Transplant of patient’s ‘ticking time bomb’ uncertain after surgeon’s exit
Ashton Riker said doctors told him, ‘You keep having these bleeds, and you’re literally a ticking time bomb. So, you’re gonna have to have a liver transplant.’ It was devastating to hear.” His wife was approved to be a live donor, but the James D. Eason Transplant Institute at Methodist University Hospital has suspended its live donor liver transplantation program. (Ron Wood/Special to The Daily Memphian).
After a high-profile surgeon departed Methodist University Hospital’s Transplant Institute — and the live donor liver program is paused — a Memphis musician’s transplant is caught in the middle.
Topics
James D. Eason Transplant Institute at Methodist University Hospital organ transplant Ashton Riker Dr. James Eason Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Subscriber Only2025 is almost over. Now is the time to support your trusted local news source.
Will you help us reach more Memphians with quality, in-depth local news? Make a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian, a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization, today.
Thank you for keeping up with what’s happening in Memphis. Thank you for investing in our community’s trusted local news source.
Aisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.