You can make a difference by donating today to The American Liver Foundation.
The mission of the American Liver Foundation is to promote education, advocacy, support services and research for the prevention, treatment and cure of liver disease.
My name is Chasity Nicole Crenshaw, and I’m raising money for my beautiful mother, Melanie Renee Webster. On December 1, 2022 my mom passed away after a long, hard, and painful fight with Liver Disease. There are no words to describe how terrible this disease is and how it affects your body. My mom was the strongest person I’ve ever met, and she would move mountains to help anyone she loved, other than herself. She was diagnosed with Cirrhosis of the liver in 2015, and unfortunately the deterioration of her liver did not stop, resulting in liver failure. ESLD (end stage liver disease) is not something I, nor my mother would wish on anyone. This is a mean and ugly disease that once it really starts to progress, there is no stopping it. My mother did not deserve to feel the pain of such disease nor lose her life at such a young age of 54. My father Webb and I were there for her, and watched her go through this devastating process.
When your liver stops working, everything stops working. The whites of your eyes turn yellow, you begin to bruise and bleed very easily, your entire body starts to turn yellow because your bilirubin is so high because all the blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver. The liver processes this blood and breaks down, balances, and creates the nutrients and also metabolizes drugs into forms that are easier to use. But when the liver doesn’t work, you have all of these toxins in your body that cause severe harm. You form Ascites because your body is retaining all of the fluid that you can’t process. Eventually you store the fluid in your tissues and even your brain. The fluid has to be released from the body so your abdomen, legs, and arms all start to swell. I watched my mom form Edema, and by the end, she was covered in blisters that formed from the liquid starting to seep from her body as it had to go somewhere. She was in so much pain, and we were not able to help her. Her beautiful blue eyes glazed over with yellow toxins and puffed up. She was on full life support in the end and it still wasn’t enough to save her. This is an ugly, ugly disease and no one should have to feel the pain of your entire body shutting down and not being able to do anything about it.
Life can be very unfair, especially to the ones that do not deserve it. My mom touched lives everywhere that she went. Her family loves her and no-one expected to lose her this fast.
In honor of my mom, as a kind, hard working, feisty, fun-loving lady, we would like to raise money for the American Liver Foundation because that’s what she would have wanted. She didn’t like the attention on her, she wanted to please everyone else. I know my mom wouldn’t want anyone to feel the pain and suffering that she did. So together, let’s raise awareness about prevention, options for liver transplants, rehab for people that suffer from alcoholism, and let’s save the lives of people that shouldn’t have to leave so soon like my mom did.
I love you mom, and I’m so proud of you. You were so strong and never wanted to show your pain because you loved all of us so much. I’m not sure how I will get through this, but your family loves you, Webb absolutely loves you, and I just hope you are enjoying your time with Memaw and Pawpaw. I love you endlessly!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
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