
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 9, 1995                   TAG: 9506090089
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From Associated Press and Chicago Tribune reports
DATELINE: DALLAS                                LENGTH: Short

MANTLE SURGERY A SUCCESS

Mickey Mantle, two weeks from death with a diseased and damaged liver, was given an ``excellent chance for recovery'' Thursday after receiving a donated organ that was found within two days.

Mantle, 63, underwent nearly seven hours of surgery at Baylor University Medical Center in which he received a transplanted liver to replace one ruined by a malignant tumor, hepatitis C and decades of drinking.

Mantle, who was listed in critical but stable condition, opened his eyes Thursday afternoon, and doctors expected him to be able to respond to questions by this morning.

The surgery went smoothly after some initial difficulties with scar tissue from an earlier gall bladder operation.

``He now has an excellent chance for recovery,'' lead transplant surgeon Robert Goldstein said. ``The liver seems to be functioning, and that's the key to immediate post-operative recovery.''

The new liver was draining properly and Mantle's kidneys were working again, Goldstein said shortly after the operation.

by CNB