On Monday, January 16, just one week after her 26th birthday, my cousin, Rachel Perry, was rushed to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, TN, for acute liver failure.

As a young teenager, Rachel was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease, psoriasis, and has lived with that to this day. Earlier this year, the psoriasis had gotten much worse and she was prescribed a new medication. Although this new med was working, the side effects (so she thought) were making her sick. She had bloating in her stomach, pain in her side, trouble with constipation, and loss of appetite. Again, typical of the medication.

Throughout the summer, Rachel began to feel depressed and was experiencing anxiety issues... something totally out of the norm for her. She wasn't sleeping, was developing mood swings, lacked motivation, concentration, and became very irritable. It was affecting her ability to work and her personal life was impacted as well. She was placed on extended leave in November 2016 in hopes of getting counseling and medical care as needed.

Last Monday morning was a particularly rough day for Rachel. Her boyfriend, Mike, left for work but as he texted her later that day to check on her, there was no response. Worried, he went home on his lunch break and found Rachel, in his words, the color of mustard and she had become incoherent. He rushed her to their local hospital and after just a few tests, the doctors knew that Rachel's condition was out of the realm of what any hospital in Knoxville could handle. She was then taken by ambulance to Vanderbilt Hospital.

Upon initial testing, it was determined that Rachel's liver was only functioning at 15% and her kidneys had begun to fail. She was in urgent need of a liver transplant! Later that day, a CT scan also showed swelling in her brain which was caused by the toxins in her body that the liver was unable to process. A neurosurgeon had to drill into her skull to reduce swelling and to monitor brain activity. Rachel was placed at the top of the donor list for our entire region. We understood this could take days, if not weeks. Doctors warned the family to prepare for the worst.

On Wednesday morning, January 18, God reminded us that HE is in control and that miracles do happen... a liver had been donated! Rachel was prepped immediately and underwent liver transplant surgery at 10:00 a.m., and in less than 12 hours, the surgery was over. This poor girl had been living with a diseased, 30 pound liver, with the average liver weighing 2-3! Doctors were astonished and said they'd never seen anything like this. During the surgery, although the liver transplant went beautifully, they discovered an issue with her heart. Again, something they'd never seen before, the vein leading into the right side of heart had grown 10 times it's size and was stretching the right side of the heart. This could impact the flow of blood to the liver, but at this point the swelling of the brain, the kidneys, and the healing of the liver was priority.

On Friday morning, January 20, Rachel continued to fight. She was still on the ventilator that that had been placed after the surgery, but the liver and kidneys had finally begun to function. Because of the heart issue, the decision was made to put a catheter in her heart to measure blood flow. Unfortunately, this did not go well. Rachel's heart stopped and the "code blue" procedures began. It was terrifying to hearing that alarm and our hearts stood still. Rachel's brother, Ryan, rallied our families together for one of the most beautiful prayers I'd ever heard. And praise God, it worked. Rachel had been revived!

That same evening, Rachel began responding to voices and small commands, squeezing our hands, shaking her head, etc. It was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen! By Saturday, they removed the ventilator and she was able to say a few words in response to ours. Still, this girl is not quite out of the woods. Today marks a week since Rachel's journey began. She has become depressed and is not responding as she was before. She had begun eating ice chips, broth, and jello but today, began aspirating food into her lungs. Because of this, a feeding tube had to be reinserted. She also has developed pneumonia and has a possible infection in her liver ( we're waiting test results for this). She doesn't have the energy to use the breathing machine for her lungs and when nurses attempted to help her walk, her legs collapsed. It seems the moment she takes a step forward she falls back two more. We realize it is a miracle that she's alive and we're forever grateful to God for giving Rachel a second chance at life. But, the road to recovery is going to be a long one! At this point, it's expected she'll be in the hospital for at least another week. And, now that she's having difficulty walking, she'll go to a therapy unit after that. Then, she'll have to live in Nashville for at least another month as she'll have to go to the hospital 3 days a week for additional testing and check-ups.

Financially, Rachel and Mike were already struggling since she hadn't worked since November. Now, it's likely that once she is released to go home, she won't be able to work for at least 6 months, probably more, all while continuing doctor's appointments, therapy, and counseling. These young people are going to need a lot of help! From what we understand, the average cost of a liver transplant is around $750,000. We already know the ambulance ride alone from Knoxville was $12,000! She does have insurance, but the percentage of out-of-pocket expenses will be astronomical!! There's also the expenses of living in Nashville afterwards, special meals that will need to be prepared, traveling expenses to and from Knoxville, time off of work for Mike as he is Rachel's primary caregiver, not to mention catching up on current bills and other expenses when they return home.

Friends, I cannot express how much your donations would mean for Rachel, and Mike! Rachel's life has she knew it was changed literally overnight. She didn't have the opportunity to prepare mentally, emotionally, or financially for the changes that her life took in just a matter of hours.

For those of you that don't know Rachel, she's one of the sweetest, most easy going people you'll ever meet. She's the life of the party, the one you can talk to, the one you can lean on, and stubborn as all get out! She's a loyal and loving girlfriend, a daughter to be proud of, a sister, niece, cousin, a best friend, and the best mommy to her dog, Sweet D.! She is so young and has so much to live for!! And, with your donation, her recuperation and outlook on life will be that much sweeter.

If you can't donate, I'll ask that you please keep Rachel on your prayer list and forward this to everyone you know! Rachel's journey is a long one, but with your support, prayers, and love, she will win this fight!

I will provide updates as her condition changes, or progresses.

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU FOR YOUR DONATION!