Veteran overcomes addiction and illness to help fellow vets

MADISON, Wis. — After years of struggle, a retired Madison service member has undergone a transformation. 

Operation Desert Storm veteran Jason Arbogast credits the Madison VA and UW Health for helping him turn his life around.  

Arbogast, who received a life-saving liver transplant during the COVID-19 pandemic, said he owes his second chance to a team of dedicated professionals.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for an army of people,” he said.

Dr. Rita German, a UW Health transplant hepatologist at the Madison VA, played a key role in Aborgast’s recovery. She pointed to his military service, sacrifices and eventual sobriety as vital factors in his success.

“I knew he would get there — it was just a matter of when,” she said.  

The road to recovery was far from easy. Arbogast battled isolation, physical pain, and even a relapse into alcohol use after his transplant.

“I don’t think people understand the amount of pain,” he said.

Despite these hurdles, he found purpose in his pain, eventually becoming a peer support specialist at the Madison VA, where he now helps other veterans navigate their transplant journeys.  

“Every day I wake up with meaning, purpose and mission,” Arbogast said. “I think that’s what a lot of vets are looking for after they get out.”  

Kate Barrett, his liver transplant coordinator at the VA, praised Arbogast’s transformation.

“I saw Jason being challenged, and I saw him overcoming those challenges. Now, I see him helping others, which feels good — it makes it all worth it.”  

German said there is a growing need for support. She said she treats an increasing number of younger veterans with life-threatening liver diseases at the VA.

“This used to be a disease thought of in patients in their 50s and 60s, but more and more, it has become a disease of younger patients,” she explained.  

For Arbogast, the opportunity to support his fellow service members is his greatest honor.

“If I don’t make the most of it every day, I’m failing — that donor, that donor’s family, myself, and my own family,” he said. “I got this opportunity. It’s a clean slate. I can make it look however I want.”