Support Andy Wilder in his Fight Against Liver Disease

For several years Andy Wilder has been living in constant pain that, as every stubborn man does, he ignored and hoped it would eventually go away on its own. That didn’t happen, and when his symptoms progressed to an unbearable point he finally agreed to let Christina take him to the ER.

There, doctors quickly recognized the severity of his condition and admitted him. Andy had some internal bleeding and his hemaglobin was at 6 g/dl, requiring 2 emergency blood transfusions to stabilize him to 7.5 g/dl. Further exploration revealed the source of the bleeding to be from several GI Varices in multiple locations throughout his digestive system.

Thankfully Andy has been cared for by a wonderful team of physicians who didn’t stop there. These conditions are typically seen secondary to multi-organ failure, and up until recently Andy has been a strong, healthy, active father to his 4 children. After 4 days of testing, pokes, prods, and prayers, his care team shared that Andy is in liver failure. The condition has stayed relatively hidden since birth, until now, aside from occasional flare-ups over the years. This is the first time an acute attack made the diagnosis known.

At this point Andy’s liver is functioning at 30% The strain of liver failure has damaged his kidneys, his spleen is enlarged, and his pancreas has a decreased level of functioning. With the advanced stage of liver failure, specialists believe a liver transplant will give him the best chance at survival and a return to his previous quality of life.

As you can imagine, this news has shaken the Wilder family to their core. Andy and Christina just celebrated 18 years of marriage. They share 4 children: Allison 17, Lindley 14, Rylee 5, and Luke 4. They are used to a fast, full life, between singing and playing in the church band, working in the children/youth ministry, coaching sports for the YMCA/other organizations, and keeping up with kids running cross country, horseback riding lessons and volunteer work, multiple therapies and specialized programs for the youngest Wilders as they navigate traumatic removal to forever adoption processes. The Wilders are a true example of open hearts and open homes. Now we have a chance to shower them with support to get through these next uncertainties.

Andy Wilder is the primary provider for his family. Christina cut back to part-time work when Rylee and later Luke arrived and it became obvious that their needs required a full-time Momma at home. With no definitive timeline for Andy’s return to work, medical bills as well as household needs are starting to pile up. We can help shoulder that burden so they can focus on recovery.