Old Lyme — Rob Wallace's Old Saybrook glassworks studio is full of artistic pieces from his journey over the past year.

Pendants with swirls of bright blue, orange and red are on display, along with glass candle holders affixed to driftwood found along the shore and other glass artwork and jewelry.

His signature jewelry piece, a stack of glass stones in a rainbow of colors depicting a cairn, represents his own path since being diagnosed with liver cancer in late 2015.

"It's your waypoint," he said in a recent interview at the studio. "Before there were roads and directions, people would use those as landmarks to find their way home. So I thought, all right, I have to find my way back. That's going to be my signature piece of jewelry."

Rob, 52, who lives in Old Lyme with his wife, Lori, and three children, has been focusing since his diagnosis on creating handmade jewelry pieces and artwork, which he finds therapeutic. He started offering classes at his studio, Arch One Design, to share the relaxing benefits of making glass artwork while listening to soothing music.

Rob's doctors have told him that he needs a liver transplant, as soon as he can find one, he said. Rob is listed on the United Network for Organ Sharing list, but it could take up to two years to receive a liver offer, said his wife, Lori. Waiting carries the risk of the cancer growing and spreading. 

Their best choice is to find a live donor, said Lori. The process, which involves screening a donor, carries the fewest risks, and would provide a liver transplant sooner, she said.

According to the American Liver Foundation's website, if a person donates a part of his or her liver for a transplant, the liver will grow back.

The family has gone public with Rob's story on Facebook, a website, and articles in LymeLine.com and Lyme & Old Lyme Neighbors magazine, in the hope of raising awareness and finding a living donor.

Rob was diagnosed with a fatty liver at age 22. Later, in 1996, a biopsy revealed that he had a high level of enzymes in his liver, so he has been monitored since then, he said. In 2010, doctors found a small spot had formed in his liver, but had no diagnosis. In 2012, they found the spot was about 6 millimeters, but it wasn't showing to be cancerous, and it kept being monitored.

In 2015, Rob thought he had Lyme disease, so he went to the doctor, he said. It was discovered that the spot had grown and was cancerous, beginning a journey of procedures and treatments.

Rob had chemoembolization to treat two tumors, one cancerous and one negative for cancer. He had another round in December to treat recurrent areas, but the procedure couldn't reach a new growth.

While they are seeking treatment, his doctors told him that tumors will continue to occur, so he needs a new liver, Lori said. 

Lori said the diagnosis has been difficult, but they are focused on keeping normalcy with the family and doing fun things together. Family time, with children, Ryan, 17, Caroline, 16, and Lauren, 13, is most important.

They went on a ski vacation recently and enjoy going on hikes with their 6-month-old puppy, Daisy, watching movies, and attending their children's sports games. Their son, Ryan, has been learning the craft of glassblowing from his father in the Old Saybrook studio.

Rob, who has worked with glass for three decades in the field of research and development for scientists, but had made glass Christmas ornaments on the side, is now working to set up an initiative in which a portion of the proceeds from his artwork would benefit the American Liver Foundation.

Lori said that Rob has always been the one reaching out to others, whether it's spending time with a friend's son who has special needs, helping someone move furniture, or donating an item from the family's home to someone who could use it.

"Rob's just such a love. He's always the one taking care of people that are in need, and he always has this special connection with so many different people," Lori said. "He's a good guy. He's always been the one to take care of people, which is so cool, and now he needs someone to take care of him."

Lori and Rob said they are grateful for the outpouring of support from the community in the beautiful, small town they moved to about 15 years ago.

Volunteers helped them with publicity, and community members offered car rides, or help with the children, as Lori prepares to begin a full-time job. Over the holidays, 100 people showed up to surprise the family with hot chocolate, cookies, and Christmas carols.

"It's amazing, because here something so private and intimate is happening within your family, and people that you don't even expect are coming out and finding ways to provide you with the help and support that you need," she said.  

Rob is seeking a liver from a donor who is over 18 years of age and has either negative or positive Type O blood, according to a website set up to provide information.

The website can be found at http://robsjourney.com.

k.drelich@theday.com