Surgeon runs down Philadelphia street to retrieve organ from transport vehicle stuck in traffic
Surgeon runs down Philadelphia street to retrieve organ from transport vehicle stuck in traffic
Still dressed in his white lab coat and scrubs, Dr. Adam Bodzin took off running down 11th Street, weaving between Philadelphia Marathon runners, to retrieve a liver his 66-year-old patient desperately needed from a transport vehicle that was stuck in gridlocked traffic.
PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia doctor took matters into his own hands, or more accurately, - his own feet - to get an organ donation to a patient on time.
Dr. Adam Bodzin, a surgeon at Jefferson Hospital in Center City, was scrubbed and read to perform a liver transplant last fall when he learned that the vehicle transporting the organ was stuck in traffic.
To make the situation more difficult, roads surrounding the hospital were nearly impassable due to thousands of runners participating in the Philadelphia Marathon.
"We tried every which way to get them across, (the driver) talked to multiple police officers about potential access points unfortunately, despite that (the driver) was unable to get across," Dr. Bodzin said.
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Still dressed in his white lab coat and scrubs, Dr. Bodzin ran for half a mile, weaving between marathon runners, to retrieve the liver his 66-year-old patient desperately needed.
"I had flagged down a police officer before I crossed the marathon, thankfully who agree to drive me back if I can get the liver," Dr. Bodzin said. "I think people are probably looking at me a little more odd carrying the box through."
Charles Rowe, the patient who was prepped and ready for surgery that day, had no idea about Dr. Bodzin made a run for it until the day after his successful operation.
"He's amazing he's a really amazing doctor, he went beyond the call of duty." Rowe said. "I guess he has a cape on under that white jacket."
Dr. Bodzin joined Good Day Wednesday morning to talk about his life-saving actions, and give an update on his transplant patient.
"He's doing great. He's a great patient," he said. "He's really done everything we've asked of him… He doesn't look like he's had a liver transplant."
The heroic surgeon hopes his story will inspire more people to become organ donors.
"I'm really grateful for what he did, because if he had not gotten it in me, I would not have gotten the liver and I would have been waiting again and who knows what would have transpired between that time with my body and everything," Rowe said.