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It was more than 20 years ago when former information technology manager, Bob Lemoine was diagnosed with hepatitis C and eventually, liver cancer. In September 2009, Bob was told that he had 3-6 months to live.
After being referred to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, Bob got a new lease on life when on Jan. 21, 2010, he received a liver transplant.
"Every morning I thank God for giving me this chance to live better and allowing me the privilege to help another human being," says Bob, now 73.
The Connecticut native who is over 30 years sober and works as a licensed drug and alcohol intervention counselor, says he draws from his past personal experiences to help others get their lives back on track. "My message is to never give up," he says. "People helped me to get where I am, the doctors at Mayo and my donor and others."
For a number of years on the anniversary of his transplant, Bob wrote a letter to his donor's family. "It was important to me that I thanked them for being donor family and let them know I was successful... explaining how I was doing, how my golf game was..."
Though he's never received a reply, Bob says he hopes they know how grateful he is for his second chance.
"I got the benefit of someone being an organ donor. Now I encourage everyone to be a donor."
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