Rosa's departure

The past few years have served as a testimony, the Lord be our witness. Our mother has suffered gravely due to her battle with Liver Cancer, Rosa Salgado is a warrior who has put up with her internal warfare since her diagnosis in 2019. In late 2023 though, she was blessed to receive the news that she would receive a new liver. Although hope and faith surged through our entire family at that moment, she had already been through countless false calls where although she had been a priority amongst transplant patients, after getting her prepped for surgery the donor would end up not being compatible. This new liver that she was so blessed to receive has further complicated to the point of zero function, her kidneys were running through continuous dialysis however we disconnected her, per request the evening of March 5th, 2024. Her final desire is to be buried alongside her sisters and her mother back in her hometown in Guatemala. Any proceedings shall go directly to providing my mother with the best departure from this soil we can offer. The doctors approximated 2-4 days left, it could be less it could be more; her liver and kidney function are at zero.

Anything helps, my dad Miguel is 65 and truthfully does not work the most economically friendly job. I have been paying off my student loans by working 50-60 even 70-hour-long weeks serving patients all three meals at the Mass General, I am only 19 though so this is rough on all of us. My sister is married and moved out a while ago, however, she recently found out she was pregnant around a week ago. Any extra proceedings shall go to her, I hope you guys understand the circumstances. May God give us all strength in these next few days.

The following is the context;

As mentioned previously, in August 2023 we received a phone call when en route to the hospital for another one of my mother's procedures, around the same time she was suffering from cataracts due to glaucoma as she has been struggling with her diabetes since she was young.

Over the phone, the doctors confirmed that this new liver was in the best possible condition for a transplant to be realized. Consequently, we rushed her into the transplant ward hopeful, so hopeful that no one was prepared or could have ever even imagined what was to come. These past few months have truly turned into a nightmare scenario for my entire family; in the first month following the transplant, I witnessed my mom show an amazing recovery which served as a fountain of hope for all of my family. Although having a completely new organ in her body, she gave it her all with physical therapy and maintained a sustained diet as needed. While my sister Johanna took care of her, she ensured her anti-rejection meds were taken and they never missed an appointment or blood work.

During one of these follow-up appointments, the Surgeon who actualized the transplant spoke to my sister and acknowledged that one of the Arteries in the donor's liver was noticeably larger than my mother's, dangerous in the fact that in her condition, the liver needs blood flow; not to mention an unattached artery could lead to internal bleeding or further complications.

They sent my mom home with blood thinners in the hope of resolving this issue medically, however after a few days we noticed a sudden change in her attitude and the way my mother carried herself. There was a 3-day span in which my mother would ask to only get up out of bed for the bathroom or to eat, and when she did eat we realized that she didn't even have much of an appetite. In fear of even more complications due to a lack of diet, we took my mother to the emergency room as directed by the transplant team. There the Transplant team and the ED team at Mass General met up with my family, and they requested to observe my mom overnight and we obliged as it was for her best.

This was around the middle of November, and she ended up staying in the hospital for a week and a half, in which she received a procedure in hopes of dilating her artery. The procedure however had failed, and it was not recommended but she wanted to spend Thanksgiving at home; so we brought her home and the hospital provided at-home accommodation. We ended up bringing her back into the hospital that same weekend due to a fever, and she was not released until around the 20th or 21st of December.

On the 23rd of December, we brought my mom to the hospital for the last time, she has remained there since and has been struggling with her mental state. This Sunday she was baptized and has turned her heart over to the Lord. We are doing everything to fulfill her desire and hence support her decision to put an end to her suffering. Lord have mercy on all our souls.

"Soy nueva criatura mi padre celestial"- Rosa Salgado Soto