Transplant Fund for Jamie Boak

Update: 
Family and friends,

It is with a heavy heart we share with you that our sweet Gladys Boak passed away on December 8th at age 87. 

She will be remembered for her love of life and infectious laugh.  Gladys retired from TUSD Food Service and loved to travel and stay active. She was a member of Fountain of Life Lutheran Church, Ascension Lutheran Church, the Tucson Elks and Moose Lodges, Eastern Star Masonic Lodge, and Retreads of Arizona Motorcycle Club. 

Join us to celebrate Gladys' full life:

January 20th
9:30am
East Lawn Palms Mortuary
5801 E. Grant Road
Tucson, AZ 85712
(520) [phone redacted]

We are continuing Jamie's transplant campaign in memory of Gladys. 


In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to assist her granddaughter, Jamie Boak.  Jamie recently received a life-saving liver transplant and is in recovery.  Continue reading the GoFundMe posts below for details about Jamie.


Original Post: Gloria & Jamie - A special bond

Aunt Glo and her niece Jamie had a very special bond. Below are some memories from Jamie...

"Hello, my name is Jamie and I'm Gloria's niece. It hurts my heart that my Aunt has passed before her time. She was such an amazing and beautiful woman.

I looked up to her for many things, like her amazing cooking and her dedication to the Tucson rodeo. We often shared recipes with each other when I was attending culinary school.

She always had the best parties with amazing food. I always looked forward to them. There was never a lack of food either, or shiny gold decorations throughout the house!

Growing up, the Rodeo was always a part of my life. Jodie would sing the national anthem and we'd all be standing in the box. Best seats in the house right in front of chute 4. I loved being with my Aunt at Rodeo. She always looked so good and professional in her jeans, boots and that belt with "Gloria" carved into the leather. She was such an amazing leader - who else could handle 100 or so Rodeo volunteers and still keep it professional when something went wrong?! Walking around the grounds early morning I'd get stopped and asked "who are you here with?" All I would have to say is "I'm Gloria Jackson's niece" and they would back right off. I felt like rodeo royalty without the crown and sash!

I miss my Aunt Glo very much. Rodeo and and especially the holidays won't ever be the same. Without that Cinderella smile and infectious laugh, it's going to be hard. Thankfully, I'll always have my memories of my Aunt Glo."

Jamie's background and medical condition

Jamie is currently under the care of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. She is at the top of the liver transplant list and could receive her gift any day, God willing.  Here is her story...

Jamie led a very normal life up until the young age of 10. She was very active. Cheerleader, gymnast and a softball player. One day her gymnastics coach asked Jamie's mom to look at Jamie's ankles. She had developed a lot of broken blood vessels.

In 2001 her pediatrician began trying to figure out what was going on. For the next five years Jamie spent several days in the hospital and saw every type of Dr. you could imagine. She went to a children's hospital in L.A., her records were sent to Boston. Nobody could figure out what was going on. She began to lose some of her vision as well as hearing.

In 2005 she was sent to Seattle's children's hospital and they finally were able to diagnose her with Cogan's Syndrome five years after she became sick. Cogan's is a very rare disease that affects the venous system which in turn causes damage to organs. In her case her eyes, ears.

She was also diagnosed in 2005 with Budd-Chiari Syndrome. This is what has caused the cirrhosis of her liver. With treatment her eyesight has not received any further damage and she is able to hear with hearing aids. Due to the cirrhosis, she is in need of a new liver.

University Medical Center attempted to insert a stent in her liver because the disease had made all the vessels leading to and from her liver collapse. Once they were performing the procedure, they felt it would be best to have Doctors at USCF in San Francisco complete the TIPs which they were successful in doing so.

During the next several years her quality of life began to diminish. She could no longer do too much with her friends or family. Her body would fill up with fluid frequently and would need to be removed. Sometimes as much as 10 liters. She now has to get drained weekly.

She has had 8 revisions performed on her stent to open it back up due to narrowing. In 2015, they could no longer revise it without leaving enough to attach a new liver to. She was then listed on the liver transplant list in 2016.

After being seen at Banner UMC for the past several years, they recently determined they would not be confident in performing her transplant due to the difficulty of her case. She now is under the care of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. They perform hundreds of transplants a year. Based on her current condition, she is at the top of the liver transplant list and could receive her new liver at any time.

Jamie has grown stronger in her faith and has been such an amazing example of courage and grace through this whole ordeal. She tries to keep a smile on her face even when she is not feeling well. She dreams of having a somewhat normal life someday. She has not given up on hope and gathers much needed strength and encouragement through her family & friends.

If you would like to read more about Cogan's Syndrome, Budd-Chiari Syndrome and Jamie's case study, please see the attached article from the 2006 edition of the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology. The article was written about her.
Thank you for considering to give to this incredibly wonderful young lady, Jamie Boak, in honor of Gloria Jackson.