Donate for Stephanie's Life-Saving Transplant

Hello Friends,

Several years ago, I was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. Despite making several lifestyle changes and working towards bettering my health, I started to develop ascites, which is an accumulation of fluid in the body that requires various procedures to “drain” the fluid. It increases the risk for infection and can cause other health issues. My “liver team” decided I should have a procedure called “TIPS” to help my body better shift that fluid for a better quality of life. Unfortunately, this procedure can also be a risk factor in increasing, along with the disease itself, something called hepatic encephalopathy (HE).

Following the TIPS procedure, I was listed to be on the waiting list for a liver transplant (December of 2022). The first 6 months following the TIPS procedure was amazing. I was able to do things with my family, play with my nephews, and generally keep doing chores at home or help with our pets. I began to fill up with fluid again and started to have episodes of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) that causes me to be confused, have slurry speech, not have control over my body, and renders me completely useless.

I began having to be admitted to the hospital off and on last year and this year I have spent about as much time in the hospital as out, one time being unresponsive for about a week and requiring intubation. Needless to say, I am not able to help out at home anymore. I am on oxygen much of the time, need a wheelchair for most outings and my husband Jeremy, and my family, do what they can to help. These episodes can be sudden, can last for up to a week, and are burdensome on my family, especially my elderly parents and Jeremy.

Jeremy has kept working in his 3rd shift job as we need the health insurance. This has been a blessing. My family has helped with some needed home repairs, vet bills, cleaning, and taking care of my pets when I have to go to Iowa City or Nebraska for more specialized care. We discussed doing a “Go Fund Me” page as a family some time ago and we all agreed that we would try to make this work without asking for help.

At this juncture, we have come to realize that with the medical bills piling up, the help my family has already given, and with a hopefully upcoming transplant, we just need to ask our community for assistance. We are so grateful to anyone who might be able to contribute. We are so hopeful for a transplant. We have heard excellent things about the Nebraska team we are now working with and have learned from them more about some of the upcoming costs that will come with transplant.

If you are able to help, the assistance would go towards our current medical bills (currently approximately $10,000), upcoming vet bills for our elderly pets, the cost of living following transplant, which is estimated to be about $5,000.00 for our housing and food in Nebraska for approximately 6 weeks, and the medication and medical bills for ongoing care post-operation, especially the year following transplant. Jeremy has continued to work diligently to maintain our home, care for our home and pets, visit me daily when I am hospitalized, all while maintaining a full time overnight shift. Following transplant, he will be able to take some time off via FMLA, which will obviously impact our ability to stay current on bills.

Again, we are so grateful you would even read this far to learn more about our lives, and are thankful to anyone who is able to help. We would also encourage you to consider being an organ donor and learning more about organ donation.

Thank you!

Stephanie and Jeremy Gorsuch