As some of you already know, I have been very sick since the end of June 2018.  From July 2018 through the end of September 2018, I spent almost every day in the hospital.  In September, I received the diagnosis of Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma – which is cancer of the bile ducts.  At that point it was completely contained in my bile ducts; however, it was too close to the liver for successful surgery.
Ironically, my liver was healthy, but, my only option was a liver transplant.  In October 2018, I was accepted into the Liver Transplant Program at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, however the number of people waiting for a liver transplant greatly exceeds the number of available deceased-donor livers. I was at the bottom of a list that contained over 17,000 people.
Because of the long wait for a deceased donor, we were informed by the transplant team that my best option ~ perhaps my only option was to find a living donor.  Unlike kidney and bone-marrow, ‘Liver Banks’ don’t exist (yet).   A living-donor liver transplant involves transplanting a portion of the liver from a living donor into a recipient whose liver no longer functions properly.
The problem for me was that the MELD score -- which is used to determine how sick a person is and how likely they are to receive a deceased-donor liver -- does not work well with Cholangiocarcinoma patients.   The bloodwork results – that move you up ‘the list’ - don’t accurately reflect the severity of damage done to my liver. And unfortunately, while I waited for the numbers to climb, improving the chances of me getting a deceased-donor liver, I got sicker, experienced other complications and was hospitalized often. 
April 2019, I was accepted into the Liver Transplant Program in Jacksonville Florida. Because there are more livers available in that region, I moved to Florida in June 2019. We are blessed to have a dear friend, Carol who lives in Jacksonville.  I moved into her home and she became my primary care giver so that Lynn could continue to work and tend to ‘the farm’, saving vacation time and FMLA so she could be there if and when the transplant occurred.  In July while on a return appointment to MN, I learned that I had a living donor.  What an incredible, selfless gift of sacrifice.  Living Donor surgery was scheduled for September 10th. I remained in FL because I did not want someone to sacrifice a portion of their liver if a deceased liver became available.  On Sunday, August 18th, I received a call that a deceased donor liver was available, and I received a transplant on August 19, 2019.
To this point we have been overwhelmed with expenses for medical bills, travel, lodging, reduced income, additional expenses etc.  We also vowed to reimburse our living donor the expenses he incurred for travel and lodging expenses during his evaluation process in Minnesota. 
These expenses will continue, moving forward, as I will need to return to Florida periodically for medical follow-up tests/appointments which will require a travel companion.  With the transplant, there is also the need for very costly life-long medications to avoid rejection.
More than anything we ever so grateful for your prayers - which have gotten us this far. We are asking for continued prayers for a healthy recovery.
We encourage all to consider the gift of organ donation.
With love & gratitude,
Brett & Lynn