Support Margaret's Live Liver Donation
Donation protected
On June 29, 2020, Margaret Stegall saw a Facebook post about a woman she didn’t know. The woman, named Janet, needed a liver because of an autoimmune degenerative disease. Janet’s family was looking for someone with Type O blood to make a live liver donation . Margaret had never met Janet, but she couldn’t ignore the feeling that she might be able to help. She made contact via the email on the post and started the ball rolling.
Finding a live liver donor is difficult. A donor liver must not only be healthy and the same blood type, but the donor liver must also be the right size to give the recipient what she needs—and leave enough behind. Liver anatomy matters too, down to veins, bile ducts, and arteries in the right spots to allow for removal and transplant.
Just before Christmas Margaret heard she was second in line to help Janet. In early January, she underwent two solid days of testing. Then on January 22, she was officially approved!
Margaret says, “Getting the call that I was a match—that everything about my body was exactly how it needed to be to meet Janet’s need—was a humbling miracle.”
Now Margaret’s and Janet’s surgeries are scheduled for February 22. Margaret and her mother will need to fly out to Denver for the surgery (Janet lives there) on February 15. Margaret will undergo some pre-op procedures, be in the hospital for a week, and then must stay in the area for 2-3 additional weeks. All told, they will be gone for about five weeks.
Through the generosity of many, they’ve been gifted a car and several weeks of housing. There may also be some grant money available. But there are still gas expenses, 10 days of hotel stays near the hospital, food costs, and travel expenses for two additional flights for post-op checkups, and various medical supplies and incidentals.
Thank you ahead of time for your generosity and most of all for your prayers for two very special ladies who will soon share a liver!
Finding a live liver donor is difficult. A donor liver must not only be healthy and the same blood type, but the donor liver must also be the right size to give the recipient what she needs—and leave enough behind. Liver anatomy matters too, down to veins, bile ducts, and arteries in the right spots to allow for removal and transplant.
Just before Christmas Margaret heard she was second in line to help Janet. In early January, she underwent two solid days of testing. Then on January 22, she was officially approved!
Margaret says, “Getting the call that I was a match—that everything about my body was exactly how it needed to be to meet Janet’s need—was a humbling miracle.”
Now Margaret’s and Janet’s surgeries are scheduled for February 22. Margaret and her mother will need to fly out to Denver for the surgery (Janet lives there) on February 15. Margaret will undergo some pre-op procedures, be in the hospital for a week, and then must stay in the area for 2-3 additional weeks. All told, they will be gone for about five weeks.
Through the generosity of many, they’ve been gifted a car and several weeks of housing. There may also be some grant money available. But there are still gas expenses, 10 days of hotel stays near the hospital, food costs, and travel expenses for two additional flights for post-op checkups, and various medical supplies and incidentals.
Thank you ahead of time for your generosity and most of all for your prayers for two very special ladies who will soon share a liver!
Fundraising team (2)
Suzanne Altizer
Organizer
Greenville, SC
Margaret Stegall
Beneficiary
Susan DuBose
Team member