Update:

Anthony has had his transplant and we are home. Surgery was August 18th, just 4 days after his 3rd birthday. However, the whole ordeal has left us financially strained between the cost of food while in Nashville for 4 months, gas to and from Nashville, bills, vehicle maintenance to keep it dependable to make the 3.5hr weekly trips mounting dr bills, medications, 2 other children, and groceries at home, things have been stretched thinner than I ever imagined possible. Its not easy for me to ask, but we still need help. I know times are hard for everyone right now, so I understand if its not possible. My family and I appreciate every dollar, prayer, and meal given this far.

I don't even know where to begin.. I've never had to ask for help before. My name is Nicole Bivens and my son Anthony is 2yrs old. He has Cystic Fibrosis, Alpha1-antitrypsin, and we were recently told he needs a liver transplant after an unexpected hospitalization. Add to this, my husband was let go from his job when he explained that if something happened, he MIGHT have to leave work a little early to come to Nashville to be with us. He does have a start date with a new company, but it has been a month since he last worked. He was thankfully given a severance thats gotten us this far but that ends soon.

Everything was as expected with CF until early April when I noticed Anthony's eyes had turned a pale yellow color. I called his specialists and was told to just watch for symptoms. He never developed any other than loss of appetite and just wanting to sleep. So I took him to his pediatrician, where he was sent straight to children's ER in Knoxville and then flown to Vanderbilt and admitted for 3 days. It was there I was told if I had continued to wait for symptoms, Anthony would have died.

Since that stay, I have been told Anthony needs a liver transplant within the next year. With that, comes added expense that I had never dreamed I'd need to set back for. Leading up to transplant, he will have multiple trips to Vanderbilt as well as his weekly and sometimes multiple trips a week to Knoxville. I live 3.5 hours away from Vanderbilt. After transplant, Anthony will remain in the hospital for 2 weeks and then I will have to stay in Nashville with him for a minimum of 6 more weeks before he would be cleared to come home, as well as continued trips back to Vanderbilt for frequent follow-up appointments to ensure his body is not rejecting the transplant and that he is tolerating the added medications well.

By no means am I asking for a hand-out, but I do need help. Any and all donations made on Anthony's behalf will be kept separate and used specifically for what is needed to get him to and from his appointments and to help cover my stay with him. Any and everything helps, whether its a monetary donation, gas card, restaurant cards, or prayers.

Times are tough for everyone right now and I get that.

Thank you for taking time to read to the end and thank you for all your prayers and support! It means more to me than you will ever know.