Masters Miracle Liver Transplant

Dear Friends and Family,Cassie is 30 years old from Clear Lake Iowa. She was diagnosed with Budd-Chiari syndrome at the age of 18, which is a very rare life threatening disease. It caused her to develop a blood clot in the hepatic vein of her liver so nothing can be processed in her liver. She under-went surgery to successfully have a shunt placed in her liver to act as the hepatic vein, which is now failing. Her disease causes blood to pool in her liver making it swollen and causing extreme pain especially when her shunt is not working. Fluid also leaks out of the liver into the abdomen causing bloating and build up that can create discomfort and pain around her spine making it painful to do many daily activities.As many have heard she is in a position where her doctors can no longer help, which has led her to needing a liver transplant. She is now in the process of having many people who care for her test to see if they can donate a portion of their liver to her.This letter has been extremely hard for us to write because it requires us to set our pride aside and ask for your help. Many of you have been a huge support to Cassie and I as we try to plan for her upcoming Liver Transplant. We are so blessed to have so many supporters here for Cassie during this time, which has been a long difficult process for her to handle. Many of you may know she is a very adventurous caring person and she loves to be outdoors. I can only hope that we can get her to where she feels well again and has energy again so she can continue to enjoy many activities that she loves. Becoming a donor is a GIANT commitment and we know that it can be financially stressful on both the donor and the recipient due to how long they are required to be out of work for. I am hoping to raise enough money to help pay for some of the expenses that insurance will not cover for her and her donor while they are unable to work. Her donor will be unable to work for up to 3 months and she will be unable to work for about 6 months. They will spend a lot of their first months following the transplant up in Rochester recovering and for follow up appointments . Cassie will be spending a lot of her time for the first month or two following her transplant in the Gift of Life transplant recovery home, where she will be monitored closely by staff and her caregivers (Myself and her parents) to ensure her body does not reject her new liver. Her donor will also be required to stay in Rochester following the procedure to be monitored to make sure they are recovering without complications.Again for those who have been here to help support Cassie in this time have been such a blessing, we can’t thank you enough. For those who do not feel comfortable making a donation online there will be an account set up in Clear Lake for you to make donations to. Please feel free to Contact Cassie or I for any questions or concerns.Thank you for your continued support.Sincerely,Taylor Hagen and Cassie Masters