Bishop William K. Weigand met with the media and his diocesan staff April 18 for the first time since undergoing a liver transplant nearly three weeks ago.

The bishop spoke briefly with reporters outside the Diocesan Pastoral Center on Broadway in Sacramento.

“I’m doing really well. I’m getting stronger each day and I feel better than I have in months,” he said. “I’m getting a feel for my sea legs and I’m doing some walking each day.”

Bishop Weigand received 70 percent of Sacramento firefighter Dan Haverty’s liver April 1 in a transplant performed at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco.

The bishop, 67, left the hospital April 8 and is recuperating at home. Haverty, 50, assistant chief of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, was released April 9 and is also recovering at his home. Doctors have said both men were doing well and are expected to make a full recovery.

Bishop Weigand thanked the public and local Catholics for their support during his illness and recent surgery.

“The outpouring of concern on the part of the media and tens of thousands of people who sent cards, flowers, thoughts and prayers I just deeply appreciate,” he said. “And in due course I’ll find a way to express my thanks.”

The bishop also spoke about Haverty and his wife, Terri, members of Holy Trinity Parish in El Dorado Hills.

“I can’t say enough about Dan Haverty and the wonderful selfless gift that he and his wife and his whole family gave to me,” he said. “I think they’re a great witness to all of us of how we ought to care for one another and put others first.”

The bishop and Haverty are traveling each week to the University of California Medical Center for follow-up visits with doctors at the hospital’s organ transplant center. Bishop Weigand also undergoes blood tests twice each week to give doctors a read on his medication, according to Mary Steensen, his secretary.

The liver transplant was needed because Bishop Weigand has suffered from primary sclerosing cholangitis for the past 24 years.

Although the exact cause of the disease is unknown, genetic and immunologic factors appear to play a role. For those with the disease, the bile ducts inside and outside the liver become narrowed due to inflammation and scarring. This causes bile to accumulate in the liver and can result in damage to liver cells. The scarring affects liver function and can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure. In cases in which the disease has progressed, the only treatment is a liver transplant.

The bishop’s surgeon, Dr. John Roberts, chief of transplantation at the medical center, said that during surgery he discovered the left side of the bishop’s liver was badly destroyed by primary sclerosing cholangitis and the right side was also damaged.

Full recuperation for the bishop is expected to take months. He is “a bit quarantined” at home currently, the bishop said, because his immune system is compromised by the anti-rejection medication he is taking.

“I overdue it one day and have to rest the next day — I’m trying to find the balance,” he told reporters. “For the next few weeks I’m going to have to stay a bit isolated so I don’t pick up any germs. After that, God willing, I hope to have a very fruitful number of years ahead of me and I look forward to continuing to serve the people of the diocese.”

Bishop Weigand said the transplant surgery and recovery was the only thing that prevented him from going to Rome for Pope John Paul II’s funeral and the election of a new pontiff.

Pope John Paul II “appointed me bishop of Salt Lake City (Utah), less than two years after he became pope,” he said. “I’ve been a bishop almost 25 years and I’ve always looked on him like an older brother. His passing touched me deeply and I would have loved to have been there for the funeral.”

As for Haverty’s recuperation, Steve Turner, public information officer for the fire district, visited with him April 16 and said his fellow firefighter is “doing very good.”

“Dan’s making progress as predicted and expected,” Turner said. “When I saw him he was looking chipper. He is able to get out and take some walks around his neighborhood. He’s still working on his aerobic capacity because the body healing takes a lot out of you. It will still be awhile before his liver is really ready to go.”

Cards for Bishop Weigand may be sent to the bishop’s office at 2110 Broadway, Sacramento, CA 95818. Correspondence to Haverty may be sent to Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, 2101 Hurley Way, Sacramento, CA 95825.

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