Chasing that second chance at life...

Some of you know me and some of you may not and that’s okay. My name is Lindsey Stockmann (Shaw) and I am a lifelong friend of Sammy and Travis Tackaberry.

Well, I’m not an author and I’m certainly not able to explain the hardships and challenges of my dearest friends over the last few months. I do know that this is the last possible situation that many of us want our family or closest friends to be in and when we don’t know how else to help - well, here I am trying anything.

So here goes…many of you may have heard (or maybe not), late last summer Travis Tackaberry was confirmed to be in “end of life” stage liver failure. Many of you know that leading up to this diagnosis there were several instances of health challenges involving surgery and even a stint with COVID which resulted in him being out of work for a prolonged period. Travis and Sammy have been working to navigate a whole new “normal” way of life since the diagnosis. This new normal has demanded a strict diet, regular visits to the hospital for treatment and navigating the “what ifs” that no one should be navigating at just 40 years old. With that being said, Travis is fortunate to have a very specialized medical team at SLU that is hoping to get him on the liver transplant list as soon as possible.

With that hope comes challenges to make sure he is strong enough to go through a transplant surgery and ensure his body stays healthy enough so that, if he is placed on the transplant list and granted a new liver when one would become available, his body would not reject it. Travis’ MELDS score has risen to uncomfortable levels which were accompanied by infection and required hospitalization on Christmas Day. He is out of the hospital for the time being though his declining health has created a sense of urgency amongst his liver team and seems to be expediting the process of trying to get him on the transplant list. This will require several very long days of evaluation and treatments down at SLU.

Over the next few months, Travis needs to focus on himself to gain strength when his body wants to fight back. However, Sammy and the kids will be fighting another kind of battle and will continue to struggle to make ends meet with a mounting stack of medical bills. From what we’re able to calculate she will need to take a substantial amount of time off of work to care for Travis with the very real possibility of losing some clientele over not being able to meet their demands. She’ll have travel expenses from escorting Travis to meet with doctors for treatment and testing as well as being ready at a moment's notice in the event he is placed on the transplant list. On top of that, she'll need help to manage the normal household duties while being a mom (homework, laundry, groceries, meals, etc.). Needless to say, a lot is going to happen and has happened that is taking a substantial toll on the entire family. We were going to have a benefit but due to how quickly things seem to be moving and not knowing how he’ll be feeling and risking his health in attending, we opted for GoFundMe to ease the strain on everyone trying to assist in his care.

I know Travis and Sammy would certainly NEVER ask for help. However, I do know that either one of them would happily lead the charge if this were to happen to a family member or friend. That is what we do. We are family and we pull each other up when the other is down. At this time, please please more than any donation you’re able to provide, we need your prayers for Travis, Sammy and the kids and grandbabies, the rest of their family as well as his medical team. I also pray for God to continue to lead their lives and guide them through these next few months, spiritually, mentally, physically and financially. Thank you for your time and I can certainly guarantee that they will appreciate any amount at all they receive.

Let us, together, get Big T back in this game we call life! Let's go #88!