Hope and Healing - Paula's Liver Transplant
Donation protected
My Story of Hope and Healing
My name is Leapaula, but everyone calls me Paula. I am a single mother of three children, one in college, and a grandmother of two beautiful grandbabies. I am one who loves the Lord with all my heart.
On my darkest days, when the chronic and severe symptoms of Lupus and Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) fight to take over my body, I will not give up. Relentless fatigue, severe joint pain, chronic itching, and the inability to concentrate threaten daily to bring me down. But, how can I give up when my God, loving family, and faithful friends keep walking this journey of hope and healing with me, every step of the way?
Today, my greatest hope is a liver transplant. I am in end stage liver failure. PBC, a rare and incurable autoimmune disease causes my immune system to attack the bile ducts in my liver eventually leading to liver failure. Simply put, a liver transplant means life.
Recently, I received a call from Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC that I am on the liver transplant list and they are testing candidates that might be a match. I am overjoyed, overwhelmed but most of all, I am grateful to the donor who will give me the greatest gift of all – LIFE!
I am making this appeal to you with a hopeful heart – my family, my friends, and to people who don’t know me at all. After the liver transplant, I will live in NYC for three months where I will receive additional medical treatment and careful monitoring. During this time period, I will need a team of six people who will serve as my caretakers – wonderful family and friends who will donate a week at a time to care for me. All donations will be used to cover significant living and travel expenses for me and my care team during this crucial recovery period.
I enjoyed my work as a medical billing supervisor until 2017 when my symptoms became so severe, I could no longer work. As my savings ran out, I struggled to pay my bills, I lost my car and became homeless. I have applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and my case is currently under review. If two devastating diseases are not enough, I have also had to deal with losing my financial independence. The bright side? The outpouring of love and support from my family, friends, and church family proves that there is no shortage of human kindness.
Thank you for your prayers as I wait for a liver donor. And thank you for thoughtfully considering making a gift to this fund. Although my story may seem tragic to some, I have learned that when you have hope in your heart, healing and the promise of brighter tomorrows is possible. God Bless You!
PAULA’s UPDATE: 12/22/19
We pray that you have a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends.
It is time for the latest update on Paula's health.
As she continues wait for a living liver donor.
Paula's health continues to deteriorate. She is in end stage liver failure as evidenced by increased relentless, systemic itching along with bloodwork that extremely abnormal with multiple critically low vitamin levels.
She has also developed ascites along with esophageal varices which can rupture at anytime and can be life-threatening.
She is currently receiving SSDI and now has her own apartment. This was huge answer to prayer.
If you are interested in becoming a living donor for Paula he blood type is B+ and for more information on living donation please visit www.nyclt.org/livingdonor or by calling 1-212-659-8351. If this link does not work please copy/paste in your browser.
We ask that you prayerfully consider your most generous donation to help her travel to Mt.Sinai for her necessary health evaluations every three months while she waits for a donor.
We pray for God's abundant blessings for you as we enter this most holy season celebrating the birth of Jesus and ask that, in this season of giving, you prayerfully consider becoming a donor and your financial support toward Paula's financial needs for her transplant.
God bless you all with love,peace and joy as we embark a new year.
My name is Leapaula, but everyone calls me Paula. I am a single mother of three children, one in college, and a grandmother of two beautiful grandbabies. I am one who loves the Lord with all my heart.
On my darkest days, when the chronic and severe symptoms of Lupus and Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) fight to take over my body, I will not give up. Relentless fatigue, severe joint pain, chronic itching, and the inability to concentrate threaten daily to bring me down. But, how can I give up when my God, loving family, and faithful friends keep walking this journey of hope and healing with me, every step of the way?
Today, my greatest hope is a liver transplant. I am in end stage liver failure. PBC, a rare and incurable autoimmune disease causes my immune system to attack the bile ducts in my liver eventually leading to liver failure. Simply put, a liver transplant means life.
Recently, I received a call from Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC that I am on the liver transplant list and they are testing candidates that might be a match. I am overjoyed, overwhelmed but most of all, I am grateful to the donor who will give me the greatest gift of all – LIFE!
I am making this appeal to you with a hopeful heart – my family, my friends, and to people who don’t know me at all. After the liver transplant, I will live in NYC for three months where I will receive additional medical treatment and careful monitoring. During this time period, I will need a team of six people who will serve as my caretakers – wonderful family and friends who will donate a week at a time to care for me. All donations will be used to cover significant living and travel expenses for me and my care team during this crucial recovery period.
I enjoyed my work as a medical billing supervisor until 2017 when my symptoms became so severe, I could no longer work. As my savings ran out, I struggled to pay my bills, I lost my car and became homeless. I have applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and my case is currently under review. If two devastating diseases are not enough, I have also had to deal with losing my financial independence. The bright side? The outpouring of love and support from my family, friends, and church family proves that there is no shortage of human kindness.
Thank you for your prayers as I wait for a liver donor. And thank you for thoughtfully considering making a gift to this fund. Although my story may seem tragic to some, I have learned that when you have hope in your heart, healing and the promise of brighter tomorrows is possible. God Bless You!
PAULA’s UPDATE: 12/22/19
We pray that you have a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends.
It is time for the latest update on Paula's health.
As she continues wait for a living liver donor.
Paula's health continues to deteriorate. She is in end stage liver failure as evidenced by increased relentless, systemic itching along with bloodwork that extremely abnormal with multiple critically low vitamin levels.
She has also developed ascites along with esophageal varices which can rupture at anytime and can be life-threatening.
She is currently receiving SSDI and now has her own apartment. This was huge answer to prayer.
If you are interested in becoming a living donor for Paula he blood type is B+ and for more information on living donation please visit www.nyclt.org/livingdonor or by calling 1-212-659-8351. If this link does not work please copy/paste in your browser.
We ask that you prayerfully consider your most generous donation to help her travel to Mt.Sinai for her necessary health evaluations every three months while she waits for a donor.
We pray for God's abundant blessings for you as we enter this most holy season celebrating the birth of Jesus and ask that, in this season of giving, you prayerfully consider becoming a donor and your financial support toward Paula's financial needs for her transplant.
God bless you all with love,peace and joy as we embark a new year.Organizer and beneficiary
Lory Matthews
Organizer
Baldwinsville, NY
Leapaula Straughter
Beneficiary