Emergency Liver Transplant for Richard Sedgwick

In January of 2025, my stepdad, Richard Sedgwick, went to his doctor complaining of an upset stomach with bloating. She ordered many tests over the course of the past few months, but things just were not getting better. In fact, he developed jaundice and was gaining weight. Blood tests came back showing he was full of fluid and his iron was high, but due to the jaundice, she was sending him to a liver specialist for further evaluation. Upon his first visit, it was determined he was in what we thought was acute liver failure and his MELD score was 17. They had scheduled a paracentesis to drain the fluid and found he had ascites and enlarged veins in his throat that were seeping, which they were going to keep an eye on.

On Wednesday, May 7, he rushed to Lewistown Hospital and his MELD score had jumped from 17 to 26 in a matter of 2 weeks, and they had to pull the fluid sooner than scheduled. They pulled over 7 liters of fluid from his stomach and put him on the emergency transplant list. On Monday, May 12, they traveled down to Geisinger in Danville, and he was admitted to be evaluated by their team of liver specialists. They pulled an additional 2 and a half liters of fluid off him and determined he was in the end stages of liver disease(non alcoholic,but may be linked to genetics).

With so many more doctor's appointments and trips to Lewistown and Danville, and a possible month-long trip to Philadelphia if he receives a liver, they are in need of help. He has tried to push through and continue to work, but now he is out of work permanently. We are doing everything we can to get him some help, but any little bit will help. He is a beloved father, husband, and grandfather. He would love to see his grandbabies grow up, his youngest being 4 months old.