|
64That
he’s still here is “something of a miracle,” says
Nat Semple, who may be the longest surviving three-time liver transplant
recipient. But he’s not just surviving; he’s thriving.
With a career on Capitol Hill rooted in education and labor issues,
he still finds time to be an outspoken advocate for transplantation
and an active Andover alumnus.
In fact, he credits Phillips Academy for the toughness it took to
get through three transplant operations. “Trudging through
snow to Will Hall to be glowered at by these very intimidating men—this
was not your warm, cozy family environment,” he says. “I
didn’t like the snow, the demerits and the lack of women, but
a lot of bonding went on.”
He and his twin brother, William Semple ’64, orchestrated elaborate
pranks, occasionally switching places in class. Bill was a goalie
for legendary hockey coach Ted Harrison. “The coach treated
me like a prince in his history class; he thought I was Bill. I
never told him otherwise,” says Nat. When Nat decided to take
up the clarinet, he sent Bill, an accomplished clarinetist, to the
first lesson. As Bill progressed in one lesson from a simple musical
scale to a wild version of “You Are My Sunshine,” music
instructor Al Thornton said he had never seen a student with such
promise.
Nat earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia in 1968. After
a tour of duty with the Navy in Vietnam, he began to feel fatigued
and to bruise easily. Diagnosed with advanced liver disease, whose
causes were unknown, he decided not to dwell on his illness, but
rather to move on with his life.
In 1972, he went to work on Capitol Hill, eventually serving as
counsel to the House Committee on Education and Labor. In 1981,
he became vice president of the Committee for Economic Development,
a think tank on domestic policy for Fortune 500 executives.
In the mid-’80s, Semple’s health took a turn for the worse.
“I couldn’t even walk up stairs. I still managed to function
on Capitol Hill, but it was a great struggle,” he says. His
name was placed on a transplant waiting list, and in April 1989
he received a new liver.
After a few weeks, his hepatic artery failed. In May 1989, he received
a second transplant, but a few months later it too failed. In December
1989, he received a third transplant—a terrifying experience.
Semple was in the hospital for 240 days in 1989 and in surgery a
total of 60 hours. However, less than three months after the third
transplant, he returned to work, became active again in the Andover
regional association and joined the board of Transplant Recipients
International Organization, where he later was named executive director.
In 1994, he underwent another successful transplant operation, this
time receiving a kidney from his twin.
Currently Nat is chairman of The Observatory Group, a consulting
firm, and a member of the board of the Transplant Patient Resources
Network. He and wife Patsy will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary
in September. They have two sons: Nat Jr., at Kenyon College, and
Carter, at Governor Dummer Academy. They divide their time between
a house in Washington and a farm in Delaplane, Va.
Bill Semple is chief financial officer of a technology firm in Boulder,
Colo., while their older brother, Robert Semple ’54, is associate
editor of The New York Times editorial page and has won a Pulitzer
Prize for environmental editorial writing.
“What Andover really teaches you is how to learn,” concludes
Nat, “and you don’t stop learning after you leave.”
|
