Summerall Receives Liver Transplant

[desdemona]

Summerall Receives Liver Transplant

The Associated Press

Saturday, April 10, 2004; 10:16 PM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Broadcaster Pat Summerall received a liver transplant Saturday and was recovering in an intensive care unit, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The 73-year-old former NFL kicker had been on the waiting list at St. Luke's Hospital since April 2.

Transplant surgeon Jeffrey Steers said the 2 1/2-hour surgery was completed without complications.

Summerall was in stable condition after the transplant, hospital spokeswoman Evelyn Tovar said.

The broadcaster had been flown by air ambulance to the Mayo Clinic-owned hospital in Jacksonville from Dallas.

Summerall, a recovering alcoholic, qualified for a transplant through blood tests that rank potential recipients anonymously.

"We are extremely thankful that a compatible liver was donated and successfully transplanted," Summerall's wife, Cheri, said in a statement. "While our prayers have been answered, we also know another family is grieving over the loss of loved one. Please know you are in our thoughts and prayers."

Summerall played in the NFL for 10 years (1952-61) before becoming a broadcaster, then spent more than 40 years in the booth. He teamed with John Madden to call Fox's lead game from 1994 to 2001, and they were the No. 1 team on CBS for 13 seasons before that.

The two called eight Super Bowls together and Summerall has called 16.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2004Apr10.html

[Oink]

Go on, liver little...........