Note: Originally published as print-only in The Lancaster-Depew Sun Newspaper.

Engaged couple Brian Lorentz and Kari Nowak are planning their upcoming Oct. wedding, but the excitement is bittersweet as they are dealing with Lorentz’s health problems. Lorentz was diagnosed in 2018 with non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.

In the middle of a typical work day as Lancaster Schools’ Head Grounds Crew Chief, Brian Lorentz had to be rushed to the hospital with extreme abdominal pain. His diagnosis shocked him and his fiance.

“Some of this has taken away the joy of what we should be going through right now,” Nowak said.

Lorentz and Nowak originally met at Lancaster High School and connected over Facebook after graduating. They are trying to focus on wedding planning and the fun of being engaged despite the hardship of the many procedures Lorentz has to endure.

Lorentz has had well over 40 procedures, in which a 12 inch needle sucks fluid from his abdomen. Between three and eight liters of fluid can be removed during this process.

“It’s unbearable,” Nowak said. “The hardest part is the not sleeping. Because of the fluid build up, it causes pneumonia in his body. The pneumonia then messes with melatonin, so he is exhausted and extremely tired, but then he can’t sleep. It makes him awake at night and sleepy during the day.”

Because of this, Lorentz has not been able to work and has been missing being outdoors as a groundskeeper.

“He misses his job like crazy,” Nowak explained. “He’s a very hard working man. He loves his job. He takes his job very seriously, so not being there kills him.”

In March, Lorentz is scheduled for a tips procedure that will help reduce the amount of times he has to go in for these strenuous procedures. It will help blood bypass part of the liver.

Ultimately though, Lorentz needs a living donor to donate part of their liver. The donor needs to be between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet 3 inches, have B or O blood type and be between 18 and 60 years old.

Because his whole liver has to be taken, the donor needs to be able to provide about 60 percent of the size of Lorentz’s liver, which is the reasoning behind the height requirement.

Lorentz has no siblings, and his mother meets none of the qualifications. Nowak does not meet the height or blood type qualifications.

Some local businesses have been showing their support and helping get the word out. Macken Services, Inc. added car decals to the back of their work trucks, and Rusiniak’s Collision has signs in their business windows.

“We have a great support system of family and friends, doing everything that they possibly can to help us,” Nowak said. “We’re extremely thankful for everybody.”

Individuals who may be a donor match should contact Jennie Errigo, the family’s live donor coordinator, at (585) 275-5875.