"Help Jonathan O'Brien!"

Jonathan O’Brien needs our help now.

Our dear friend, Jonathan O’Brien, a man with a saber wit and a big heart, needs our help to defray the costs of his extensive medical bills as he continues to regain his health. Sharing this GoFundMe anywhere you can would be so beneficial, and so appreciated!

What happened.

To say that Jonathan has had a difficult year is an understatement. 

At the end of 2017, Jonathan noticed that something wasn’t quite right. He started feeling lethargic, which for anyone who knows Jonathan, a talented, driven trainer for IGT Corporation who travelled the country and the world for his job, is rare.

Normally vibrant and energetic, Jonathan was fatigued like never before. He developed joint pain, was collecting fluid in his body, and his skin was turning yellow. His went from a fit 215lbs. to 185. Medical tests confirmed the worst— his liver was not functioning properly. Furthermore, this was not something that would go away.

The cause? Medication that was prescribed to him had not been properly monitored and attacked his organs. He would need a liver transplant. Over the spring, Jonathan became weaker and weaker. He wasn’t able to work, something he had always done with fervor. His organs were shutting down. He went in and out of extended hospital stays. While attempting to qualify for the organ transplant program at Massachusetts General Hospital, during a routine colonoscopy at a local facility, he picked up a blood infection and was hospitalized.  This caused his kidneys to start to fail and he was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital and spent 9 weeks in the ICU. Now he would need a double transplant.  Once the infection was resolved, a shunt was put into his heart and he was sent home for dialysis and weekly fluid drains and to wait. 

If Jonathan didn’t get a double transplant soon, he would perish. He was placed on the Organ Transplant List while in the ICU at  Mass General Hospital in Boston. With a rare blood type his odds were not good. He was sent home to wait. And then he waited. And waited. And waited.

Jonathan’s a survivor.

Throughout it all, he maintained a positive attitude, his fighting Irish spirit, and his formidable sense of humor. Finally, on April 28th, at his weakest point, weighing 155lbs., Jonathan was notified than a donor had been found, and on April 29th he received the gift of a new liver and kidney.

Not again.

But, as the new organs began to function, and he started the long road of recovery, the unthinkable happened.

A few days after his transplant, Jonathan noticed a lump on the right side of his face. A lump that was getting bigger by the day.  On June 27th,  just 7 weeks after double organ transplant surgery, he travelled back to Boston and received the devastating news.

An especially aggressive malignant tumor, fueled by the anti-rejection drugs, was growing rapidly. The complicated surgery was scheduled for the following Monday. Doctors planned to literally peel back the right side of Jonathan’s face, from his ear to his eye, to remove the cancer. Following surgery, he would have to undergo radiation treatments and plastic surgery to repair his face.

Down but not out.

What could have broken any person has not destroyed Jonathan.

He is resolved to fight and regain his health, but he now needs our help. Out of work for the last several months without income, Jonathan is at risk of losing his car, and he has been unable to contribute to his living expenses.

Right now, Jonathan, a man who has always given so much love to his friends, needs our help to recuperate, to defray his medical costs, and to prevent bankruptcy.

Please give what you can. Any amount will make a difference as he continues his fight. And help us get the word out by sharing this. Jonathan O’Brien has done so much for so many. Now it’s time to help our friend.

Please share, your help is so appreciated!