This fundraiser has been started on behalf of John Lukes in order to help him remain eligible for a liver transplant. Unfortunately, not only is John waiting for a liver transplant, his dental health is deteriorating quickly as well.

As many of you may or may not know, John Lukes is currently on the Liver Transplant List. John has a rare liver disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) is a disease of the bile ducts inside the liver which causes scarring and narrowing of the ducts, which gradually causes severe liver damage. Many who suffer from PSC also suffer from Crohn’s and colitis.

John was diagnosed with PSC in early 2017 and was put on the liver transplant list at Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin in February of 2019. The last few years have been nothing short of a struggle for John. Since his diagnosis he has been unable to work (which he wants to do more than anything). On a daily basis, he deals with unsurmountable levels of fatigue and lack of energy, abdominal pain, pancreatic pain, gastrointestinal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, just to name a few.

John went through a lengthy process just to be accepted to he liver transplant list. One of the requirements is to maintain proper oral health. Why should this matter to be listed, you ask? Your mouth can be a source of infection and infection is no good for a transplant both pre and post transplant. Also, transplant patients need to maintain proper nutrition and with poor oral health, this can be difficult.

Unfortunately, although John is an avid brusher & flosser, this is not enough to battle the cruelties of chronic liver disease. His teeth have weakened over the years due to liver failure & certain medications. And sadly, his only choice at this point is to have all of his teeth removed and full dentures put it in.

With John being unable to work due to the nature of the disease, he is on state insurance. This does not cover the procedure and treatment that John needs to have done.

Those of you that know John, know that he has a smile that will warms the heart of everyone he meets. It's always been difficult for John to swallow his pride and ask for help, but both he and his family need it. His wife works hard to pay the daily bills, but they were blindsided by this bump in the road.

Long story short, if John can’t get the dental treatment he deserves, he will be unable to maintain proper nutrition. Without proper nutrition, his health will deteriorate and if he has any sign of infection when he does get the transplant call, he may or may not get it.

A smile is something most people take for granted, and John has a great one! Let’s help him to keep on smiling throughout the hardest time of his life so he can continue to smile once he does get his second lease on life!