Donate to Michael Taylor’s Liver Transplant Recovery

Raising funds to help with our father’s recovery and ongoing care.

After years of facing health challenges, our dad, Michael received a life-saving liver transplant on January 22, 2025. We are grateful that he is on a strong path towards recovery and you can hear him directly through his CaringBridge webpage.

Michael and his wife Val are grateful for all the support they have already received such as friends bringing nourishing meals, running errands, reaching out, and helping with snow shoveling.

They are now accepting financial support because while insurance covered the surgery, the recovery requires extensive and expensive follow-up care and our dad needs help covering that which insurance does not. This fund goes towards supporting his goals: spending time with friends and family, taking long bike rides, sharing joy and gratitude for life with the world around him, and continuing to give back to the community.

Our dad’s financial support needs include: the cost of post-op care beyond insurance payments, travel costs to far too many medical appointments two hours from home, hotel stays near the hospital for his wife during two recent hospital stays, some reduced family income due to time off work, and lifelong immunosuppressant medication copays.

You’re invited to donate what you feel comfortable with but we understand this form of support is not for everyone.

As you may know, Michael led small non-profit affordable housing agencies most of his career. Although the agencies provided affordable housing to formerly homeless and very low income families, it did not provide retirement programs for staff, nor was the salary more than the immediate needs of our household. So, he is still working at 67 with small savings. These added costs add a financial strain at this time.

Thank you for considering this request.

Michael’s Story

At 18, Michael had a traumatic ski accident that caused significant internal injuries and required a blood transfusion during surgery. This was a time before Hepatitis C was screened for in the blood supply. Decades went by, during which he had an active life, began a meaningful career, and started a family.

At the age of 42, a year and half after his daughter Ana was born, Michael had a physical where he learned that he had Hepatitis C and that the virus had caused cirrhosis (damage) to his liver. At the time, there was no cure and he was told that he had about 15 years to live.

Five years later, a cure for Hep C was developed and Michael began a 48-week challenging treatment of weekly interferon shots. Unfortunately, the virus resisted the treatment. Several years later, another drug was developed and after another challenging 48 weeks of treatment, it did work. However, the damage to his liver had already been done and he would require regular liver disease screenings for the rest of his life.

In June 2023, liver cancer was found on a routine screening. Although that tumor was successfully treated with radiation, he was told that the cancer would very likely return and could be more threatening next time, and the only long-term cure was a liver transplant. He then completed a year-long process to prepare for and become active on the transplant waiting list.

The Transplant

Miraculously, on Tuesday, 1/21/25, a liver match was made and we all went to the hospital while he was prepped for surgery early on the morning of 1/22/25. After four hours in surgery, we got the call that it was a successful surgery, and we cheered. Everything matched, everything went smoothly.

There are a million reasons to be grateful, foremost among them that Michael now has a chance for a long, healthy life, and we all have deep gratitude to the deceased organ donor and their family who chose to give the gift of life.

We are profoundly thankful for your support, love, and generosity.

Even if you cannot donate, please consider registering as an organ donor. You could save a life!

You can register as an organ donor here.