Kevin's Transplant Journey
Doação protegida
I wasn't going to do this, still kind of hesitant, but as I sit here on this Sunday Evening watching my mother who is exhausted, worried, and stressing over not missing work but needing to take care of her husband I decided to push forward and post this.....
So as many of you know by now my dad was diagnosed last year with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Liver Cancer) 2 weeks before Christmas. He was already placed on the liver transplant list a 1 year prior due to liver disease but his MELD score bumped him up on list to receive the Liver transplant. He received several calls but each time we came in the organ wasn't in the best condition or perfect match. However, after the 1st call we found out he needed a Kidney as well because he was beginning to go into kidney failure. With that said.... the journey continued until he finally got the 4th call: Liver & Kidney perfect match!
So it began September 6th.... he received a new liver & kidney from the same donor... the transplant was successful! However, within 24 hours he had a clot in his artery supplying blood to the liver so they had to go back in and remove the clot. This then lead to other complications causing him to return to the OR 5 more times within the next 7 days for: (kidney's were insulted/weren't working & 30% damage to the new liver of which this new dead tissue was removed (a procedure that had not yet been done on a transplant liver here ever so it was the 1st of its kind here but there had been talks of it before so they consulted their mentor doctors in Italy, Michigan, California and they were successful with my dad)..... (normally the stay would have been 7-10 days but God had a different plan for my dad.......so 5 operations later, 3 weeks in SICU (surgical intensive care unit), and 2 weeks on Transplant Floor my dad was finally able to come home in October! :-)
(he's lost a lot of weight, had to learn to walk again amongst other daily life things...but is slowly but surely progressing despite more obstacles involving his heart)
Now for those of you who know my mom know that she loves her family & husband sooo much! She would do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING for him. She knew he would be expecting the organ soon & that financially life was going to be different since my dad wouldn't be able to work for a while right after his transplant (that has now changed to 6 months or more) & their income would be cut in half relying solely on hers to pay all of the household & medical bills. She spent many days working extra hours over the summer to save some extra money for upcoming expenses. However, when the unexpected complications came financially things took a different turn than she expected! My mom was able to take off of work for 1 week until she had to return because she caries the insurance for my dad & is now the only provider for the house. I have watched her go to work, leave to go straight to hospital or home to wash clothes, to the grocery store, then to cook dinner and do it all over again with 5 hours of sleep (at home/sometimes hospital) max daily. She never complains but I watch her at times drained and all still manages to take care of everything! She is a true angel!
With all that said, now that my dad is home and immunocompromised (basically immune system of a newborn baby) there are several things he requires: frequent doctors appointments multiple times a week w/ paid parking, daily grocery store trips/meals (he can't eat leftovers past 2 days & must eat certain foods), medication (about 20 pills daily w/some for the rest of his life), some medical bills, new clothes as he has lost almost 30 lbs, etc. God has provided for us and kept us thus far... we are truly blessed but also know we have a long road of recovery ahead!
On behalf of my dad, mom (who never really asks for help but just figures out how to do it own her own, doesn't know I posted this), brother and myself I want to say THANK YOU and WE LOVE YOU! If you are able to give in any way, become an organ donor or more importantly keep us in your prayers we would truly appreciate it and say thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Remember: GOD IS ABLE! My dad is a walking miracle!
" I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord..." ~ Psalm 121 (my dad has been standing on this scripture)
#livelifegivelife
So as many of you know by now my dad was diagnosed last year with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Liver Cancer) 2 weeks before Christmas. He was already placed on the liver transplant list a 1 year prior due to liver disease but his MELD score bumped him up on list to receive the Liver transplant. He received several calls but each time we came in the organ wasn't in the best condition or perfect match. However, after the 1st call we found out he needed a Kidney as well because he was beginning to go into kidney failure. With that said.... the journey continued until he finally got the 4th call: Liver & Kidney perfect match!
So it began September 6th.... he received a new liver & kidney from the same donor... the transplant was successful! However, within 24 hours he had a clot in his artery supplying blood to the liver so they had to go back in and remove the clot. This then lead to other complications causing him to return to the OR 5 more times within the next 7 days for: (kidney's were insulted/weren't working & 30% damage to the new liver of which this new dead tissue was removed (a procedure that had not yet been done on a transplant liver here ever so it was the 1st of its kind here but there had been talks of it before so they consulted their mentor doctors in Italy, Michigan, California and they were successful with my dad)..... (normally the stay would have been 7-10 days but God had a different plan for my dad.......so 5 operations later, 3 weeks in SICU (surgical intensive care unit), and 2 weeks on Transplant Floor my dad was finally able to come home in October! :-)
(he's lost a lot of weight, had to learn to walk again amongst other daily life things...but is slowly but surely progressing despite more obstacles involving his heart)
Now for those of you who know my mom know that she loves her family & husband sooo much! She would do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING for him. She knew he would be expecting the organ soon & that financially life was going to be different since my dad wouldn't be able to work for a while right after his transplant (that has now changed to 6 months or more) & their income would be cut in half relying solely on hers to pay all of the household & medical bills. She spent many days working extra hours over the summer to save some extra money for upcoming expenses. However, when the unexpected complications came financially things took a different turn than she expected! My mom was able to take off of work for 1 week until she had to return because she caries the insurance for my dad & is now the only provider for the house. I have watched her go to work, leave to go straight to hospital or home to wash clothes, to the grocery store, then to cook dinner and do it all over again with 5 hours of sleep (at home/sometimes hospital) max daily. She never complains but I watch her at times drained and all still manages to take care of everything! She is a true angel!
With all that said, now that my dad is home and immunocompromised (basically immune system of a newborn baby) there are several things he requires: frequent doctors appointments multiple times a week w/ paid parking, daily grocery store trips/meals (he can't eat leftovers past 2 days & must eat certain foods), medication (about 20 pills daily w/some for the rest of his life), some medical bills, new clothes as he has lost almost 30 lbs, etc. God has provided for us and kept us thus far... we are truly blessed but also know we have a long road of recovery ahead!
On behalf of my dad, mom (who never really asks for help but just figures out how to do it own her own, doesn't know I posted this), brother and myself I want to say THANK YOU and WE LOVE YOU! If you are able to give in any way, become an organ donor or more importantly keep us in your prayers we would truly appreciate it and say thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Remember: GOD IS ABLE! My dad is a walking miracle!
" I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord..." ~ Psalm 121 (my dad has been standing on this scripture)
#livelifegivelife
Organizador
Erin O'Connor
Organizador
Columbia, MD