Friday, November 8, 2002
Page 3
Judge David Perkins Recovering After Liver Transplant
By ALLISON LOMAS, Staff Writer
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge is recovering at the UCLA Medical Center after undergoing a liver transplant on Monday, a court spokesman said yesterday.
Judge David Wayne Perkins, 67, was diagnosed with hemochromatosis in July. He was notified Monday morning that a liver was available and the surgery was performed later that day at the UCLA Medical Center, a court spokesperson said yesterday.
Perkins was elected to the Downey Municipal Court in 1990 and was reelected in 1996. He continues to sit at the Downey courthouse, which became part of the Superior Court in 2000 as a result of unification.
Perkins, who has worked continuously since his diagnosis, was scheduled to be in his courtroom this week, the court’s Deputy Public Information Officer Kyle Christopherson said. Judge Loren Miller was working out of Perkins’ courtroom for at least part of yesterday.
Christopherson noted that Perkins reportedly told Judge Cynthia Rayvis that he is “recovering very well.”
Hemochromatosis is an inherited condition that causes the body to absorb and store too much iron. Individuals suffering from the condition may exhibit symptoms including fatigue, weakness and bronze or grayish discoloration of the skin.
If the illness goes untreated, patients may develop an increased risk of liver cancer, damage to the pancreas, arthritis, an enlarged liver, scarring of the liver, enlargement of the spleen, and heart problems.
Patients who undergo liver transplantation for hemochromatosis generally have a one-year average survival rate of 50 percent, according to the American Liver Foundation. This rate is approximately 30 percent lower than the survival rate for individuals who receive a new liver for other reasons.
Copyright 2002, Metropolitan News Company