Connie Gilman's Liver Transplant
Donation protected
This is a short story about an incredible woman.
Connie (Douin) Gilman
Connie is known by many people throughout the Norridgewock area. Many of you know her as the woman who could make a meal that made your mouth water, your senses race and your belly full. Whether you were eating at her house for a gathering that would include more friends and family than one person could handle, or at her incredibly well known restaurant, "My Cousin's Place", along the river in Norridgewock, you could be rest assured that your belly was full. If you were fortunate enough to dine at her family style restaurant for the MANY MANY MANY years it was open, you knew that your dollar went a long way. You received a great tasting meal, and maybe a slice of homemade pie. If you sat there long enough you might have even gotten some of Connie's old fashioned advice. It was probably with a laugh and a sharp tongue. The greatest thing about that advice, is it was honest. Among her many attributes, is, Connie is well known for being an honest person. That honesty and her laugh and her incredible sense of humor has brought Connie into many of your lives. A hug, a dance, a snide remark. Connie will give you smack upside the head if you need it. Or, the last dollar in her pocket, whether she needed it or not. She is known for the many acts of kindness that she has shared with probably hundreds if not thousands of people that have been fortunate enough to cross her path.
If you have had Connie in your life, you have smiled more than once because of her.
Well now is your turn to give back to her. She would never ask this of you herself, it is not her style. She has always been the giver. It is hard for her to be the receiver.
Connie needs you.
She had been having chronic pains and discomfort for years. Theses pains went undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for all those years. Finally, in 2013, Connie ended up becoming ill enough that the proper tests were done to reveal a much dreaded diagnosis. Connie was diagnosed with liver disease. Untreated for so long, there was no repairing the damage that was already done. It would and has become progressively worse. This disease is doing its best to try and take her away from us. The smiles, the fun, the energy, it has all slowly been going away. Her days are filled with being held hostage in her own house. She has been poked with needles, BIG ones too, on a weekly basis to remove the poisons that fill her body. She hasn't the energy to do some of the simplest of task. Her mind says " I want to do this" Yet her body says, "Sit the hell down" or "No way Connie". The biggest part of her week is her visit to Augusta to the doctors. It used to be her Joy to spend that time with all of you.
Well this story is not a sad one. It may have seemed to be up to this point. But it is not. There is happy note. :-) Connie has become a patient with Lehay Hospital in Massachusetts.
http://www.lahey.org/departments_and_locations/departments/transplantation/liver_transplant/
There, she has once again been poked and prodded, she has been scanned and assessed. Many doctors and nurses she has seen in the last few weeks. Here is the GREAT NEWS. Connie is qualified to receive a new liver. She has been placed on the donor list. That list is a long one..............A Very long one. Her chances of getting a donor liver from that list is slim, if not impossible.
But, there is another way. LIVING DONATION. This is when they take a portion of a healthy person’s liver and give it to Connie. So, Connie had to think long and hard on this.
The first question that rang through her mind was, "Who"?
When she figured out "Who", she had to ask herself the next question. "How?
"How do I ask my relatives to take a risk on me"? It was a question that was brought to me. I am Joseph Douin, Connie's nephew. The son of Roger Douin, one of Connie's older brothers. Connie called me one morning and asked me that question. She couldn't figure out how to ask me. She rambled, she skirted the question. It was the first time in my life, (I am 46) that my Aunt Connie seemed vulnerable. She finally said, "Joe, I have a question to ask you." Then there was a pause........
I said Yes??? She told me it was hard to ask. I said well just spit it out then. So, she did. She told me she needed a new liver and that her best chance of survival and getting the best match was to get one from a brother or sister, yet they are all beyond the acceptable age to donate. So her next window to look into was a niece or a nephew. That is where I came in. I told her yes. But, I had to speak with my family and make it a decision that included my wife and son. I have 100% support to donate from my family.
http://www.lahey.org/departments_and_locations/departments/transplantation/become-an-organ-donor/lahey-beeze-program/
So here we are. Connie has had her tests. She can receive a liver donation. and, she has more test to go.
I am now having all my screening and prep work done and will visit Lehay Hospital and Medical Center the first week of August and do the same stuff Connie has already been through. This team of surgeons is going to make sure every test is done to be sure we are both in great shape and ready to do this. This is a major surgery for us both. Hours on the operating table, months of recovery. But, when we get to our recovery rooms, Connie will already be improving. Her new liver will start to grow. In a few short months, she will improve so much her liver will be close to a normal sized liver as the tissues regenerate and grow to the size her body will need to be healthy. Connie will have her energy back. That is the goal. That is our prayer.
Now what this page is about is more than just Connie's Health Story.
There is a huge financial burden that will be placed on Connie. Her insurance will cover most all of the medical needs from her surgery to mine. Some of the tests are not covered, some of the medicines are not covered. NONE of the travel or gas, hotels, food, missed work(income) is covered. There will be an untold amount of visits to Massachusetts for both Connie and I that insurance will not pay for. Many of the visits will consume two or three days of hotel stays and some for a week. Thousands of dollars need to be raised. We are only at the beginning. We have many ideas to help Connie fund this and would welcome more ideas.
With YOUR help, we can do this. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story. The love I have for my aunt Connie is the reason it was so long. The love you all have for her is apparent because you are reading this.
Connie and I want to thank you for joining in on this journey with her(and I). Any amount you can give is a blessing. We ask that you please share this to your Facebook and tag your friends. Print it off and hang it at work. We will keep this page going for a long time. If you feel you can donate a little today and maybe a little down the road, we love you for it. God Bless you all and God Bless Connie as she moves towards her renewed life.
Connie (Douin) Gilman
Connie is known by many people throughout the Norridgewock area. Many of you know her as the woman who could make a meal that made your mouth water, your senses race and your belly full. Whether you were eating at her house for a gathering that would include more friends and family than one person could handle, or at her incredibly well known restaurant, "My Cousin's Place", along the river in Norridgewock, you could be rest assured that your belly was full. If you were fortunate enough to dine at her family style restaurant for the MANY MANY MANY years it was open, you knew that your dollar went a long way. You received a great tasting meal, and maybe a slice of homemade pie. If you sat there long enough you might have even gotten some of Connie's old fashioned advice. It was probably with a laugh and a sharp tongue. The greatest thing about that advice, is it was honest. Among her many attributes, is, Connie is well known for being an honest person. That honesty and her laugh and her incredible sense of humor has brought Connie into many of your lives. A hug, a dance, a snide remark. Connie will give you smack upside the head if you need it. Or, the last dollar in her pocket, whether she needed it or not. She is known for the many acts of kindness that she has shared with probably hundreds if not thousands of people that have been fortunate enough to cross her path.
If you have had Connie in your life, you have smiled more than once because of her.
Well now is your turn to give back to her. She would never ask this of you herself, it is not her style. She has always been the giver. It is hard for her to be the receiver.
Connie needs you.
She had been having chronic pains and discomfort for years. Theses pains went undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for all those years. Finally, in 2013, Connie ended up becoming ill enough that the proper tests were done to reveal a much dreaded diagnosis. Connie was diagnosed with liver disease. Untreated for so long, there was no repairing the damage that was already done. It would and has become progressively worse. This disease is doing its best to try and take her away from us. The smiles, the fun, the energy, it has all slowly been going away. Her days are filled with being held hostage in her own house. She has been poked with needles, BIG ones too, on a weekly basis to remove the poisons that fill her body. She hasn't the energy to do some of the simplest of task. Her mind says " I want to do this" Yet her body says, "Sit the hell down" or "No way Connie". The biggest part of her week is her visit to Augusta to the doctors. It used to be her Joy to spend that time with all of you.
Well this story is not a sad one. It may have seemed to be up to this point. But it is not. There is happy note. :-) Connie has become a patient with Lehay Hospital in Massachusetts.
http://www.lahey.org/departments_and_locations/departments/transplantation/liver_transplant/
There, she has once again been poked and prodded, she has been scanned and assessed. Many doctors and nurses she has seen in the last few weeks. Here is the GREAT NEWS. Connie is qualified to receive a new liver. She has been placed on the donor list. That list is a long one..............A Very long one. Her chances of getting a donor liver from that list is slim, if not impossible.
But, there is another way. LIVING DONATION. This is when they take a portion of a healthy person’s liver and give it to Connie. So, Connie had to think long and hard on this.
The first question that rang through her mind was, "Who"?
When she figured out "Who", she had to ask herself the next question. "How?
"How do I ask my relatives to take a risk on me"? It was a question that was brought to me. I am Joseph Douin, Connie's nephew. The son of Roger Douin, one of Connie's older brothers. Connie called me one morning and asked me that question. She couldn't figure out how to ask me. She rambled, she skirted the question. It was the first time in my life, (I am 46) that my Aunt Connie seemed vulnerable. She finally said, "Joe, I have a question to ask you." Then there was a pause........
I said Yes??? She told me it was hard to ask. I said well just spit it out then. So, she did. She told me she needed a new liver and that her best chance of survival and getting the best match was to get one from a brother or sister, yet they are all beyond the acceptable age to donate. So her next window to look into was a niece or a nephew. That is where I came in. I told her yes. But, I had to speak with my family and make it a decision that included my wife and son. I have 100% support to donate from my family.
http://www.lahey.org/departments_and_locations/departments/transplantation/become-an-organ-donor/lahey-beeze-program/
So here we are. Connie has had her tests. She can receive a liver donation. and, she has more test to go.
I am now having all my screening and prep work done and will visit Lehay Hospital and Medical Center the first week of August and do the same stuff Connie has already been through. This team of surgeons is going to make sure every test is done to be sure we are both in great shape and ready to do this. This is a major surgery for us both. Hours on the operating table, months of recovery. But, when we get to our recovery rooms, Connie will already be improving. Her new liver will start to grow. In a few short months, she will improve so much her liver will be close to a normal sized liver as the tissues regenerate and grow to the size her body will need to be healthy. Connie will have her energy back. That is the goal. That is our prayer.
Now what this page is about is more than just Connie's Health Story.
There is a huge financial burden that will be placed on Connie. Her insurance will cover most all of the medical needs from her surgery to mine. Some of the tests are not covered, some of the medicines are not covered. NONE of the travel or gas, hotels, food, missed work(income) is covered. There will be an untold amount of visits to Massachusetts for both Connie and I that insurance will not pay for. Many of the visits will consume two or three days of hotel stays and some for a week. Thousands of dollars need to be raised. We are only at the beginning. We have many ideas to help Connie fund this and would welcome more ideas.
With YOUR help, we can do this. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story. The love I have for my aunt Connie is the reason it was so long. The love you all have for her is apparent because you are reading this.
Connie and I want to thank you for joining in on this journey with her(and I). Any amount you can give is a blessing. We ask that you please share this to your Facebook and tag your friends. Print it off and hang it at work. We will keep this page going for a long time. If you feel you can donate a little today and maybe a little down the road, we love you for it. God Bless you all and God Bless Connie as she moves towards her renewed life.
Organizer and beneficiary
Joseph Douin
Organizer
Norridgewock, ME
Constance Gilman
Beneficiary
