AEGiS-AP: Larry Kramer Receives New Liver

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Larry Kramer Receives New Liver

Associated Press - Monday December 24, 2001

PITTSBURGH (AP) - AIDS activist, author and playwright Larry Kramer underwent liver transplantation surgery and was listed in serious condition Monday. Kramer's doctors said his condition was improving and was about where it should be after the 12-hour surgery Friday.

Kramer, 66, spent seven months on the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's waiting list. He moved to Pittsburgh in early November to wait for an organ to become available.

While many transplant centers oppose the surgery for HIV-positive patients, UPMC's Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute has performed 10 liver transplants on HIV-positive patients since 1997. Eight of the patients have survived.

Kramer's HIV has been relatively well controlled, but he suffered from end-stage liver failure caused by hepatitis B.

Kramer is the author of the plays "The Normal Heart" and "The Destiny of Me," and books about the front line of AIDS and gay activism. His screenplay for the film "Women in Love" was nominated for an Academy Award. Kramer helped found Gay Men's Health Crisis, a provider of services to those with AIDS, and later helped created ACT UP, an AIDS advocacy group.
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