Sheriff working on regaining his strength after liver transplant surgery

By TIM THOMAS

Times editor

Hardin County Sheriff Keith Everhart said he’s had “a rollercoaster week” as he continues his recovery from liver transplant surgery completed on Dec. 2 in Indianapolis.

In a phone interview with the Times on Saturday, the sheriff said, “My liver transplant went really, really well. Now we’re trying to get things balanced out with anti-rejection drugs.”

He needed the transplant because his liver was failing after living with a rare disorder, primary sclerosing cholangitis, since he was 30.

One problem doctors are working to resolve involves his kidneys.

“I’m having trouble with my kidneys,  We can’t get them working right and I’m going to have to go on dialysis for a while. That’s not totally unexpected,” he said.

“I’m in the right place to get things fixed up.”

He undergoes physical therapy daily to regain his strength.

“I’m building my strength up every day. If they tell me to walk 40 feet, I try to walk 60 feet because I want to build up my strength and get back to Hardin County and get back to work,” Everhart said.

He added, “If my voice sounds weak it’s because I’m really weak. That will come back with time.”

The sheriff has been told to expect to spend one to three months in the hospital as doctors work to get the anti-rejection drugs balanced.

“I’m shooting for no more than a month and I’ll get back to Ohio,” he said. “I want to get out of Hoosier land and back to Buckeye land.”

He will have to return to Indianapolis once or twice a week for checkups following his release.

In the meantime, the sheriff calls his office every day to find out what’s happening in the county.

“I’m probably annoying them,” he said.

But Everhart said his staff from Chief Deputy Dennis Burns on down is “taking care of business. We’ve got great people and they’ve got the county under control as I knew they would.”

Everhart said his family was supposed to have a holiday gathering over the past weekend and he keeps apologizing “for messing that up.” But he said his family reassures him that “We got the best Christmas present we could with my new liver.”

He offered a special message for Hardin County residents:

“I can’t wait to get back to work and I wish everyone Merry Christmas and I appreciate everyone’s support more than I can put into words.”