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Saturday, Jun. 28, 2008

Murphy receives liver transplant

A donor liver was found for Kentucky basketball pioneer Donna Murphy on Thursday morning. Now, doctors are waiting to see how Murphy's body responds to the transplant.

Murphy underwent the six-hour procedure Thursday at University Hospital in Cincinnati and remains in a coma, the Kentucky Enquirer reported on its Web site.

Murphy was Kentucky's first Miss Basketball and starred at Newport High School in 1976. She went on to play for Morehead State and later played professionally for the St. Louis Streak of the Women's Professional Basketball League. She also coached at several universities, including Kentucky.

Murphy suffers from a rare disease that shut down her liver. Dr. Steven Rudich of the University of Cincinnati said the donor liver, identified late Wednesday night, came as Murphy's health took a turn for the worse.

“She had referring doctors in Kentucky who called us up,” Rudich told Local12.com, a Cincinnati TV station's Web site. “We got her here right away. Our staff just jumped on this.”

Rudich told the Enquirer he and his staff are cautiously optimistic.

“So far, so good. But there are still a lot of hurdles to clear,” he said. “In most instances it's a very successful procedure. But most people aren't as sick as she was.”

Although Murphy remained in a coma after surgery, doctors said the procedure went smoothly and her body is reacting normally.