Lauren’s Road to Recovery

Back in September I thought I’d lose Lauren for good. She’d been sick for a long time, over a year, but last September she was rushed to Lourdes, where we discovered she had only a few weeks to live. In order to survive, she’d have to be transferred to Westchester Medical Center for an organ transplant.

Once there, her condition deteriorated so rapidly she was sedated and placed on a ventilator. I went down immediately, and was told her situation was very critical, and I should prepare for the end.

A month passed this way, until she was stable enough for a transplant. During that time, which was full of advances and setbacks: she experienced issues with her lungs and kidneys; at one point her stomach filled with blood, and it took more than one procedure—which they weren’t sure she would survive—to stop the bleeding.

She got on the transplant list, and had surgery a week later, which was successful. Her doctors said her recovery would take a long time, since she’d been so close to death.

Today she receives hemodialysis a few times a week, and her transplanted organ is doing well. We’re not sure when she’ll be discharged; Lauren will need a lot of physical rehab before she can come home again.

When she’s home, we’ll have to take the three-hour trip to Westchester twice a week for a while, for dialysis and check-ups with the transplant team. We’ll need to stay overnight, since those appointments will be first thing in the morning. Lauren will also be on anti-rejection medication the rest of her life. These things have come with emotional and financial tolls that were completely unexpected.

To that end, we’ve started this GoFundMe page, to help us meet the financial part of those demands. We’ve set a goal of $5000, but appreciate any help you can give.

-David Chirico