Most Wonderful Person

My beautiful wife, Marcia, is facing a liver transplant in the near future.  She has had to retire from a job she loved for 24 years, working with foster children, due to her illness. She had purchased short term disability and she received a check for two years but that has ended. I am attempting to ease stress for her as much as possible, so I have started this website in hopes of accomplishing that end.
  To give you a little background about us, though if you know me you already know our story, I love to tell people, I will make it as short as possible.
  We dated in high school, fell in love and ran off to get married at 16. Our parents stopped that and we weren't allowed to see each other. We both ended up marrying others and each of us had 3 wonderful kids.
  In 2004, I divorced and was about to go on the road driving, (something I had been doing for years), planning on just living on the road, (all my kids were grown and out on their own). On my way to start my new life, I just had to find Marcia once more, just to see how she had done in life. Turns out, she had divorced years before me, had one child still at home, but had never re-married. On my way to Nashville to pick up my coach,(I was a entertainment tour coach driver and had several tours already lined up),we had a long lunch, and after talking for about 4 hours and realizing I may have a second chance at what I felt was finding my true "soul mate", I decided I had to stay. 5 months later we married, and I've never been happier. I've never known what real love was, and, for the first time, I am free to be how I really am,(no eggshells).We figured we had not spoken, seen, or had any contact for over 17 years, yet it feels like we never parted. We laughed, played, talked, and loved, like we never skipped a beat. We now have 6 wonderful children, 10 beautiful grandchildren ages 5 months to 13 years, and a wonderful life together.  We have most of them over frequently, some weekly.   
   Let me say first, we do have medical insurance, and it will pay for a majority of the medical bills. But a majority of between an estimated 300k and 400k medical expense still leaves a looming and daunting figure. Even 10 to 20 percent remaining after insurance will mean a 30k to 80k bill.
   She has already had 4 hospital stays this year due to her illness, the last in May that almost cost her her life. A burst verisees vein in her throat caused massive bleeding, using over 20 units of blood and a 11 day ICU stay, the first 3 days in a coma and on a ventilator. Insurance did pay for most of the almost 100k bill, the rest I will be making payments on, but it will be paid . 
   There are other unforeseen bills that are going to make a large difference. After the transplant we will be required to literally move to the Nashville area for approximately 30 days once she is released from the hospital. Vanderbilt requires we stay within 60 minutes of the hospital for this recovery period, no exceptions. Living 88 miles from the hospital is beyond their approval as I would have to break speed limit laws to get there in the time frame, plus the danger poised to others and ourselves.
  I will probably attempt to find a furnished vacation home around Nashville for this time, which will cost 4k to 5k for a furnished home. She will need 24/7 care during this time, and due to her medically compromised immune system she is very susceptible to any virus, so we are looking for seclusion. 
     What savings we had is gone, and her income reduced to less than half after her temporary disability stopped. I have been selling some of our assets, and work 30 hours per week for UCHRA as well as maintain our investment rental property. I really feel going back OTR is not an option with our waiting for her transplant, as well as her frequent medical appointments and hospital stays. 
     To conclude, I love her, I trust my Lord, Jesus Christ, to carry us through this, and I will do whatever I have too, to make sure I know I can do no more. I miss her playful, joking, energetic and mischievous personality. Nowadays, she is un-comfortable, has little energy, takes over a dozen different meds per day and we are unable to go camping and hiking which we both enjoyed so much. Even our daily walks occur rarely now.
  Her doctor commented that her body and mind have forgotten what it feels like to feel good, but it will remember once the transplant is done.    
  I am asking for help from both people I know and those I don't. I know, in times past, I have shown arrogance, pride, and attitude of intolerance. But please know that now, I humbly ask for forgiveness and prayer. 
  I also want to encourage everyone to sign your organ donor card on the back of your drivers liscense. If something happens to you, just know that you have possibly given the gift of life to others, so in a way you will be living through others and possibly giving them a blessed life and maybe even a chance to pay it forward.
   For those that give, THANK YOU and may GOD BLESS YOU. For those that won't or can't, PLEASE FORGIVE ME and GOD BLESS YOU also.
                                                Gary

P.S. Please send this to other friends