Caitlin’s Emergency Liver Transplant
Donation protected
Meet our cousin Caitlin! She is a beautiful 26-year-old day care assistant, model and hip-hop dancer. The weekend of June 8th, Caitlin’s life changed forever.
Caitlin started feeling nauseous and began throwing up all weekend with no improvement. By Monday, June 10th, she was getting worse and decided to go to Urgent Care. After running preliminary tests, she was sent to Unity Hospital in Greece, NY. More tests showed abnormalities with her liver and they hinted at liver failure. Later that evening, she was transported via ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital (University of Rochester) in NY. Although very close to Greece, Strong is one of the best hospitals on the east coast, and thankfully the best place for Caitlin.
That started a whirlwind of questions, emotions, and so much more - not only for Caitlin, but for her family as well. At only 26 years old, she was not getting any better and the doctors were grasping for answers. She had lived a normal, healthy life up to this point. By Tuesday, only three days after starting to feel ill, her liver was failing. Caitlin was put into a medically-induced coma. Quickly, her body went into acute liver failure and she was put on life support.
Everything was happening so fast! Caitlin’s only option was a donated liver; her frantic family offered to be tested as matches. Doctors said there was no time, as it was that urgent. Out of 17,000 people in the US awaiting a donor liver, Caitlin was quickly moved to the top of the list.
Within hours, by the grace of God and a wonderful donor family, a liver was found and flown in! After three days at Strong, Caitlin was scheduled for liver transplant surgery on Thursday. At 4:00pm that day, their pastor, Pastor Corey Keyes, came to the hospital to pray over Caitlin. Everyone rallied together, and family and friends from across the country all prayed at 4:00pm. They prayed for Caitlin’s health, the doctors and nurses gentle hands, a successful surgery, and especially the donor’s family.
After approximately 10 hours of surgery, doctors were cautiously optimistic about Caitlin’s outcome. Each day was an unknown. After surgery, Caitlin’s skin slowly started to get less yellow, and by Saturday her breathing tube was removed. Monday, she was back in the operating room for another two hours of surgery to clean out and close the incision, as her body was too swollen to be closed up during the initial surgery.
Caitlin remained in ICU for several days as she needed daily blood transfusions. She is definitely a fighter and days later she was moved into a regular room. Ten days from admittance, Caitlin was released from the hospital!
Caitlin woke up not even realizing that she had received a donor liver. To date, they still do not know the cause of her acute liver failure. She is staying with her mom, who is now also out of work caring for her. It is necessary for Caitlin to visit the organ transplant clinic two times per week, have two blood draws per week, a visiting nurse at home, PT and OT. She will be on medication for the rest of her life. Hopefully there will be no complications, but that is not a guarantee. Our cousin will be out of work for at least six months to a year and medical bills will total over $1,000,000. Yes, that’s ONE MILLION DOLLARS! Not to mention, her medical bills will be ongoing for life.
Caitlin desperately needs help with expenses; the first day in the hospital was over $30,000.00. With minimal insurance, the costs are still astronomical. Continual blood draws, visiting nurses, a hospital bed for home, lifelong medications and tests, not to mention day-to-day costs when both her and her mom are now currently out of work.
Please consider donating to this strong, beautiful young woman who is just 26, and her amazing ongoing story. Also, please tell your friends and family to save a life and become an organ donor!
Caitlin started feeling nauseous and began throwing up all weekend with no improvement. By Monday, June 10th, she was getting worse and decided to go to Urgent Care. After running preliminary tests, she was sent to Unity Hospital in Greece, NY. More tests showed abnormalities with her liver and they hinted at liver failure. Later that evening, she was transported via ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital (University of Rochester) in NY. Although very close to Greece, Strong is one of the best hospitals on the east coast, and thankfully the best place for Caitlin.
That started a whirlwind of questions, emotions, and so much more - not only for Caitlin, but for her family as well. At only 26 years old, she was not getting any better and the doctors were grasping for answers. She had lived a normal, healthy life up to this point. By Tuesday, only three days after starting to feel ill, her liver was failing. Caitlin was put into a medically-induced coma. Quickly, her body went into acute liver failure and she was put on life support.
Everything was happening so fast! Caitlin’s only option was a donated liver; her frantic family offered to be tested as matches. Doctors said there was no time, as it was that urgent. Out of 17,000 people in the US awaiting a donor liver, Caitlin was quickly moved to the top of the list.
Within hours, by the grace of God and a wonderful donor family, a liver was found and flown in! After three days at Strong, Caitlin was scheduled for liver transplant surgery on Thursday. At 4:00pm that day, their pastor, Pastor Corey Keyes, came to the hospital to pray over Caitlin. Everyone rallied together, and family and friends from across the country all prayed at 4:00pm. They prayed for Caitlin’s health, the doctors and nurses gentle hands, a successful surgery, and especially the donor’s family.
After approximately 10 hours of surgery, doctors were cautiously optimistic about Caitlin’s outcome. Each day was an unknown. After surgery, Caitlin’s skin slowly started to get less yellow, and by Saturday her breathing tube was removed. Monday, she was back in the operating room for another two hours of surgery to clean out and close the incision, as her body was too swollen to be closed up during the initial surgery.
Caitlin remained in ICU for several days as she needed daily blood transfusions. She is definitely a fighter and days later she was moved into a regular room. Ten days from admittance, Caitlin was released from the hospital!
Caitlin woke up not even realizing that she had received a donor liver. To date, they still do not know the cause of her acute liver failure. She is staying with her mom, who is now also out of work caring for her. It is necessary for Caitlin to visit the organ transplant clinic two times per week, have two blood draws per week, a visiting nurse at home, PT and OT. She will be on medication for the rest of her life. Hopefully there will be no complications, but that is not a guarantee. Our cousin will be out of work for at least six months to a year and medical bills will total over $1,000,000. Yes, that’s ONE MILLION DOLLARS! Not to mention, her medical bills will be ongoing for life.
Caitlin desperately needs help with expenses; the first day in the hospital was over $30,000.00. With minimal insurance, the costs are still astronomical. Continual blood draws, visiting nurses, a hospital bed for home, lifelong medications and tests, not to mention day-to-day costs when both her and her mom are now currently out of work.
Please consider donating to this strong, beautiful young woman who is just 26, and her amazing ongoing story. Also, please tell your friends and family to save a life and become an organ donor!
Organizer and beneficiary
Heather Luft Smedley
Organizer
Myrtle Beach, SC
Caitlin Zielinski
Beneficiary