Help Us Care for Cary's Family

Soxman Funeral Home

Friends will be received on Monday, March 27 at Soxman Funeral Home, located at 7450 Saltsburg Road in Penn Hills, from 2:00-4:00pm and 6:00-8:00pm. Service will take place on Tuesday. (more details to come)

March 25, 2023

It is with a broken heart that I bring this update. With her husband and three beautiful children by her side, Cary passed away early this morning. She fought a battle against time and while waiting to be put back on the transplant list, her body and organs just couldn't keep up. Cary was an angel on earth, a dedicated and loving wife and mother, and a dear and loyal friend to so many. Jason and the kids want you all to know how much your love, generosity and prayers have meant to them. Thank you. And until we meet again Cary, we love you.

March 20, 2023 - Update

To recap...

On March 3, despite not having any symptoms, Cary was put into a 10-day quarantine after the hospital told them that she tested positive for Covid just before she was taken back for her liver transplant (a viable organ donor from Tennessee was a match). Disappointed and confused because she tested negative just hours before, they went home. The next morning she tested negative with 2 home tests and 1 test at MedExpress.

Today's update...

Cary and her family need your support and prayers now more than ever. The 10-day quarantine came and went and Cary did not get put back on the transplant list. Instead, she is facing a new host of issues.

On March 8, Cary went to the Emergency Room due to confusion, fluid, swelling, and her ammonia and sodium levels being unstable. She was almost immediately moved to the ICU, where only 1 person can visit her for 1 hour each day. She is still in the ICU. On top of her levels being unstable, her breathing was strained and she was aspirating fluid in her lungs and throughout her body, due to her liver and kidneys not being able to do their job. She was also bleeding internally and it was unclear from where it was coming. She has received countless bags of blood and had several scoping tests done to find the source of the bleeding. There was a hernia found and a mesh was used to help with clotting, but the bleeding continued. Yesterday she received 7 units of blood within 24 hours. If the bleeding is not corrected, she may no longer be considered a candidate for a transplant.

She has been heavily sedated for the past week - since Monday, March 13. At that time she was put on a ventilator and breathing tube, a PICC line/catheter, IV and a feeding tube. On top of all of this, the doctors don't know if she has a bad infection or pneumonia because her white blood cell count is elevated. She was tested for Covid again and the result was again negative. They are treating her for an infection.

Cary needs so much love, support and prayers sent her way. She is in multiple organ failure and her liver and kidneys are shutting down. She began kidney dialysis yesterday and the doctors are hopeful that it will reduce the fluid throughout her body and help with the blood issues. As of this morning, she did not need any additional blood and most of her bloodwork came back decent.

This family just isn't catching a break and every turn adds another element of difficulty. While managing the endless worry, keeping oversight of the doctors, financially supporting the family and being the emotional support for the kids, Jason is worn out. Please keep Cary and her family in your prayers. Your prayers and support mean everything to this family.

March 10, 2023 - Update

First, thank you for the love, generosity and prayers. Cary, Jason and the kids are overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of support from family, friends and neighbors.

Cary has been in and out of the hospital with countless X-Rays, EKGs and blood work to ensure that she is ready for surgery as soon a donor becomes available. Keeping her ammonia and sodium at normal levels has been an ongoing struggle due to her lack of liver function and strain on her kidneys. This has been the biggest challenge as she waits for a donor.

On Thursday, March 2, they received a phone call. The nurse told them to come to the hospital because they had a donor! Early the next morning they arrived at the hospital. She went through another round of pre-surgery testing (including a covid test that was negative) and bloodwork. She was prepped and ready for her life-saving surgery at 7:00am.

When they took her back for surgery they learned that the organ donor’s liver was not viable. In fact, it was in worse condition than her own. Spirits and hopes crushed, they were sent home.

Later that night they received a call to come back to the hospital. There was a new match from an organ donor in Tennessee! They returned to the hospital around 11:00pm, repeated the testing and she was prepped for surgery. They expected her to be taken back around 3:00am.

Instead of being taken back for surgery, she learned that she tested positive for covid. They were shocked because she had no symptoms and she had just tested negative hours earlier for the first surgery. She could not receive the transplant and was sent home again. Even worse, she was taken off the transplant list for 10 days and forced to quarantine.

The next day, two home tests and one rapid test all came back negative, but nothing could be done to reduce the 10-day wait because even with trace amounts of the covid virus, the transplant anti-rejection medication could cause serious risk.

On Wednesday, March 15 - they will be at the 10-day mark and hopefully back on the list and waiting for a donor.

Please keep your prayers coming!! Time is precious and your support is giving them the strength they need to fight and win this battle.

February 6, 2023 - Original Post

Writing a Go Fund Me description for my best friend is not something that I ever, in a million years, thought I would be faced with doing. But here I am, doing just that, telling Cary's story.

Cary DiBiase is in desperate need of a liver transplant, due to an Alpha1 antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency, or Alpha-1, for short. It is a hereditary and progressive condition that attacks the liver. Her fight began back in October of last year and progressed very quickly. Today, just a few months later, she finds herself in desperate need of an organ donor or living donor match. Without a transplant, her doctors give her 3 months to live.

Those who know Cary, know that she is the one who makes others' struggles her own, who steps up and comes to the rescue of her friends and neighbors, and who is the constant that her husband, children and family know they can count on. She is the definition of the word selfless, always giving, and giving and giving. Knowing that people are supporting and helping her will be a concept that is difficult for her to comprehend, one that will be humbling and hard to accept, but also appreciated in a way that words can't describe.

This fundraiser will help ease the financial burden that comes with a life turned upside down, unpredictable expenses, lost work, trips to the hospital and all of the other unexpected challenges faced by Cary and her family.

Please give what you can and know that ANY donation is greatly appreciated. To learn more about what is involved with becoming a living donor and whether you are a match for Cary, please follow this link.

UPMC Living Donor