ALEC GOT HIS 4TH LIVER TRANSPLANT!
(Day 1) MONDAY June 22, 2026 8:30 a.m.
Hey all…
We got a call at about 2:50 a.m. this early morning with the possibility of a liver. Alec gave all the kids kisses on their sleeping heads before we came out to the hospital within the hour. He has done all the preliminary work ups (ekg, chest x-ray, labs,etc).
We are just on our regular hospital floor waiting for the green light. Alec’s parents are here, too.
Operating room time keeps getting pushed back from 7:30, to 8:30.
They are waiting to see how this potential liver does on the next pump. It has been on one pump all night, and then they will try the secondary pump to give final numbers and make sure it passes all the tests.
We are both calm and feeling super peaceful. I’m actually less stressed right now than when I travel, so that is a heavenly sign to me that everything is going to be alright, that this surgery will be awesome, OR that today is not the day. Time will tell.
I guess the only thing that kind of disrupted that steady peace and calm for me was hearing that Dr. John Botha would not be our main surgeon today. When you go through things like this, you really value and depend on those trusting, and loving relationships you build together. I know we just met him, but I just felt so good about him. I feel like he was my security blanket in this new chapter. They did say that all hands are on deck and that there would be several surgeons there, especially doing dialysis and all things that Alec needs this time.
I cried a little out of fear when I didn’t hear Botha’s name, but I do know that Dr. Zendejas is fabulous (he was just coming onto the team when Alec had his 3rd).
One of our original transplant team members, Aaron, from the first transplant popped in our room to say hi. That lifted my heart. She mentioned she already alerted Diane Alonso, our first and second surgeon, and so Alec and I decided to face time her.
Long story short-don’t know if it’s a green light, as it all depends on those final tests. We will know in a couple hours.
(Day 1) MONDAY June 22, 2026 8:42 a.m.
🚥 green light!
(Day 1) MONDAY June 22, 2026 9:50 a.m.
He’s so ready. We checked all our boxes, including paying our respects to Joelle, Alec’s last donor for the beautiful 11 years she gave him. As the gal came up to get him, we kicked everybody out of our room so that we could have one minute of private time so that we could pray as a family on face time. Kate led our prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for our family, for this liver for her daddy, and prayed for dad to be able to go to North Carolina, and to have fun in the operating room. Thanks Kate, that is a new one, but why not have fun in the operating room? Maybe she knows the special combination for success.
We had some special moments in the between and wheeled Alec to the elevator to say our “see ya laters.” I kept my composure until I lost sight of him, and then found a corner to go cry in. I’m fine. It’s just a really big deal to just say, “We’ve done everything we possibly could do, and now I turn Alec to you Lord. Watch over him.” Then, I decided I needed to get gas. Because what else do you do to help pass the time? A photo of my gas tank. Pretty fitting. We might be running on empty these past few months, but we Rampton’s ALWAYS make it!
Thank you for praying and thank you for loving us so dang much.
And seriously, we just wait now and TRUST THE LORD. It’s that simple! Haha!❤️🤙
(Day 1) MONDAY June 22, 2026 1:39 P.M.
I took some time to myself. I heard the piano in the hallway and traveled toward that direction and sat in one of the chairs and listened while an old memory of Miles taking his daddy for a walk on another liver adventure popped into my thoughts.
She played “Blackbird” by The Beatles. I covered my eyes to contain my tears as I sang the lyrics quietly to myself…”you were only waiting for this moment to arise.” My tears were for Alec, and for me grieving the fact the Joelle’s organ will soon leave Alec’s body. I know Alec and we are so grateful for her, the time she has given us, and even the fact that her organ donation gave us our two incredible little girls. I don’t want to let her down. So yeah, I cried again. I’m just so grateful for this love. It’s sort of unbearable at times. I’m not sure that is the right word, but basically, I am just feeling soooo deeply and figuring out where to place it all.
LOVE is the common thread in all of this. The doctors love for their craft, and love for the lives they get to save. The donors, for the love they leave with their last breath, only to give new breath for a stranger. Love from my family, friends, strangers, piano players at the hospital….and especially God’s all-encompassing love. I hope you have had the opportunity through Alec’s health to have been touched and loved by him, and me, and God. Sometimes, it’s odd telling people that your spouse is waiting not only for a liver, but his 4th. My thoughts are that I don’t want his donors to feel misplaced, or unloved or viewed as “wasteful” because they didn’t take as long as we/they/their families had hoped for. I know Alec is the luckiest human to have these organs come into his life. We are soo aware of this gift, I promise you that. And that is why he lives in every moment, ever so present.
There are so many emotions at a time like this. I wish it could have worked longer. I think I cried at that moment near the piano because my heart was grieving for the fact that Joelle will no longer be with us (in the organ sort of way). I felt her love and thanked her as I know they are working to remove her organ from Alec’s body as we speak.
This was his last donor. She was hardcore. 🤘❤️🙏
In my soft sobs, the O.R. nurse rang in again with a new update:
Several surgeons in room. Morale is good and calm. Alec is super steady, as they continue to dissect old organ. It will take time as there is a lot of scar tissue. They are very cautious and doing a great job. They have had to give him blood volume. (She will check on the number because maybe we can help give back at blood banks to replenish. Remember when he had 7 full body transfusions? He and one other surgery legitimately cleared out the blood supply, so yeah, that’s on my summer list of things to do:) They have one Surgeon that just checked on the Liver that is still pumping on the machine and then scrubbed out as it looks great. All signs good. Dr. John Botha is doing rounds and will soon be in. Yay! (Later I found this info to be false) Surgery started a little after 10 am. The nurse said it would be a longer surgery. “How long, because his last one was about 30 hours.” Her reply…”Over 5, under 30!” Haha.
As one of my dear friends texted me, “this will be a sacred and holy 5 hours for you, Alec, the doctors, the kids.” That indeed. Thanks for your cheerleading and I’m sorry if I don’t respond, but I am reading and I love it. Thank you. Xoxo
My sweet cousin, Brianna, texted me:
My SIL texted me at 2:17 PM with an old video of my niece, Claire, singing her favorite song when Alec got his 2nd or 3rd transplant (she is now 15 years old)
(Day 1) MONDAY June 22, 2026 2:39 P.M.
What. The. Crap! I cannot even believe it. He is done. They got the liver out, got the new one in and even are in the process of closing him up.
Thanks to the whole liver team. While I am smiling here and totally elated, when they told me I just ugly bawled, shaky leg had to sit back down and just process the insane time frame they did this in and the success of it all. WOW. Then, I had to run to the bathroom. Haha! What a freaking miracle. Alec!!!! What the heck! You hero! You guys!!!!! Thank you Heavenly Father, you are the best! Our doc said that you could not get a better and more perfect liver than this! Oh my gosh. Love you 🤟
(Day 1) MONDAY June 22nd 7:22 P.M. I.C.U.
They constantly are removing tubes every visit, it’s unreal. We chummed it up with the docs and now he is sleeping again. I will come home in a bit and let him rest. Keep watch over him tonight in your prayers. Xo As Sammy said when we called them before going down, “God heard our prayers!” 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️
(Day 1) MONDAY June 22 7:32P.M. I.C.U.
He’s awesome you guys. Absolutely awesome. We got two visits from his docs and again just were so happy with the quality of this liver and how everything worked out.
“You can’t get a better liver than this!” -surgeon, Dr. Zendejas
Our Long time favorite, Dr. Frech
(Day 2) TUESDAY June 23 2:23 PM
Sorry for the delayed update. It has been a busy day!
I called the I.C.U. to check in on our baby last night around 3 in the morning Haha. Everything was smooth sailing: pain managed, drain output was great, levels stable (although a little dehydrated and gave fluids).
Today the forecast is another day of awesome. His fully (if that’s how you spell it ) is out, they got him walking (he did it with ease and quite fast too if ya ask me). They removed his neck ports and most likely will kick him out if I.C.U. And to his regular hospital floor. It’s a packed house up there though, so we will wait for a room. You better believe we requested (if available, our favorite East side rooms 😁) Met another one of his surgeons today, Dr. Cooke, I believe. A stud! Kind of reminded me of our cousin, Jordan Smith…but we thank our lucky stars it wasn’t as Alec mentioned that Jordan would probably pull a prank and toss in an extra kidney in for free.
He’s doing fantastic and everyone is pleasantly surprised and happy with his fantastic progress!
DAY#2 Tuesday, June 23, 2026 4:21 P.M.
Dr. John Botha came in to visit Alec today in the I.C.U. when I wasn’t there. Botha is the surgeon who back in Dec met with Alec and I to tell us he would take a chance on him and do the surgery. He said there would be some push back from the team, but that he would gather the troops and everyone would fall in line and follow his lead.
When he walked in, Alec said, “Oh man, sooo good to see you, but so sad you missed it!” Dr. Botha replied, “I’m not! Haha. We all thought it was going to be a much bigger ordeal than it turned out to be. I was stuck in a seminar in Boston and just received updates from the other surgeons and feeling a total sense of relief of how everything was going.” Alec told him that “it was tough for Megan to hear at first that you wouldn’t be here, but we are so grateful for the whole team….except for the one who skipped town.” 😂 And Botha just lost it and replied, “thank goodness for all those prayers, eh?”
Dr. Cooke Given Alec’s past history, 4 surgeons were all in on O.R. to care for Alec.
(Day 2) TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2026 7:31 PM
Time stamps ish:
June 22: Operation starts a little after 10 AM & ends around 2 PM.
June 22: I.C.U. around 2:30 PM
June 23: Alec busts outta the I.C.U. at 5:30 pm.
What?! One day in the I.C.U.
Possible day of discharge thrown out by surgeon…Friday or Saturday.
Unbelievable this guy! They are so happy with him. Again, the surgeon came in and strung this statement together in as if it was one word. “You’re not gonna get a better liver than this. It was made for you.”
My dad’s wife, Rebecca, texted about Kate’s prayer.
(Day 3) Wednesday June 23, 2026 2:57 P.M.
Sorry fam, docs, nurses, labs, pt, ot. Everybody under the sun is visiting and checking on Alec’s miraculous progress.
Today’s Rampton Report by Alec himself: Relieved that everything is going so well!
(Day 3) Wednesday June 23, 2026 3:50 P.M.
He was just gonna keep going up them stairs not realizing he was connected to his I.V. pole!!! Haha
(Day 3) Wednesday June 23, 2026 4:38 PM
He did it the first time, and I didn’t get it on video. I am trying to document everything because Alec and I live these experiences so differently, and he tends to forget 80% (I imagine being drugged and asleep for most of it has something to do with it🤗). He did his O.T so well, that I told him he could make a YouTube video guide on how to get up from a bed properly post-transplant. The next time he did it, he took my joke seriously, and so now you all know the proper form should you never, ever, ever, ever have to know how to do this yourself.
Also, thanks for letting me blow up your phones with all of these updates. Finally, the chronic worry I have consistently been carrying for so long has been cashed in and replaced with FUN!
(Day 4) Thursday, June 25
Rumors that Alec was going to go home. Decided to stay another night to watch the switch from I.V. antibiotics to oral.
Also, they removed what we thought looked like a cumbersome cummerbund, so he is no longer an Abbott anymore:(
(Day 5) FRIDAY, June 26, 2026
Today is my birthday! And silly Alec was concerned he didn’t get me anything for my birthday. Like, Come on dude! You only gave me EVERYTHING!
We took a last lap around the old stomping grounds, and it’s bittersweet. Soft tears and a sad heart for leaving a place that has provided so much love and life for us. I am just so grateful. Our experience with our care team over the years has been phenomenal, and I feel that many of these people have become an extension of our family (whether they like it or not). It’s not usual to know and call your doctors by their first name (E.J., Buff, and Di-we love you with our whole heart), nor is it common your docs trust you enough that they’d actually be willing to exchange personal contact info with you…let alone excitedly pick up your 3 FaceTime calls in one day just so you can share your good news with the person who operated on and saved your husbands life, not only once (2009), twice (2014), dare I say thrice (2015)! This breed here is different. These doctors are SO SPECIAL. Because of these relationships and bonds that we have forged together, did you know before we met the current head of surgery that medical staff were basically demanding that he operate on Alec, despite the high risks?! When we met with said surgeon, he said, “People kept knocking on my door and telling me, You WILL do this surgery! People I didn’t even know! I’m like, WHO IS THIS GUY, ALEC RAMPTON?!
I’ll tell you who Alec Rampton is. As the Aussies say, “Alec Rampton is tough AS.”
And now he is healing.
Alec here: I love you all and because I love you I’ll be blunt. With this new liver comes a quarantine so that my body can accept it. I’m being pounded with immunosuppressive medications to accomplish this. This quarantine lasts about 3 months. So while I’d like to give you all a hug, it’ll have to wait a little bit. For the next few months I won’t be in public places like stores, church, demolition derbies, nothing. If I see you in passing, a fist bump is my limit. I can’t have visitors at this time. I really appreciate everyone’s understanding with this. So much love from our family to yours. 🤙🏼
(Day 6) Saturday, June 27th, 2026 Settling in
BETTER WHEN WE ARE TOGETHER
We got the best night sleep we have EVER had in a long time, & now it’s 10 am and our kids (& Alec), are still sleeping.💙💚
It’s great to be back home as a family. We are whole now. Alec still feels as if this is all a dream. “Did it really happen? Did I really just get my life-saving organ?” He keeps asking because it was so slick. It went flawlessly. We had been preparing ourselves (and so had the surgeons) for what could have been, and what most likely should have been, and what was potentially forecasted to be a doozie. Given his history, and how many transplants he has had the docs said, “We were anticipating a marathon surgery, and so everyone was prepared to go all day and into the night (it took less than 5 hrs.) with a longer I.C.U. stay with dialysis (1 day in the I.C.U with no dialysis) and perhaps a month-long hospital stay (5 days). Paired with talented surgeons, and divine intervention, Alec blew everyone away with how his body responded to all medical treatment. And it still continues at home. AMAZE! AMAZE!
Settling in at home: He’s fantastic. The kids are fantastic. I, on the other hand had a very emotional day yesterday & anticipate there will be more.
At this present moment while I am elated and relieved, I am also experiencing grief and sadness. Joy for ourselves, yes, but sadness for the donor family and others in my close circle that have recently passed, as they did not have the same outcome that we did. I have sooo many emotions.
I cried on the hospital elevator ride bringing Alec home. The tears just fell. “I don’t even know why I am crying! I am so happy he gets to come home!” I apologetically explained to the nurse who was walking him out. I think I started the grieving process of closing a big chapter in my life. As much as I am relishing this newfound feeling of safety and peace and euphoria, I guess I just am leaving parts of me behind. A big one is that he is in fact very much Alive, because there were so many odds he has defied, and I still am in disbelief. On one of his transplants, the surgeon himself came to tell me it was looking pretty grim. I asked if I could go say my goodbyes to Alec in the operating room, but the Doc declined. Instead, I asked the nurses to give him a goodbye kiss on the forehead from me and then went and crawled under a bench to mourn. Even though that surgery ended up a success, the trauma seeds were planted, and I never was the same.
I have slowly been unpacking my feelings and sorting through them. Some I have just thrown all over the floor, and they are scattered, and I don’t know where they belong, or where I belong. It just feels odd to not have this bright, neon sign flashing the word WORRY at me every day. I am kind of wondering how to function right now with those worries (mostly) gone. We aren’t waiting anymore. I am not waiting to know if my husband lives or dies anymore. I am not wondering what my children’s next school year could have looked like-should this have all gone south. My body can finally rest peacefully at night, now that I don’t have to check to see if Alec is still breathing or wait for the lifesaving call. We had to answer every single phone call that looked like spam. The trauma that comes from this is real, especially when you are officially listed. Every phone ring triggers a response, “who are you talking to? Is it them? Is it “the call”? Then there is the deflating feeling when it isn’t the call. The emotional whiplash is constant, It’s so hard. We quickly learned when picking up our phones to look at each other immediately and follow with a disappointed shake of our heads.
In fact, when we were even at the hospital after receiving “the call,” Alec’s telephone rang. He was talking w/the medical staff about the surgery he was about to embark on, and so he didn’t answer it. Unconsciously, my body’s normal stress response was thinking it could be “the call,” and so I pointed to the phone and said, “HONEY, your phone!” He looked at me puzzled. I hadn’t caught on yet, that DUH, WE ANSWERED THAT CALL and I didn’t have to worry about it anymore.
So yeah, lots of fun/weird/traumatic intricacies just like that, that I’m sure will present themselves to me (us) over this next new chapter of what it’s like to not worry about mortality all the time. I’m soooo looking forward to it!
Alright ya’ll it’s been really fun to share this adventure with you. We could not have hand selected better supporting actors for this role than all of you and we are so grateful to call you best of friends and family. My goodness, we are so grateful. We will check in periodically, but as the catchphrase says, “no news is good news!” Although Alec always said that “whoever says that ‘no news is good news’ obviously wasn’t waiting for a liver!” Excuse my language, but he’s damn right! That is the only time that phrase does not apply Haha.
Love you all! Thanks for being here!
Oh and remember to wish Miles a happy Birthday tomorrow (6/28)-kids sometimes get lost in all of this, so I know it would be EXTRA for him to get a call/love note from you.
So, I guess we will have to post again tomorrow. Sorry, not sorry!
