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Larry Davis was diagnosed with non-alcoholic “Nash Cirrhosis” and is now waiting for a liver transplant. The necessary tests in order to prepare for the transplant surgery will begin March 2021 and the transplant surgery will depend on availability of the needed organs. We are hoping to raise money to help cover the co-pay for the transplant as well as temporary living expenses while in Denver, Colorado since we will need to temporarily relocate from Nebraska for about 4 months. Please continue reading for our full story…
My name is Pokey and I would like to tell you a little bit about my dear husband Larry…
Larry is a God gifted, extremely talented, artist whose skills began to show themselves at a very young age. His mother recognized these gifts and encouraged his growth and creativity as an artist. Although Larry has held many jobs, his passion has always been drawing which then developed into a love of graphic design and art via his computer. (He created the banner for this page!)
He has used his artistic talents to be a blessing to churches, missionaries, evangelists and various ministries. He has created logo designs, flyers, business cards, trading cards, catalogs, book publishing, letterhead for stationery, silk screen for banners and apparel; if it needs a design, Larry is on it. He has more ideas than time, most often! Thankfully, even with our relocation from Southern California to Western Nebraska he can still do computer work for others through the internet. Our move to Nebraska was necessary for a less stressful and less costly living.
We do not know when or how Larry became sick, but years after much testing it was discovered that he has a non-alcoholic liver disease known as ‘Nash Cirrhosis’ and that he would most certainly need a liver transplant. Unfortunately, this diagnosis coincided with a cancer occurrence. Since a person must be free of cancer for five years in order to qualify for a transplant, we have learned and done as much as possible to keep him healthy during that time. After five years passed, Larry’s very caring doctors put us in contact with the liver transplant team at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Hospital in Denver, Colorado… about 600 miles round trip from where we live.
In February 2020, tests were required to determine if he was healthy enough to endure a transplant, barring any cancer evidence. The hard part to hear while going through all of these tests was that they gave Larry a 90-day life expectancy because he was so ill. The doctors prescribed a drug to help remove toxins and help with the fluid retention in his system. Moving forward, we were able to change his diet and remove sodium, prepare high protein meals, as well as stay as active as possible so that, with the help of the drug, all of his chances for stability and improvement were in his favor.
Because of all of these changes, and a healthy dose of God’s grace, we were able to maintain his health for another year until he turned 65. Before this point, we were trying to qualify for Medicaid to help with the expense of a transplant, but we did not qualify with Nebraska state standards. We have purchased a supplemental insurance plan to help cover some of the 20% out of pocket cost after Medicare.
The expense to us will be between $120,000 -$250,000 depending on the cost of surgery itself. At this point, with the continuance of time, his liver is severely struggling which leads to the possibility of also needing a kidney transplant at the same time as the liver transplant. We have been told this is common. God made the body in a fine balance, and if you have a major organ not doing its job, it puts stress on other organs.
Now that a year has passed, the timeline for the transplant is restarting in March 2021. His MELD score, the points stacked against his favor, is now higher than ever. First up, will be all of the necessary tests in order to prepare for the transplant surgery. The actual transplant will depend on availability of the needed organs.
Once the surgery is completed and all goes well, Larry will need to be in the hospital for approximately 6 weeks. We then will be required to stay within a 10-mile radius of the hospital for another 6 weeks or so. In total, we will need to be temporarily located right in the middle of Denver for at least 3-4 months. During that time, there is lab work, physical therapy, etc to balance out his new drug regimen, and to keep him in close proximity in case any emergency arises. We are hoping to rent an Airbnb as close to the hospital as possible so that we are able to have a semi-permanent place to call “home” during those months instead of bouncing around from place to place. Besides the new cost of temporary living expenses while in Denver, our everyday bills in Nebraska will also continue.
We are asking for help to cover the hotel/Airbnb, gas, food, travel expenses and part (or whole!) of the copay for the cost of the transplant.
We are looking forward to having our happy and healthy Larry back to his everyday creative self very soon!
Thank you so much in advance for your prayers, love and donations.
My name is Pokey and I would like to tell you a little bit about my dear husband Larry…
Larry is a God gifted, extremely talented, artist whose skills began to show themselves at a very young age. His mother recognized these gifts and encouraged his growth and creativity as an artist. Although Larry has held many jobs, his passion has always been drawing which then developed into a love of graphic design and art via his computer. (He created the banner for this page!)
He has used his artistic talents to be a blessing to churches, missionaries, evangelists and various ministries. He has created logo designs, flyers, business cards, trading cards, catalogs, book publishing, letterhead for stationery, silk screen for banners and apparel; if it needs a design, Larry is on it. He has more ideas than time, most often! Thankfully, even with our relocation from Southern California to Western Nebraska he can still do computer work for others through the internet. Our move to Nebraska was necessary for a less stressful and less costly living.
We do not know when or how Larry became sick, but years after much testing it was discovered that he has a non-alcoholic liver disease known as ‘Nash Cirrhosis’ and that he would most certainly need a liver transplant. Unfortunately, this diagnosis coincided with a cancer occurrence. Since a person must be free of cancer for five years in order to qualify for a transplant, we have learned and done as much as possible to keep him healthy during that time. After five years passed, Larry’s very caring doctors put us in contact with the liver transplant team at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Hospital in Denver, Colorado… about 600 miles round trip from where we live.
In February 2020, tests were required to determine if he was healthy enough to endure a transplant, barring any cancer evidence. The hard part to hear while going through all of these tests was that they gave Larry a 90-day life expectancy because he was so ill. The doctors prescribed a drug to help remove toxins and help with the fluid retention in his system. Moving forward, we were able to change his diet and remove sodium, prepare high protein meals, as well as stay as active as possible so that, with the help of the drug, all of his chances for stability and improvement were in his favor.
Because of all of these changes, and a healthy dose of God’s grace, we were able to maintain his health for another year until he turned 65. Before this point, we were trying to qualify for Medicaid to help with the expense of a transplant, but we did not qualify with Nebraska state standards. We have purchased a supplemental insurance plan to help cover some of the 20% out of pocket cost after Medicare.
The expense to us will be between $120,000 -$250,000 depending on the cost of surgery itself. At this point, with the continuance of time, his liver is severely struggling which leads to the possibility of also needing a kidney transplant at the same time as the liver transplant. We have been told this is common. God made the body in a fine balance, and if you have a major organ not doing its job, it puts stress on other organs.
Now that a year has passed, the timeline for the transplant is restarting in March 2021. His MELD score, the points stacked against his favor, is now higher than ever. First up, will be all of the necessary tests in order to prepare for the transplant surgery. The actual transplant will depend on availability of the needed organs.
Once the surgery is completed and all goes well, Larry will need to be in the hospital for approximately 6 weeks. We then will be required to stay within a 10-mile radius of the hospital for another 6 weeks or so. In total, we will need to be temporarily located right in the middle of Denver for at least 3-4 months. During that time, there is lab work, physical therapy, etc to balance out his new drug regimen, and to keep him in close proximity in case any emergency arises. We are hoping to rent an Airbnb as close to the hospital as possible so that we are able to have a semi-permanent place to call “home” during those months instead of bouncing around from place to place. Besides the new cost of temporary living expenses while in Denver, our everyday bills in Nebraska will also continue.
We are asking for help to cover the hotel/Airbnb, gas, food, travel expenses and part (or whole!) of the copay for the cost of the transplant.
We are looking forward to having our happy and healthy Larry back to his everyday creative self very soon!
Thank you so much in advance for your prayers, love and donations.