By Press Release

July 31, 2000

DENVER (July 28) � Olympic snowboarder Chris Klug (Aspen, CO) has faced his share of challenges since he started snowboarding 17 years ago, but none as serious as the medical challenge he has been dealing with for the past several years.

Chris and his Dad just before surgery. Photo: Chrisklug.com

Klug, 27, underwent a successful liver transplant Friday at the University of Colorado Hospital. The procedure, performed in Denver by Dr. Igal Kam, took just over six hours to complete. Klug was listed in fair condition and was expected to spend up to 10 days in recovering at the hospital, according to hospital officials. He also will spend up to eight weeks living in the Denver area to be close to the hospital and the specialists who will monitor him and balance his anti-rejection medications.

"The surgery went very well," said Kam, the Chief of Transplant Surgery at University Hospital. "As always, the first 24-48 hours is a critical observation time for complications. Chris' good physical condition will help him recover from this major abdominal surgery."

Chris's victory lap July 22. Photo: Chris

"I'm feeling awesome," Klug said from his hospital bed about four hours after the transplant. "It couldn't have gone any better. I'm not gonna miss a day this winter."

More than five years ago during a routine physical, Klug said, he was diagnosed with a rare liver disease know as Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). It is a disease of unknown causes that attacks the bile ducts within the liver. There is no predicting the condition and there is no known source or cure. There are ways to manage the disease over a period of years, but eventually these measures lose their effectiveness and a liver transplant must be performed before full liver failure sets in. PSC occurs in approximately one out of 10,000 people in the United States and afflicts mostly young men. Symptoms include jaundice, itching, general discomfort or ill feeling, loss of appetite, indigestion, enlarged liver and enlarged spleen.

Klug's condition had worsened in the early part of June, and he was elevated to the highest level on the liver donor list. He and his family waited in Aspen until they finally got the call from the hospital on Thursday that the hospital had received a liver donor for Klug.

"I didn't do anything to contract this disease," said Klug. "But I can do a lot to recover quickly. The waiting was the hardest thing."

"Even as his liver was going downhill, Chris remained in top physical shape," said his father, Warren. "He's feeling strong and we're looking forward to a speedy recovery."

As far as athletic resumes go, Klug's is second to none. He just came off his most successful season to date, finishing as the top American on the World Cup tour and winning the U.S. Championship in the giant slalom (he also won that title in '98). He had several World Cup podiums during the '00 season, which included a win in giant slalom in Berchtesgaden, Germany. He also added a bronze medal to his collection with a third place finish in super G at the inaugural Winter Goodwill Games in Lake Placid, NY. Klug was the first American man named to the 1998 U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team and he finished sixth in giant slalom at the Games in Nagano. He won the slalom at the '97 U.S. Open, which is considered the granddaddy of all snowboarding events.

Klug is a member of the U.S. Training Team. Klug's major sponsors include Burton, Bolle, Aspen and Dominator.

The University of Colorado Hospital is a major center for treatment of liver diseases and for liver transplantation. University Hospital did the first liver transplant in the United States 35 years ago and their track record in transplant success is the best in the nation.

For more information on Klug's transplant (and a photo of him waterskiing the day before the surgery), log on to www.chrisklug.com. He said he is planning on keeping a daily journal of his recovery and will post it to the site each day.