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On the night of his 60th birthday in September 2024, Tom Dillard drove himself to the emergency room at INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center after he suddenly became ill and began vomiting blood.

Tom, a longtime Oklahoma educator, coach and current school administrator, was diagnosed with advanced liver disease and cirrhosis. “I didn’t realize how sick I was at the time,” he says. “I had to trust the process and do everything the doctors asked me to do.”

In the months that followed, Tom was hospitalized multiple times and faced serious complications, including time in the intensive care unit. Despite his declining health, he continued working as a school administrator whenever possible and leaned on the support of his family, close friends and adult children, Courtney and Zach.

By January 2025, Tom’s condition was critical, and he was placed on the transplant wait list.

“Mr. Dillard came to us with advanced liver disease and required complex, coordinated care,” says Elias Spyrou, M.D., a transplant hepatologist with the liver division of the INTEGRIS Health Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute. “He was deeply engaged in his care, committed to following medical guidance and determined to do everything possible to improve his health. That mindset is critical in transplant patients.”

Dillard was initially called for a potential donor organ in February 2025, but the liver was ultimately not suitable for his transplant. “I was devastated. I began to accept that I might not survive,” he says. “I told God I was tired and needed a break. I lost my wife in 2013 and my youngest son in 2019. I remember thinking I’d never see my grandson be born or meet him. I just wept.”

A week later, Tom received a call that would save his life.

On March 23, 2025, he underwent a successful liver transplant, performed by John P. Duffy, M.D., a hepatobiliary and abdominal transplant surgeon at the Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute at INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center.

"Liver transplantation is often the only life-saving option for patients with end-stage liver disease,” says Duffy. “This case reflects the importance of timely organ donation, a highly skilled multidisciplinary team and a patient’s commitment to care. It truly takes all three to achieve a successful outcome.”

Almost two weeks after the liver transplant, Tom experienced another life-changing moment. He welcomed his first grandson – a milestone he once feared he would not live to see. “God orchestrated everything in advance. So many things had to fall into place just perfectly,” he says. “I look at my family so differently because I realize the time that I have here is relatively short.”

Today, Dillard says he feels stronger and more energized than he has in years. “I want to get out and do things now. I'm playing golf again. I recently mowed the yard and remembered why I don’t like to mow,” he jokes.

He also credits the INTEGRIS Health care team for providing not only clinical expertise, but compassion throughout his journey.

“Everyone was phenomenal. They saw me, heard me and treated me with respect. They answered every question and supported me physically and emotionally,” he says. “I felt completely at peace in their care.”

Dillard recently shared his transplant story during the annual National Donate Life Month flag-raising ceremony at INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center. He hopes his experience will encourage others to consider organ donation. “I’m so grateful. Because of my donor, I have a second chance.”

Oklahomans have three options to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor. Residents can sign-up when renewing their driver’s license, visit LifeShareRegistry.org to sign up online or call 800-826-LIFE (5433) and request a donor registration form.