Jacob's Transplant Journey

It has been 13 years since the Friest family first received word of Jacob's diagnosis of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). Since that time, Jacob has experience the slow and steady degeneration of the bile ducts of his liver that has caused him repeated deep infections, required multiple surgeries and procedures, and necessitated frequent trips to the ER, especially in recent months.

A liver transplant is the only known cure of PSC, and in recent months, by the grace and preparation of God, not only was Jacob placed on the liver transplant list, but a living donor, Paul Springer, has been found.

The process of liver transplant requires that the donor and recipient remain proximate to the hospital for a sustained period of time (somewhere between 4-8 weeks). Childcare, expenses incident to with living away from home, medical bills, transportation costs, medication costs for the years upcoming, etc. are all part of the whole undertaking that will need to be attended to in short order. And, while much of a medical and illness fundraising campaign focuses on the patient and the disease itself, all of us would like to see the families have opportunities for healing together from the unpredictability, uncertainty, and overall strain that chronic illness can bring to a home. Monetary support can do a lot to that end!

Jacob's transplant is scheduled for June 3rd, 2021. The time is coming quickly that funds will be welcome. We encourage you to join our family in supporting the Friest's and Springer's families and contributing to this effort in what way you can.

Thank you