Donation protected
Hey, everyone! I am starting this fundraiser for my mom. I never thought I would be asking for help, or writing out these words, but my mom needs a new liver. They found one. Although it has been years since we found out she needed one, we never expected it to happen so soon.
My mom is the most selfless person I have ever met. She never asks for help (it took a lot of convincing to let me post this for her). She would much rather do things herself, but, in this extreme case, help is needed. She can’t do this one alone.
Kirsten, mom, mommy, mummy, Meem, sister, wife, daughter, niece, cousin, friend, coworker. To know her is to love her. To love her is a privilege. To spend time with her is a gift. She is the best. She deserves the best.
My mom loves art, photography, animals, iced tea, and Jane Austen. She likes to go to the movies, the beach, spend time with her family, and go on walks. My mom’s mornings are often occupied getting a biscuit with my grandpa in Suffolk, trying to snuggle our feisty cat, Harold, or playing ball with our handsome Dalmatian, Hamilton.
A few years ago, my mom was diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrhosis in her liver. This impacts her day to day life, even if she doesn’t let on (we looked back and realized how different life was around 12 years ago before she could recall starting to show symptoms).
After consulting with specialists, it was decided that she would need to be placed on the organ transplant list. This rattled our entire family. How could mom be put on this list? There could never be anything wrong with mom. She is the heart and soul of our family, the glue that holds us together. She is the one who makes sure everything is okay.
We decided better safe than sorry and that getting a spot on the list now was a good thing. Cue tons of appointments in Williamsburg and Richmond to meet with the experts and get her MELD score (model for end-stage liver disease). Every time their number popped up on caller ID it induced a new level of anxiety. Now, it is our turn to make sure everything is okay for her.
Fast forward to mid February 2024. Mom got a call. She told me she cried all day after getting the news. The transplant hospital found an altruistic liver donor. This is a live donor who, for some incredible reason, is choosing to gift life to those in need. My mom was a match for this liver. Doctors let her know that this is the best possible scenario for her. Excitement, panic, joy, anxiety, and nerves filled us all.
While my mom is mentally and physically preparing for arguably the biggest day in her life, she has been told that’s she cannot go back to work for 3-6 months after the surgery. Luckily my mom does have insurance, however the medical bills, hospital stay, counseling, stay in a nearby recovery room for the weeks following surgery, and weekly, then monthly appointments will begin to add up in many ways. This is not including the transplant safe diet she will have to follow for 6 months post op, meals for caretakers, the gas required to get us to and from her hospital in Richmond for two months, anything else she may need while away, and taking care of bills back home. My dad, sisters, and I will take turns putting in leave at work, as she has to have someone with her 24/7 post op. We all want to be there for my mom.
I just want to make sure my mom is able to come home from her transplant surgery and not have to worry about anything but healing and starting to feel better. It is what she deserves.
If you have read this far, thank you so much, I know I’m rambling. If you are able to donate or share this message it would mean the world not only to me, but to my mom. Nothing is too small. Anything helps. Please send all of your positive thoughts, prayers, blessings, & all the good stuff our way on this journey! Thank you all.
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a living donor and saving lives, please check out: https://www.americantransplantfoundation.org/about-transplant/living-donation/becoming-a-living-donor/ to find out more. My mom would not be able to get this transplant without the selflessness and kindness of someone else giving a literal piece of themselves. Give life!
My mom is the most selfless person I have ever met. She never asks for help (it took a lot of convincing to let me post this for her). She would much rather do things herself, but, in this extreme case, help is needed. She can’t do this one alone.
Kirsten, mom, mommy, mummy, Meem, sister, wife, daughter, niece, cousin, friend, coworker. To know her is to love her. To love her is a privilege. To spend time with her is a gift. She is the best. She deserves the best.
My mom loves art, photography, animals, iced tea, and Jane Austen. She likes to go to the movies, the beach, spend time with her family, and go on walks. My mom’s mornings are often occupied getting a biscuit with my grandpa in Suffolk, trying to snuggle our feisty cat, Harold, or playing ball with our handsome Dalmatian, Hamilton.
A few years ago, my mom was diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrhosis in her liver. This impacts her day to day life, even if she doesn’t let on (we looked back and realized how different life was around 12 years ago before she could recall starting to show symptoms).
After consulting with specialists, it was decided that she would need to be placed on the organ transplant list. This rattled our entire family. How could mom be put on this list? There could never be anything wrong with mom. She is the heart and soul of our family, the glue that holds us together. She is the one who makes sure everything is okay.
We decided better safe than sorry and that getting a spot on the list now was a good thing. Cue tons of appointments in Williamsburg and Richmond to meet with the experts and get her MELD score (model for end-stage liver disease). Every time their number popped up on caller ID it induced a new level of anxiety. Now, it is our turn to make sure everything is okay for her.
Fast forward to mid February 2024. Mom got a call. She told me she cried all day after getting the news. The transplant hospital found an altruistic liver donor. This is a live donor who, for some incredible reason, is choosing to gift life to those in need. My mom was a match for this liver. Doctors let her know that this is the best possible scenario for her. Excitement, panic, joy, anxiety, and nerves filled us all.
While my mom is mentally and physically preparing for arguably the biggest day in her life, she has been told that’s she cannot go back to work for 3-6 months after the surgery. Luckily my mom does have insurance, however the medical bills, hospital stay, counseling, stay in a nearby recovery room for the weeks following surgery, and weekly, then monthly appointments will begin to add up in many ways. This is not including the transplant safe diet she will have to follow for 6 months post op, meals for caretakers, the gas required to get us to and from her hospital in Richmond for two months, anything else she may need while away, and taking care of bills back home. My dad, sisters, and I will take turns putting in leave at work, as she has to have someone with her 24/7 post op. We all want to be there for my mom.
I just want to make sure my mom is able to come home from her transplant surgery and not have to worry about anything but healing and starting to feel better. It is what she deserves.
If you have read this far, thank you so much, I know I’m rambling. If you are able to donate or share this message it would mean the world not only to me, but to my mom. Nothing is too small. Anything helps. Please send all of your positive thoughts, prayers, blessings, & all the good stuff our way on this journey! Thank you all.
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a living donor and saving lives, please check out: https://www.americantransplantfoundation.org/about-transplant/living-donation/becoming-a-living-donor/ to find out more. My mom would not be able to get this transplant without the selflessness and kindness of someone else giving a literal piece of themselves. Give life!
Organizer and beneficiary
Colleen Dickason
Organizer
Chesapeake, VA
Kirsten Dickason
Beneficiary