After a long career protecting North Texas, former Denton County Sheriff Will Travis is now asking the same community for help. Travis, who currently serves as a Fort Worth city marshal, has been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis—a chronic disease that scars the bile ducts—and more recently, bile duct cancer. Doctors say a living‑donor liver transplant offers his best chance of recovery.
Health battle and urgent need
Travis has lived with primary sclerosing cholangitis for six years. In March, doctors discovered bile duct cancer, prompting regular chemotherapy. “It’s very critical because the liver’s deteriorating at a pretty fast pace, and I don’t know what that timeline is, but I do know it won’t last too terribly much longer,” Travis told reporters.
Because a deceased‑donor organ may not become available in time, Travis and his family are focusing on a living donor who can provide a portion of a healthy liver. The family has been distributing flyers and posting online, and the response has been overwhelming.
Community response
Family members report calls coming from across the United States. Many have signed up through Living Donor Dallas to learn if they might be a match. “We posted, and after a day or two I had hundreds of thousands of views on my post. I had hundreds of people sharing it, and it’s people we don’t know too, which has been so heartfelt to see people we know and people we don’t know coming together to help you,” a family member said.
Travis expressed deep gratitude for the outpouring of support. “It is, and I’m so blessed by that,” he said, adding that the encouragement has given him hope during this difficult chapter.
Family perspective
Travis’s daughter, Dani, reflected on her father’s legacy. “You grow up looking at your dad like he’s your hero. He’s our Superman, and you don’t think it’s going to happen to him,” she said. She believes the community’s response underscores the impact his decades of service have had on North Texas.
For the Travis family, the search continues. They urge anyone interested in becoming a living donor to contact Living Donor Dallas for screening and eligibility information.
How to help
Potential donors can learn more by visiting the Living Donor Dallas website or calling their hotline. The organization provides a thorough medical evaluation to determine compatibility and guides donors through the entire process.
As the search proceeds, the Travis family remains hopeful that a match will emerge, allowing Will Travis to receive the life‑saving transplant he needs to continue serving his community in a new capacity.
Original reporting: Richardson, TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
