Hey everyone, my mother has been dealing with liver damage for the past year. It went undiagnosed for a while, but it progressively got worse to the point that my mother had to be rushed to the hospital, and she found out that she suffered severe liver damage. She stayed in the hospital for a while, slowly recovering since she lost a lot of blood, while dealing with slight brain damage and edema (water retention in the legs). She recovered and was okay for a bit, but all signs were pointing towards cirrhosis (scarring that damages the liver inevitably leading to liver failure), which has led to her skin feeling itchy and causes, at times, blood to splotch out. This causes additional problems due to her low blood levels. After the fourth hospital visit in 6 months, she was told by a team of doctors that she should be put on a list for a liver transplant. She is currently on the list and has met all of the requirements, but it is basically a waiting game. Either she eventually gets chosen to receive a new liver, or she gets to a point of being in critical condition that would lead her to have to be moved up along the list. She has not been able to work this entire time, and there have been issues with getting her disability checks, and transportation to the hospital can be tricky. The one provided by the hospital needs to be notified days in advance, or they cannot take her. Additionally, she has developed osteoporosis (a disease that weakens the bones) and her back has been in severe amounts of pain. Most days she is unable to move, and she requires a back brace in order to be able to move around the house. Her brain damage has continued to take its course. Some days she is barely able to think (due to high levels of ammonia being produced in the body), and she requires round-the-clock care, which has not been established yet, but I am working on that with her social worker.

This is just what is going on now and does not explain what she will go through after she has the liver transplant surgery. When she does have this procedure done, she will have to recover for around three to four months, and she won't be able to do much of anything. She will require someone with her at all times, which the hospital may provide, and she has a long road to functionality through physical therapy and regular hospital visits with numerous doctors for potentially years. My mother does want to live the rest of her life, and she understands the complications. It won't be an easy journey for her, but she is willing to try and figure it out.

Any kind of financial help will go to bills that she has to pay. Whether they are from the hospital, her own living expenses, or medical necessities, the funds will go all towards this. Anyone that personally knows my mom knows how good of a person she is, and how much she cares about other people. She has spent most of her life helping others figure out their problems, and freely talk about anything with her. She somehow worked a full-time job for most of her life, raised a child, and helped her mother with financial limitations all on her own. I hope everyone that reads this can see how deserving she is of some help. Thank you.