A Note from the Hugh Pollack Family

We are writing to make a big ask for our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Hugh Pollack, who is in immediate need of a liver transplant. This is an enormous challenge for our entire family.

Hugh and his beloved wife Martha have been together for 47 years. Their family includes their son David and his wife Rabbi Lindsey Healy-Pollack, their daughter Deb and her husband Rabbi Gabe Cohen, and three grandchildren. Hugh has so much to live for.

Due to his failing liver, Hugh recently retired as a dentist in private practice in Manhattan after more than four decades of dedication to his patients. Hugh has been a volunteer in Jewish organizations in the New York area his entire adult life. His commitment to the greater Jewish community is evidenced by his leadership roles in Town & Village Synagogue, Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan, Zamir Choral Foundation, and DVI: Dental Volunteers for Israel. Hugh’s involvement has been critical in transforming the course and development of these organizations. He is known for his selflessness, big heart, passion, charisma, and boundless humor.

The past eight months have been excruciating for Hugh on so many levels. Following his hip replacement surgery last May, Hugh hoped to be back on his feet in short order. Instead, extensive tests and procedures revealed that Hugh is now suffering from serious progressive liver disease, officially referred to as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, commonly called cirrhosis of the liver.

Hugh’s doctors have determined that waiting years, potentially, for a cadaver liver is not a viable option. The best course of treatment for Hugh is a donation from a healthy, living donor.  The liver is the only organ that can quickly regenerate itself. For this procedure, only a section of the donor’s liver is removed and transplanted, and the donor’s liver regenerates within a few months. In many cases the donor’s procedure can be done laparoscopically, with an easier recovery. Some of the eligibility requirements include compatible blood type, under the age of 60, no history of alcohol or substance abuse, or Hepatitis C.

Hugh now needs your help securing a living donor to match for a liver transplant. All medical expenses associated with the donor’s care are covered by Hugh’s insurance. For an overview of living donor transplantation, please click here.

For more information, you can call the New York Presbyterian Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation at: 646-962-4438. All Inquiries regarding a potential match as a living donor are completely confidential.

We can’t thank you enough for any help you can provide with this monumental task for our family. As it says in the Talmud, “Whoever saves a life, it is considered as if they saved an entire world.”