Help Chad Paget With His Liver Transplant Journey

To know Chad is to know that he’s always first to help everyone else…..he has devoted a large portion of his life to being there for others as a first responder (EMS, FD, HAZMAT)……well, now is the time that we are asking for some help in return……

Chad was diagnosed with early stage liver cancer in January……thankfully this was caught early and we were able to jump right in with kicking this aggressive tumor’s ass…..the complication comes as Chad has already been battling liver disease (NASH) for the better part of 20 years and the most effective way to completely eradicate the chance of reoccurrence of the cancerous tissue is to go forward with a liver transplant. We are moving forward with the Living Donor Program through UPMC…..

If you have a calling to help others and are an O+ blood type (even if you are O- you can be considered) please consider contacting UPMC Transplant Services to be screened as a living donor…….details are listed in the link below…….you must be 18-55 years old, in relatively good health and have a support person to care for you during your recovery……trust us, even sharing this to spread the word means a lot to us……

https://www.upmc.com/services/transplant/living-donor

Chad had his “Bridge to Transplant” surgery almost a week ago…..the tumor was removed as well as a lot of surrounding tissue…..core samples were taken……everything was sent to pathology……Chad came through the surgery REALLY well and the surgical team was EXTREMELY pleased with how everything went!!! Chad spent a night in the hospital for observation and has been recovering at home since…..he is already back working at his main job as a Sr. Network Engineer (computer stuff. Beep beep. Boop boop), but unfortunately he cannot return to the ambulances until he is cleared by his medical team….so we are already taking a financial hit :-(

Buckle up for the BIG update…….this tumor was, in fact, cancerous…..and core samples of his liver confirmed that he has progressed to early stage cirrhosis :-( Meaning that, yes, the liver transplant is absolutely happening and it will likely happen fairly quickly……we have multiple appointments at multiple hospitals on April 3 to finish “crossing T’s and dotting I’s” (as they say)……we DO NOT have a date for transplant yet…..but we DO have several solid leads in progress for a living donor….and for that we are more grateful than we could ever outwardly express

This brings me to my next point……and this is difficult to even ask as we are NOT used to asking for help….WE are the helpers….but who helps the helpers??? We are really going to need some financial assistance to get through the transplant and recovery…..we are going to have a HUGE loss of income as both Chad and I will not be able to work for a solid 2-3 months once the transplant surgery takes place….we each work 2 jobs in the medical field…..our biggest concern isn’t the medical cost but the everyday bills that will need to be continued to be paid while we are off…..plus the incidentals (gas, parking at the hospital, groceries, etc)…..our BIGGEST concern is trying to keep life as normal as possible for Anthony (our 9 year old son)…..we cannot let our lack of income interrupt his schooling or activities….at this point all of that is what is keeping Anthony from letting his anxiety cripple him…..Angie (our 21 year old daughter) is being a HUGE help to us while attending college and working full time….

*sigh* this really is a lot to process :-(

So here is our crowdfunding online fundraising effort…..our plea for help…..please share it when you see it….we didn’t really want to set a goal but this fundraising platform requires it….we really will need all the help we can get and we are so very thankful for anything you are able and willing to give…..asking for help really isn’t in our wheelhouse at all, but sometimes the helpers need help…..

Thank you all for your love and support…. Chad, Deana, Angie, and Anthony