Living Donor & Recipient Out-of-Pocket $
Donation protected
My cousin's husband Jim was diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver nearly 3 years ago. He was placed on the transplant list at Ohio State University. His condition has continued to decline as there is no cure for this disease, and he has lost a lot of weight.
Due to the swelling and scarring of Jim's liver, he frequently has to go in for esophageal banding (Esophageal Band Ligation) through an endoscopy to keep from bleeding out. Basically, they band the swollen veins, which causes necrosis, and they suction out the blood.
Jim has developed hepatic encephalopathy due to his liver disease. This a condition in which his liver is unable to remove chemicals such as ammonia from his blood. The ammonia travels to his brain through the blood stream. This causes both physical and mental problems such as shaking, instability, forgetfulness, confusion, and other symptoms similar to dementia. This can be reversed once he receives a full or partial liver donation.
Jim constantly battles ascites. This is a build up of fluid in the abdomen area due to increased pressure in the liver blood flow. This can cause a very large belly, pressure, shortness of breath, lack of desire to eat or drink (due to feeling like you are full) and can get into the lungs, causing pneumonia.
Through a facebook page I created to disseminate information about Jim's condition, The Journey of Jim Saneda, four people came forward willing to donate a portion of their liver to Jim. This speaks volumes as to Jim's character and the love we all have for him and Terri.
Donor 1 has gone through the 3-day round of tests. Everything looks good so far. If the remaining tests are clear, Jim should be receiving his transplant mid December.
Here is where you come in:
Jim's insurance company has not yet given the stamp of approval for the living donor procedure at Cleveland Clinic. We hope to hear in the next two weeks. However, even if they do cover the surgery, the donor and Jim's wife and son are going to incur travel costs. Both Jim and the donor must travel from the Columbus, OH, area to Cleveland because OSU only performs cadaver transplants. It is expected that Jim will be hospitalized for approximately one month, so Terri will have hotel and food expenses during that time. The donor's parents will also incur hotel and food expenses while he/she recovers from the surgery.
Would you please consider donating towards the travel and food costs that will be incurred by the donor and Jim's wife?
Due to the swelling and scarring of Jim's liver, he frequently has to go in for esophageal banding (Esophageal Band Ligation) through an endoscopy to keep from bleeding out. Basically, they band the swollen veins, which causes necrosis, and they suction out the blood.
Jim has developed hepatic encephalopathy due to his liver disease. This a condition in which his liver is unable to remove chemicals such as ammonia from his blood. The ammonia travels to his brain through the blood stream. This causes both physical and mental problems such as shaking, instability, forgetfulness, confusion, and other symptoms similar to dementia. This can be reversed once he receives a full or partial liver donation.
Jim constantly battles ascites. This is a build up of fluid in the abdomen area due to increased pressure in the liver blood flow. This can cause a very large belly, pressure, shortness of breath, lack of desire to eat or drink (due to feeling like you are full) and can get into the lungs, causing pneumonia.
Through a facebook page I created to disseminate information about Jim's condition, The Journey of Jim Saneda, four people came forward willing to donate a portion of their liver to Jim. This speaks volumes as to Jim's character and the love we all have for him and Terri.
Donor 1 has gone through the 3-day round of tests. Everything looks good so far. If the remaining tests are clear, Jim should be receiving his transplant mid December.
Here is where you come in:
Jim's insurance company has not yet given the stamp of approval for the living donor procedure at Cleveland Clinic. We hope to hear in the next two weeks. However, even if they do cover the surgery, the donor and Jim's wife and son are going to incur travel costs. Both Jim and the donor must travel from the Columbus, OH, area to Cleveland because OSU only performs cadaver transplants. It is expected that Jim will be hospitalized for approximately one month, so Terri will have hotel and food expenses during that time. The donor's parents will also incur hotel and food expenses while he/she recovers from the surgery.
Would you please consider donating towards the travel and food costs that will be incurred by the donor and Jim's wife?
Organizer
Rhonda Spach
Organizer
Winston-Salem, NC
