1.   He spent several weeks in hospital, and needed three operations to repair his damaged liver.

2.   But that distance of a half-mile might as well have been a million miles when Rossetti needed a replacement for his damaged liver.

3.   Dr. Norton believes the rupture of the already damaged liver occurred then.

4.   Still, it took nine months to cross the finish line, weakened by his damaged liver until he reached the top of the transplant waiting list.

5.   A spokeswoman said temporary repairs were made to his damaged liver and that more surgery might be necessary Wednesday.

6.   Researchers said he died because the protein used to carry new genes into his damaged liver triggered a major immune system response.