A man who works as a custodian at the Butler Area Vocational-Technical School is in need of help. On Monday, we learned that Scott McCandless, 44, of Butler Township, is in need of a liver transplant.

McCandless, who has Crohn’s disease, recently discovered he has cancer. The find came via routine blood work. He has six months to live, according to doctors.

His insurance company authorized transplant surgery, which could save his life, but it's up to his family to find a living donor.

A portion of a donor’s liver can be transplanted into the recipient, in this case McCandless. The remaining part of the donor’s liver would then regrow to its former size and capacity, while the portion transplanted into the recipient would grow to save McCandless’ life.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, people who want to donate must meet this criteria:

√ Must be in good physical and mental health

√ Must be between the ages of 18 and 60

√ Must have a body mass index less than 32

√ Must have a compatible blood type with the recipient

√ Must be free from significant organ diseases, cancer, hepatitis, active or chronic infections, and active substance abuse.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, more than 17,500 patients are on the waiting list to receive a liver transplant across the country, and at least 1,700 patients die each year while on the waiting list.

McCandless needs a hero, and the fact of the matter is, the hero may not be a relative or friend. It might be a complete stranger who can meet the criteria for him.

Any potential donor would undergo extensive testing before they could be named as a donor.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, an evaluation might include a questionnaire, laboratory blood tests, a urine test, a Pap smear and more.

“They said the sooner, the better,” McCandless’ father said about the need for someone to step up.

Even still, he said he and his family do not take lightly the fact that someone could undergo surgery to remove part of their liver to save their son’s life.

Information on becoming a potential living donor for McCandless is available at upmc.com/livingdonorliver, by calling 877-640-6746 or 412-647-5800, or by emailing transplant@upmc.edu.

— TL