Andy's Kidney Transplant Tests
Donation protected
I started this GoFundMe page last year and we raised $1800! We are so grateful to all of you for your generosity. It paid for our stay in Rochester while going to the Mayo Clinic for transplant testing.
I am posting again as a year has passed and Andy has to go back for new testing to make sure he is healthy enough to stay on the transplant list.
We are asking for your help to cover our expenses on this journey. We leave for Minnesota at the end of this month-April 2019,
My husband Andy is the love of my life. He has a kind heart, he is an amazing cook, a gifted green thumber and a talented artist. He is a wonderful father to his daughter Hailey and our three pups.
Andy has had serious health issues his whole life but it didn't stop him from serving in the Air Force! His biggest health challenge is his kidneys. He has been fortunate enough to have received two kidney transplants and we are hoping for a third. Andy has a desire to live and be an active participant in life. Now that we have a sweet grandson, the desire is even stronger to be here to watch him grow up!
Andy goes to the VA for health care but because he got Thyroid Cancer and Skin Cancer in 2016, the VA would not put him on the transplant list for another year even though he is cancer free! In 2018 Andy went through the whole process of trying to get approval for a transplant from the Iowa City VA (it's a long process). Two weeks ago, right around his birthday in March 2019, the VA decided NOT to grant him a transplant due to missed appointments and too many hospital stays! (The hospital stays are due to complications from dialysis!) Andy feels like the rug has been pulled out from under him. He thinks the VA is just waiting for him to die. It is heartbreaking.
Andy is now on his 7th year of dialysis. He has lost 50 pounds and has no muscle strength. He is in constant pain from cramping. Dialysis is a brutal necessity-being hooked up to a machine three days a week, four hours at a time diminishes ones quality of life. It is starting to affect his heart as he now has Afib. The medication is helping him for now.
While waiting for the VA, last year Andy was accepted by the Mayo Clinic and put on the transplant list. It was a God send that gave us both hope. A year has passed and there has not been the phone call-but we wait with faith.
Every year, we have to go back to Mayo in Rochester for a week. Mayo runs a whole new set of tests for Andy. They need to make sure he is physically able to withstand the surgery and stay on the list. It is a stressful experience and it's expensive! The testing itself can cost $8,000! The transplant will be in the hundreds of thousands, But right now we are focused on this moment in time! Andy is a 100% disabled vet and we live on a fixed income. We are asking for your help to cover the expenses for this trip to Mayo. We go the end of this month April 2019.
We know that everyone has their own lives and expenses, we are not looking for big donations (although that would be amazing!) If our story speaks to you, even a $10 donation would help. We thank you for reading this.
Please help us if you can.
We are so grateful for your love, prayers and donations!
We will keep you up to date on our journey!
Blessings,
Kathy
I am posting again as a year has passed and Andy has to go back for new testing to make sure he is healthy enough to stay on the transplant list.
We are asking for your help to cover our expenses on this journey. We leave for Minnesota at the end of this month-April 2019,
My husband Andy is the love of my life. He has a kind heart, he is an amazing cook, a gifted green thumber and a talented artist. He is a wonderful father to his daughter Hailey and our three pups.
Andy has had serious health issues his whole life but it didn't stop him from serving in the Air Force! His biggest health challenge is his kidneys. He has been fortunate enough to have received two kidney transplants and we are hoping for a third. Andy has a desire to live and be an active participant in life. Now that we have a sweet grandson, the desire is even stronger to be here to watch him grow up!
Andy goes to the VA for health care but because he got Thyroid Cancer and Skin Cancer in 2016, the VA would not put him on the transplant list for another year even though he is cancer free! In 2018 Andy went through the whole process of trying to get approval for a transplant from the Iowa City VA (it's a long process). Two weeks ago, right around his birthday in March 2019, the VA decided NOT to grant him a transplant due to missed appointments and too many hospital stays! (The hospital stays are due to complications from dialysis!) Andy feels like the rug has been pulled out from under him. He thinks the VA is just waiting for him to die. It is heartbreaking.
Andy is now on his 7th year of dialysis. He has lost 50 pounds and has no muscle strength. He is in constant pain from cramping. Dialysis is a brutal necessity-being hooked up to a machine three days a week, four hours at a time diminishes ones quality of life. It is starting to affect his heart as he now has Afib. The medication is helping him for now.
While waiting for the VA, last year Andy was accepted by the Mayo Clinic and put on the transplant list. It was a God send that gave us both hope. A year has passed and there has not been the phone call-but we wait with faith.
Every year, we have to go back to Mayo in Rochester for a week. Mayo runs a whole new set of tests for Andy. They need to make sure he is physically able to withstand the surgery and stay on the list. It is a stressful experience and it's expensive! The testing itself can cost $8,000! The transplant will be in the hundreds of thousands, But right now we are focused on this moment in time! Andy is a 100% disabled vet and we live on a fixed income. We are asking for your help to cover the expenses for this trip to Mayo. We go the end of this month April 2019.
We know that everyone has their own lives and expenses, we are not looking for big donations (although that would be amazing!) If our story speaks to you, even a $10 donation would help. We thank you for reading this.
Please help us if you can.
We are so grateful for your love, prayers and donations!
We will keep you up to date on our journey!
Blessings,
Kathy
Organizer
Katherine Metcalf
Organizer
East Moline, IL
