MAY I HAVE A BOWEL?
Donation protected
The Thomas Family needs your help.
Shaughn, Kelly, and their children Declan and Reagan Thomas are asking for your help. Shaughn has been living with a rare genetic disease called Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) since birth. After beating colon cancer and numerous desmoid tumors by enduring countless cycles of chemotherapy and major abdominal surgeries; he has ultimately reached the point where his only option to regain a "normal" life again is to undergo an intestinal transplant. Small bowel transplants are relatively new procedures with a very small volume of recipients. Unfortunately the closest center performing such transplants is Duke University, in North Carolina. This will require the family to temporarily relocate for at least 3-6 months post surgery or until the surgeons deem Shaughn recovered enough to return home. The estimated costs for the first year of a bowel transplant patient fall around 1 million dollars, not including lost wages and relocation expenses. Due to this enormous emotional and financial burden we are asking for your help.
Shaughn's attitude and outlook throughout his illness have been a true inspiration to anyone facing an ailment. A Dana Farber patient for over 15 years (where he met his wife, Kelly, a pediatric oncology nurse), he is known to always be the first to offer assistance, advice, or a good laugh to those in need. Deemed a "professional patient" by his surgical and oncology team, he is well known and well loved. This time, the roles are reversed, however, and the couple and their two small children are the ones seeking some assistance.
Please consider a donation of any size. We are extremely grateful and promise to continue to pay it forward.
Shaughn, Kelly, and their children Declan and Reagan Thomas are asking for your help. Shaughn has been living with a rare genetic disease called Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) since birth. After beating colon cancer and numerous desmoid tumors by enduring countless cycles of chemotherapy and major abdominal surgeries; he has ultimately reached the point where his only option to regain a "normal" life again is to undergo an intestinal transplant. Small bowel transplants are relatively new procedures with a very small volume of recipients. Unfortunately the closest center performing such transplants is Duke University, in North Carolina. This will require the family to temporarily relocate for at least 3-6 months post surgery or until the surgeons deem Shaughn recovered enough to return home. The estimated costs for the first year of a bowel transplant patient fall around 1 million dollars, not including lost wages and relocation expenses. Due to this enormous emotional and financial burden we are asking for your help.
Shaughn's attitude and outlook throughout his illness have been a true inspiration to anyone facing an ailment. A Dana Farber patient for over 15 years (where he met his wife, Kelly, a pediatric oncology nurse), he is known to always be the first to offer assistance, advice, or a good laugh to those in need. Deemed a "professional patient" by his surgical and oncology team, he is well known and well loved. This time, the roles are reversed, however, and the couple and their two small children are the ones seeking some assistance.
Please consider a donation of any size. We are extremely grateful and promise to continue to pay it forward.
Organizer
Shaughn Kirkpatrick Whitaker Thomas
Organizer
Belmont, MA
