Sue Votava Medical Fund

As some of you know, Sue Votava has undergone very serious medical treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. In mid-February, Sue’s health began to decline drastically. She was perfectly healthy before. Doctors believed it was her gallbladder at that time. She was admitted to Altru in Grand Forks on February 25th, and each day her health deteriorated. As her medical team feverishly attempted to diagnose the problem, the team determined quickly that her needs would be better met with higher levels of support and expert care. February 27th, Sue was transferred by ambulance emergently to Mayo. Upon arrival, they affirmed the findings of Altru that it was not the gall bladder but was total liver failure. After three days of extensive workup, her medical team determined Sue’s only chance at life was a liver transplant. On Wednesday, March 2nd Sue was accepted on the liver transplant list. Unfortunately, her condition continued to decline rapidly. She required admission to Mayo’s ICU where she was intubated and emergently began dialysis of her kidneys as well as her liver while she waited for her miracle. Doctors warned her family that they did not have the time to be “picky” and would need to take any offer they got regardless of how good of a match it would be for Sue. Finally, on Friday, March 4th, Sue’s family was told she would get her miracle! Surgery began at midnight, and she was back in her room at 5 am Saturday with her kids by her side.

Andy and Lissa have taken turns traveling back and forth and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. She will soon be transitioning to the Gift of Life Transplant House but must continue to have a caregiver as she works towards recovery. She is not out of the woods yet but each day is looking brighter and brighter (as are her photos of the skies)! I am reaching out to our wonderful community with the ask of prayer as well as monetary donations, if you are able, to help offset the traveling and medical expenses for Sue and her family. Even after insurance, the rough estimate is $25,000 out of pocket for the transplant alone, not to mention over $600/month for the required medications for the remainder of her life. Please, lets do as our community does and help this life long resident in her time of need! I appreciate your consideration!