me, but grief and hope are sometimes bitterly intertwined.
God bless the donor’s family, and God bless this young Marine and his wife.
A happy ending. What a great story this turned out to be!
Amen to that! Our prayers are with the young man and his beloved.
Yay! I hope he does well.
Not so happy ending yet.. guy was given 10days to find a bone marrow donor now because of complications. poor couple. many marines from 29palms and camp pendleton have been tested. not sure if they found a match yet,