
Ashley needs a liver & financial help!
Donation protected
Hello everyone! I have a story to tell you about a friend that needs a liver transplant. Her and her family are in a tough spot right now and they need some prayers and financial support…
Here's her story…
Ashley was a single Mom for five years. She worked as a full time bartender/server and did well for herself to make sure her daughter had everything. She got together with her now husband, Danny in 2015 and married him in 2017.
Fast forward to 2020, Ashley started to feel a bit sick (as if the covid wasn’t enough). She figured with getting older, not eating great, drinking and living a carefree life was just starting to catch up to them. Her and Danny (husband) decided to quit drinking, eat better and focus on their health together. Then they would feel better all around.
About six months had passed and she just kept feeling worse even though she had stopped drinking and was being pretty damn healthy. She started throwing up blood one afternoon and went to the ER. She was diagnosed with esophageal varices. (Esophageal varices are enlarged veins in the esophagus, the tube that connects the throat and stomach. Esophageal varices most often happen in people with serious liver diseases. Esophageal varices develop when regular blood flow to the liver is blocked by a clot or scar tissue in the liver and can cause death).
Ashley was then diagnosed with Hepatic Steatosis (fatty liver disease). They were obviously devastated and in shock, and didn’t want to believe what the doctor told them. After her diagnoses she found out she had some family members that had the disease also. Her doctor said that she had an increased risk of developing the fatty liver because it was passed through her genetics. Even if she had never drank a sip of alcohol in her life, she had a big chance of getting this disease
Ashley’s symptoms kept on hitting her harder and harder. Her stomach blew up, she looked like she was pregnant, yellow skin, eyes and a lot of stomach area pain etc. She started to get her stomach drained every single week. The doctors were pumping out four liters of fluid at a time. To put that into perspective, that’s two, two liters every week getting drained from her belly!
Ashley’s had many doctor appointments and stays in the hospital over the last few years. It’s hard for them to even keep track of it all. At times she would be in the hospital for over a week because her ammonia levels were so high. She wouldn’t know what was happening and would be hallucinating and not know where she was. She went into a coma because her symptoms were so bad and her body was trying to quit. Since getting out of the coma, Ashley isn’t as sharp as she used to be. It takes her a little bit longer to get her words together and speak them. The list could go on but I think you get the horrid picture of what they have and are currently going through so far.
Ashley’s daughter, Railynn has suffered from this too. Right before Ashley got really sick, Railynn’s Dad had a medical scare. She thought she was going to lose both of her parents. Her Dad got better and that helped give her strength for her Mom. It’s been very hard for her to watch her Mom become sick and continue to get worse. Railynn helps her Mom as much as she can. She will do Ashley’s hair and makeup because she knows it will help her Mom feel better even if it’s not for long (she does a great job too!). She helps cook food for everyone. Railynn had a big scare herself in the midst of all of the chaos. Her appendix ruptured and she became septic. She was in the hospital for 16 days, and Ashley was by her side even though she was so ill. Railynn fought through it and got better. She is a strong young lady and I know she definitely gets that from Ashley.
Danny’s daughter, Hailey has been affected also. She is still pretty young to really grasp the severity of what is happening. She does understand that Ashley is very sick, and she feels bad for her. She has made her cards and drawings. On the days that Hailey is there, she will try to help Ashley by getting her water and just hang out with her.
Danny has been the glue in all of this. He hasn’t been able to work because Ashley has pretty much needed around the clock care. He keeps up on all the house chores, grocery shopping and cooking, taking the girls to/from school and their extracurricular stuff, keeping track of all Ashley’s doctor appointments, physical therapy, medications and so on. When Ashley’s in the hospital, he is with her probably 85% of the time.
Ashley’s Mom, Cindy has been a ginormous help. She comes over all the time, takes Railynn out to do things and has been a huge financial help. Cindy never wanted to see her daughter get any of the things she worked so hard for get taken away. Without Cindy’s help they would not have any of the things they have currently, the house would have been taken away etc.
Ashley has had a lot of issues with her hip also. They believe that some of the medications she has had to take made her bones and joints start to deteriorate faster than normal. She started having a hard time walking. Her hip had a fracture. She had surgery. She came home to recover and was using a walker, wheelchair when necessary, doing physical therapy etc. Danny had left one morning to take the girls to school and told her not to get out of bed. Ashley is a bit stubborn and got out of bed and lost her balance when getting to her bathroom and had a hard fall. Danny got home and she was on the floor in an enormous amount of pain. He had to call 911, so back to the hospital they go. She had to have a whole new surgery because the fall broke her hip more than it had been and moved the previous screws. After having another surgery and trying to recover she was still in so much pain months later. They went back to the doctor to get checked out and the screws and plates had all gone through her bone and were pressing into another bone. Another surgery was needed. On her 40th birthday of all days, Ashley had a full hip replacement. Due to all of the complications she’s had, hospital stays and such, Ashley had to get a feeding tube placed because she couldn’t eat. She still currently has the feeding tube and is starting to slowly eat again but has now fully recovered from the hip stuff after 6+ months in agony.
Ashley and Danny were trying for months to get her on the liver transplant list. There are so many factors that are all needed to be on and stay on the list. Her hip issues set her back because it was making different fluid levels too high or too low. She was so close to getting on the list but they had to put a stop to trying to get on the list because of all of her hip stuff going on. They had to put most of the focus on getting her hip healed because she wasn’t well enough to receive a liver. As of November 23 Ashley is back on the liver transplant list. Danny got tested to see if he was a match and he is. He is currently going through all of the testing that has to be done to make sure he is healthy enough and that his liver will be ok if they take some of it. So fingers crossed he will be a perfect match for her.
Giving part of your liver is a big deal. It is initially harder on the person’s body that is giving than the person receiving. That being said, they need help(no matter if Danny is the giver or if they find a different match). They both have great families to help with day to day life, food and medical stuff, but need help paying the bills.
Financially, they need help now. Their savings account is close to nothing. Danny can’t work because he takes care of Ashley 24/7. They hate asking for help from anyone and it was hard for them to ask me to write this and put their story out into the world. They are in a very tough spot now and it’s only going to get worse.
If you can help them, even if it’s a small amount, it will all help.
Thank You
If you would like to directly send them money here is their info...
CashApp- $liver4ashley
Venmo- @liver4ashley
Here are some pictures of Ashley over the last few years.

Danny & Ashley’s Wedding Day


Ashley NOT pregnant! The disease makes her belly big.

Ashley, Railynn & Hailey




Hand & Arm looking awful from all the IV's

Current picture of Ashley & Railynn
As you can see in every picture, Ashley is still smiling! She's had mostly rough days but she still trys to see the light in all of it. She is so strong! Let's help her to keep smiling. Please help and donate and share!
XOXO
Organizer and beneficiary
Tanya Orlopp
Organizer
Indianapolis, IN
Cindy Stephens
Beneficiary