Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar is out of surgery and has finally received the liver transplant which will ultimately save his life. He underwent several procedures last week to curtail internal bleeding, but was frantically waiting for the donor organ transplant.
After his initial donor organ was not suitable for Bernie Kosar, he finally received a donor-organ that was perfect, and the new liver was surgically implanted into the former Cleveland Browns quarterback Monday afternoon.
Kosar has several operations last week to stop internal bleeding, said on a social media video Monday that he was out of surgery, the donor organ was accepted by his body and he is feeling great.
"I'm out, and I'm feeling good," Kosar said following the transplant. "Ready to enjoy the rest of the week and rest of our lives."
Kosar was supposed to undergo the transplant on Sunday, but the donor organ was found to be infected. That delayed matters until this week when the procedure could be finalized after a new, suitable donor organ could be located.
The former University of Miami star and 1984 National Champion previously announced that doctors said he was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson's disease. The transplant should help Kosar live a normal life and give him optimism for the future.
"It may not be Victory Monday on the football field, but here we are at 4:23 in the morning at University Hospital and it's absolutely Victory Monday for me," Kosar said. "Looking forward to literally heading on down right now to get that liver transplant. As you get ready for something monumental and transformative like this in your life, you can't help but be a little reflective. As I go down here today, I think about all the awesome, awesome support and fans out there and my amazing children and family and stuff."
Kosar, despite his health issues, was jocular the other day when he stated that he embraced this "Steelers black and gold regulation University Hospital attire" while waiting for one of his surgical procedures.
After he led the Hurricanes to the national championship in the 1984 Orange Bowl, Kosar entered the NFL's supplemental draft with the intention of landing with his favorite team, the Browns.
It took some maneuvering, but Cleveland successfully secured the rights to draft Kosar. He then went on to have a storybook career with the Browns, a team he would lead for almost 10 seasons.