Richie Frisco stood in the Milwaukee Brewers' broadcast booth and watched batting practice from a vantage point most fans never get, just months after doctors told him he needed a new liver to survive. The Racine native was diagnosed with cirrhosis during an emergency room visit in November 2025, and by Christmas Day he learned a donor liver was available for him.
Frisco underwent his transplant surgery at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee on December 26, 2025, according to WISN. Cirrhosis is a severe form of liver disease, and Frisco first learned he had it during an emergency-room visit. Now, as the station reports, he says he feels the healthiest he's ever been.
That recovery led to a VIP day at American Family Field, where Frisco watched the Brewers sweep the Cubs. He received a custom Brewers jersey and an autographed baseball from Bernie Brewer, appeared on the ballpark scoreboard, and toured the broadcast booth.
A Sponsorship Built for Moments Like This
Aurora Health Care became the Brewers' official healthcare partner under a multi-year sponsorship agreement launched in January 2018, a deal that provides an Aurora-sponsored nursing room and nursing suites at American Family Field, according to Aurora Health Care. The partnership is part of a broader strategy across Advocate Aurora Health's regional sports ties.
Hoodline has covered similar activations at the ballpark before, including when the Brewers and Aurora Health Care surprised a couple with a baby shower and when the team's sober tailgate and Home Run Derby returned to promote wellness. Aurora Health Care is now approaching 600 liver transplants overall, and Frisco says he remains grateful for the donor who made his own transplant possible.
A Small Program Amid Statewide Demand
Frisco's surgery took place during a period of record transplant activity nationwide. The United Network for Organ Sharing reported that U.S. liver transplants hit a record 12,344 in 2025, an 8% increase over the prior year, contributing to a total of 49,064 organ transplants performed nationally. In Wisconsin, the UW Health Transplant Center completed a record 134 liver transplants in 2025, a 23% jump from the year before, leading statewide volume according to UW Health.
Aurora St. Luke's, where Frisco was treated, established its adult liver transplant program in 2004, building on an organ transplantation division dating back to 1968, per the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The center's role in transplant care highlights how heavily transplant outcomes depend on donor availability.
Wisconsin's Liver Disease Burden
Wisconsin has an organ-donor registry and transplant waiting lists. Organ and tissue donation can help people in need.
Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis are serious health concerns in Wisconsin. Alcohol-related health concerns also affect the state.
For Frisco, those statistics are now personal history rather than abstract numbers. He's a Brewers fan and a liver transplant patient who got to watch his team sweep the Cubs from some of the best seats in the house, crediting the donor whose gift gave him a second chance.
