Please Help Ralph get a Liver Transplant
Donation protected
2020 was a terrible year for everyone. For us, it was the year we found out my husband, Ralph Mariani, has end-stage liver disease. Ralph is waiting on transplant to save his life, and we need your help!
A little about Ralph…
Ralph started his career in law enforcement at age 18 with Coxsackie Police Department, where he worked for ten years. Ralph began working with the Albany County Sheriff’s Department, simultaneously, in 1997. Ralph left Coxsackie PD in 2005 and worked part-time at Greene Island Police Department in 2006. Ralph and I met the summer of 2017, and we were married two years later in July of 2019. Ralph had retired from his position as Inspector at Albany County Sheriff’s Department in 2018. He went on to work for Pittsfield Communications, a Motorola Solutions Dealer, as Service Manager. Ralph left Pittsfield Communications in April 2020 once his medical symptoms could no longer be ignored. This was very upsetting to Ralph, who had worked full-time since his teenage years, and thought of his employer and co-workers as family. Ralph has two sons, Michael, 15 and Bennett, 6. I have three daughters, Hailey, 16, Madison, 12, and Scarlett, 10. We purchased a home for our family in June of 2019 and planned to start our life together.
When it all started…
In December 2019, Ralph began suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms. He pushed to get through the holidays, despite the fact that he was having trouble keeping food down. Ralph’s day-to-day activity was affected, and he was struggling to keep up at work. At the start of the new year, Ralph saw his primary care doctor, who referred him to gastroenterology. Ralph’s liver levels were high, but this was not unusual for him, since Ralph had been diagnosed with fatty liver in his early 20’s. Ralph’s gastroenterologist still had some concerns, and wanted to do a liver biopsy. By the time we had the biopsy lined up, the pandemic hit. All “nonessential medical procedures” were postponed indefinitely; which included the biopsy Ralph needed. Ralph went on in poor health for several months. He was forced to leave his job at Pittsfield Communications. It got to the point where Ralph couldn’t keep water down. My mother passed away June 20th, 2020. The week of her passing, Ralph took a turn for the worse. His abdomen and ankles were beginning to swell. He was exhausted and weak all the time. The day of my mother’s funeral, Ralph’s skin was turning yellow and he could barely walk. Ralph was adamant he wouldn’t leave my side that day, so he waiting until the next day to get help. Ralph was admitted to Albany Medical Center on July 5th, 2020. This was his first of seven hospital admissions over a five-month period. Ralph was jaundice. A lot of his symptoms were caused by the fluid buildup, or ascites. Ralph has legions on his liver, which could turn cancerous. Ralph’s biopsy showed cirrhosis caused by fatty-liver, and he was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease.
Where we are now…
By November 2020, we started to realize Ralph needed more help than he was getting, locally. Ralph kept ending up back in the hospital with ascites, esophageal varices, and encephalopathy. At one point Ralph suffered a gastrointestinal bleed that nearly killed him. He required multiple blood transfusions and surgery to stop the bleeding. The ambulance was at our house every few weeks. This became our “new normal”. We felt Ralph’s condition wasn’t being treated, he was just getting worse. Ralph had lost so much weight, he became emaciated. Thankfully, a family member referred Ralph to Weill Cornell Medicine in Manhattan, New York. Weill Cornell specializes in liver disease and transplantation. Ralph was officially added to the liver transplant waiting list on February 8th, 2021! Ralph has been working closely with his treatment team, and a nutritionist. His liver levels have tapered. He is maintaining his weight, and even gaining some muscle back! Ralph presents a particularly challenging case. Ralph was diagnosed with ocular melanoma in 2001. Ralph lost his left eye and underwent treatment for this years ago, and has been cancer-free since. However, Ralph is at risk of melanoma returning in the liver. Ralph was diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome and is prone to pulmonary embolisms. Ralph’s rheumatologist has been closely monitoring his case, as he has had several autoimmune markers show up in his lab-work. Each of these diagnoses make his potential transplant surgery high-risk. Ralph’s team of specialists are unsure whether Ralph can accept a partial liver from a living donor, because of his risk of clotting.
What you can do to help…
Anyone that knows Ralph will tell you, he is a very private individual. Many of his family members and friends have no idea he is sick. Those that do, may not know the full extent of it. But, we need help. Ralph hasn’t been able to work-full time since last spring. I went through the screening process to see if I could donate part of my liver to Ralph. Last week, we were told I am not a compatible donor. This was devastating to us. As it turns out, my screening and MRI revealed that I will need surgery in the near future, and will be out of work for at least a few weeks. Once Ralph receives a transplant, I will need to take a medical leave from work. Ralph will need full-time care and supervision for at least 4 weeks. He will be unable to work for several months. Ralph will be needing a hip replacement down the line, as well. Ralph and I are making trips to Manhattan a few times a month to meet with his treatment team. There are costs associated with treatment that our insurance doesn’t cover. We are doing the best we can to provide for our family and make ends meet, but it isn’t enough. Any monetary donations would help! My goal is for Ralph to focus on getting better, and not worry about the financial burden. It is hard for him to remain positive right now. Ralph’s team of specialists is looking for a living donor with a very specific anatomy, to reduce his chance of clotting. It would need to be a non-smoker, in near perfect health. If you are interested in being screened as a potential donor, you can find more information here: https://weillcornell.org/services/liver-transplantation-hepatobiliary-pancreatic-surgery/living-donor-liver-transplantation-program/process or feel free to reach out to me! Weill Cornell can only screen one person at a time, and again, Ralph may not be able to accept a “living donation”. If that’s the case, Ralph will need to wait for a compatible liver from a recently passed donor.
Now that it’s all out there, please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers! Thank you in advance for your support!
A little about Ralph…
Ralph started his career in law enforcement at age 18 with Coxsackie Police Department, where he worked for ten years. Ralph began working with the Albany County Sheriff’s Department, simultaneously, in 1997. Ralph left Coxsackie PD in 2005 and worked part-time at Greene Island Police Department in 2006. Ralph and I met the summer of 2017, and we were married two years later in July of 2019. Ralph had retired from his position as Inspector at Albany County Sheriff’s Department in 2018. He went on to work for Pittsfield Communications, a Motorola Solutions Dealer, as Service Manager. Ralph left Pittsfield Communications in April 2020 once his medical symptoms could no longer be ignored. This was very upsetting to Ralph, who had worked full-time since his teenage years, and thought of his employer and co-workers as family. Ralph has two sons, Michael, 15 and Bennett, 6. I have three daughters, Hailey, 16, Madison, 12, and Scarlett, 10. We purchased a home for our family in June of 2019 and planned to start our life together.
When it all started…
In December 2019, Ralph began suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms. He pushed to get through the holidays, despite the fact that he was having trouble keeping food down. Ralph’s day-to-day activity was affected, and he was struggling to keep up at work. At the start of the new year, Ralph saw his primary care doctor, who referred him to gastroenterology. Ralph’s liver levels were high, but this was not unusual for him, since Ralph had been diagnosed with fatty liver in his early 20’s. Ralph’s gastroenterologist still had some concerns, and wanted to do a liver biopsy. By the time we had the biopsy lined up, the pandemic hit. All “nonessential medical procedures” were postponed indefinitely; which included the biopsy Ralph needed. Ralph went on in poor health for several months. He was forced to leave his job at Pittsfield Communications. It got to the point where Ralph couldn’t keep water down. My mother passed away June 20th, 2020. The week of her passing, Ralph took a turn for the worse. His abdomen and ankles were beginning to swell. He was exhausted and weak all the time. The day of my mother’s funeral, Ralph’s skin was turning yellow and he could barely walk. Ralph was adamant he wouldn’t leave my side that day, so he waiting until the next day to get help. Ralph was admitted to Albany Medical Center on July 5th, 2020. This was his first of seven hospital admissions over a five-month period. Ralph was jaundice. A lot of his symptoms were caused by the fluid buildup, or ascites. Ralph has legions on his liver, which could turn cancerous. Ralph’s biopsy showed cirrhosis caused by fatty-liver, and he was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease.
Where we are now…
By November 2020, we started to realize Ralph needed more help than he was getting, locally. Ralph kept ending up back in the hospital with ascites, esophageal varices, and encephalopathy. At one point Ralph suffered a gastrointestinal bleed that nearly killed him. He required multiple blood transfusions and surgery to stop the bleeding. The ambulance was at our house every few weeks. This became our “new normal”. We felt Ralph’s condition wasn’t being treated, he was just getting worse. Ralph had lost so much weight, he became emaciated. Thankfully, a family member referred Ralph to Weill Cornell Medicine in Manhattan, New York. Weill Cornell specializes in liver disease and transplantation. Ralph was officially added to the liver transplant waiting list on February 8th, 2021! Ralph has been working closely with his treatment team, and a nutritionist. His liver levels have tapered. He is maintaining his weight, and even gaining some muscle back! Ralph presents a particularly challenging case. Ralph was diagnosed with ocular melanoma in 2001. Ralph lost his left eye and underwent treatment for this years ago, and has been cancer-free since. However, Ralph is at risk of melanoma returning in the liver. Ralph was diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome and is prone to pulmonary embolisms. Ralph’s rheumatologist has been closely monitoring his case, as he has had several autoimmune markers show up in his lab-work. Each of these diagnoses make his potential transplant surgery high-risk. Ralph’s team of specialists are unsure whether Ralph can accept a partial liver from a living donor, because of his risk of clotting.
What you can do to help…
Anyone that knows Ralph will tell you, he is a very private individual. Many of his family members and friends have no idea he is sick. Those that do, may not know the full extent of it. But, we need help. Ralph hasn’t been able to work-full time since last spring. I went through the screening process to see if I could donate part of my liver to Ralph. Last week, we were told I am not a compatible donor. This was devastating to us. As it turns out, my screening and MRI revealed that I will need surgery in the near future, and will be out of work for at least a few weeks. Once Ralph receives a transplant, I will need to take a medical leave from work. Ralph will need full-time care and supervision for at least 4 weeks. He will be unable to work for several months. Ralph will be needing a hip replacement down the line, as well. Ralph and I are making trips to Manhattan a few times a month to meet with his treatment team. There are costs associated with treatment that our insurance doesn’t cover. We are doing the best we can to provide for our family and make ends meet, but it isn’t enough. Any monetary donations would help! My goal is for Ralph to focus on getting better, and not worry about the financial burden. It is hard for him to remain positive right now. Ralph’s team of specialists is looking for a living donor with a very specific anatomy, to reduce his chance of clotting. It would need to be a non-smoker, in near perfect health. If you are interested in being screened as a potential donor, you can find more information here: https://weillcornell.org/services/liver-transplantation-hepatobiliary-pancreatic-surgery/living-donor-liver-transplantation-program/process or feel free to reach out to me! Weill Cornell can only screen one person at a time, and again, Ralph may not be able to accept a “living donation”. If that’s the case, Ralph will need to wait for a compatible liver from a recently passed donor.
Now that it’s all out there, please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers! Thank you in advance for your support!
Organizer
Tara Nicole
Organizer
East Durham, NY
