DAN'S SECOND CHANCE-MEDICAL FUND FOR HIS LIVER TRANSPLANT AND HIS ROAD TO RECOVERY

Dear Friends, Family and Kind Hearted Strangers,

I'm reaching out to you today with a heavy heart to ask for your support for Daniel. He fell ill suddenly in January 2025 and his condition rapidly deteriorated through winter. He was then unable to go to work or partake in daily activities and just breathing became a struggle for him. He spent more time going to the ER and being put in the hospital than out of the hospital and in May 2025 was near death. He was hospitalized in the local hospital 6 times, once in the ICU, but there was nothing that they could do for him. He was losing complete function of his kidneys due to frequent kidney injuries from the medication needed to sustain his life due to his liver being at 10% function, which was discovered within 2 hours of his first ER visit. His hepatologist was able to get him transferred from the ICU in the middle of the night to a University hospital in Chicago. There he began the process immediately of testing to see if he qualified for a liver transplant and if he was strong enough to handle the surgery. He was one of the top 5 sickest in the Region and was able to be placed on the liver transplant waiting list and almost immediately he was fortunate enough to receive a life saving donation of a liver from a donor and their family! Our prayers for that second chance had been answered! Because he was so sick when he received the liver transplant (one foot in the grave as one doctor said), he has had a very, very hard road to recovery. With a liver functioning at 0% and toxins building up in his body and brain and kidneys injured from the imbalance of everything and multiple paracentesis procedures over several months and since the transplant surgery, heavy meds, multiple hospitalizations pre transplant, without a liver transplant he would have died before summer began. He has been in the hospital since and has had to endure multiple surgeries and procedures since the transplant surgery, 2 stays in the ICU, 2 times on a ventilator, a feeding tube twice, multiple skin lesions (think 2nd degree burns) and loss of skin as his skin is so thin and his hemoglobin is still so low he bruises and bleeds easily. He has had to have ongoing blood transfusions since the transplant surgery and 4 surgical procedures to put in or replace stents connecting his and the donor's liver. He is facing another stent removal and placement procedure tomorrow and the horrible possibly of full abdominal surgery to go in and reroute ducts if this procedure fails again. He is not strong enough to endure another surgery. It would be several months before they could do it the doctors said and they really hope it doesn't come down to that. He most recently has had water on his lungs and fluid build up in his chest and throughout his body. He has had to have a chest tube inserted and his body continuously accumulates fluids since the transplant surgery. Even though he has a new liver he has had to have paracentesis and thoracentesis procedures. He has had drains since his transplant surgery and had to have several drainage sites stitched multiple times due to fluid still leaking and accumulating in his body. He has had to battle several infections with powerful antibiotics and as a result has hearing loss. The anti rejection drugs are powerful and he is having horrible side effects on them, but he cannot live without them. The transplant surgery was 12 hours long the first day and had to be completed in 2 surgeries, whereby they left him on the ventilator and did not close the surgical wound until the second surgery was complete. Being on the ventilator has weakened him more. He has lost 100 pounds and is very weak and fighting hard to regain strength and get back home to his family. Every day is hard on him physically and many days it does not seem like he is progressing, but going backwards. His mind is feeling all of this too and it is very hard on him. He has not been outside in months. He misses his grandchildren and his beloved rescue dog. He has endured many setbacks in his post surgical recovery. When he is discharged he will not be able to come directly home. He will need to be moved to an acute care rehab facility for a time until the doctors feel he will be physically ready to go home. At this time the doctors have said he is nowhere near ready to go to another facility, which will be next to the hospital he is currently in so the transplant team can continue to see him and treat him on a daily basis. This will be a long road to recovery, as the doctors said he became ill so quickly and deteriorated so rapidly before he received the transplant, that he has a lot to regain back and it will take lots of time.

The costs of the transplant surgery, hospital stays, transportation (it takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours each way to the hospital), parking, food while trying to stay with him at the hospital around the clock, and Ensure that we bring to Dan by the case ($30), as he still mainly only drinks his nutrition, has been staggering. He will need to be seen by his transplant team every week for months and be on costly anti-rejection drugs for life. Dan has used all of his paid time off from work that he had and we have no idea when he will be able to return home or to a job again. His family has exhausted all of their savings. His family and himself will be without health insurance if he cannot work. They are at risk of losing their home. He will need ongoing outpatient rehab and physical therapy when he is finally released to home and his wife is faced with no access to her doctors, oncologist, specialists, and testing and surgeries that were due to take place due to her serious health issues all while she continues to assist with taking newborn grandchild. Add to that the fear and worry of not being able to pay "everyday bills" (utilities, food, phone, dog food, insurance, etc.) and the mortgage. The loss of income is weighing heavily on him and his family.

Dan has always been there for his family, friends, churches and community and anyone who needs him. Him and his family are well known in area communities and churches for their involvement in and serving in activities and programs. He has always been wiling to help and volunteer wherever it is needed. You name it, he has done it, for towns, youth groups, youth sports teams, non for profits, neighbors, etc. He has always been willing to give and never said no. He loves people and serving everyone! Serving others has been a lifelong, huge, important part of Dan and his family's lives. All of his kids have been involved in area sports and programs growing up as participants and then as coaches and volunteers in many areas with him and his wife. They have served 40+ years as youth leaders in Awana Clubs and their children followed in their footsteps and started serving in Awana as soon as they were able to. In this his greatest time of need we are asking for everyone to be there and rally around him and his family. Your donation will directly help cover medical costs, housing, travel, health insurance and costs associated with his family being at the hospital for him. This surgery and recovery are one of the toughest kinds there is, and he has had several setbacks. His family being there as much as humanly possible aids him in his recovery and the doctors have said what a help it is to have someone always available there to assist him, stay with him during surgeries and procedures and for them to be able to talk to and relay information to at any time day or night. Having a support system was also part of his evaluation and approval for the surgery as it is such a life changing event. Your donations will help relieve a great deal of the stress he is feeling while he should be focusing on his physical and mental health and well being after going through such a physically demanding surgery and the additional liver surgery soon after, and his facing a long road to recovery and getting back to a normal life of family, friends, work and church and community activities. A life which includes his wife, children and his grandchildren who have not been able to see their Papa since he entered the hospital. He is also anxious to meet his 2 new grandchildren born while he is in the hospital.

We are asking for your help at this critical time. No amount is too small and every bit counts. If you are unable to donate financially, please consider sharing this campaign with your network to help us spread the word.

How you can help:

-Donate: Every contribution, no matter the amount, brings us one step closer to helping Dan relieve some of the financial burden him and his family are facing.

-Share: Please share this fundraiser on your social media platforms, through email and with family and friends.

-Pray and send support: We also ask for your prayers and encouragement during this difficult time. 1 Thessalonians 5:25 "Brothers, pray for us."

We cannot express enough how much your help means to us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity, love and kindness. You are giving Dan the hope he needs to continue fighting for his life. Thank you for supporting Dan's second chance at life!

Isaiah 41:10 "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand."

Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Psalm 23:4 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

Also, we would like to take this chance to bring awareness to organ donation. Organ donation gave Dan the gift of life. Please check out giftofhope.org which is based in Itasca, Illinois. 100,000 people in the US need an organ donated. Every 10 minutes a new person joins the list. 17 people die every day while waiting for a life saving organ gift. We will be forever grateful to the donor and his family who chose to generously give Dan the gift of life! We hope to meet his family one day to tell them personally and show them what their selfless love has given Dan and all of us and those who know and love him.