Hello family, friends & colleagues! This is Terrie Vann aka: wife, mother and grandmother to some amazing humans known as my family and whole heart. I wanted to give a life update and put all the info in one place.

As some may know, our son Conner has been on the liver transplant list for 2 years due to his condition of PSC (autoimmune). He was diagnosed years ago as a very young adult. His liver function has decreased and he's developed other complications in these last 2 years, so we've decided to move forward with living donation. He can no longer wait for a deceased donor. Conner was approved into the University of Pittsburgh's living donor program in June, and Courtney was approved as his donor in July. Yes, I said our daughter, his twin, is giving him this gift. No reason to ask how my husband, Lee and I are doing, because I'm sure you can imagine.

They are scheduled for surgery October 5th at UPMC Pittsburgh. We all have to arrive there on October the 2nd. Courtney's surgery is estimated for 6-8 hours and will start first, Conner's for 6-12 hours. In addition to the liver transplant Conner will have his gallbladder removed, spleen scraped and repaired, repair all varices, hernia repair and bowel reduction. Courtney will donate 65% of the liver and have her gallbladder removed. They will be in the hospital TICU for 3-4 days after surgery, followed by step down unit recovery rooms for approx. 5-7 days longer. Courtney will stay in Pittsburgh for 3-4 weeks, Conner 4-6 weeks. During this time both their spouses and I will be there. My husband, Lee will be there with us in the beginning. Once they come home they will both have strict diets, medications, and activity restrictions/regimens for 6 months to a year.

This is a lot for them & their families as well as us, however all is very positive! We have plans in place for all the girls (my 5 young granddaughters, ages 5 months to 8 years old) to be taken care of while we are away. Praise God for our village. Due to the change from waiting on a deceased donor to a live one and of course having to travel out of state rather than here in Atlanta the financials that we've been preparing for has changed. If you would like or be so kind to support us, the best way is to donate towards the non-medical expenses including flights, food and accommodations in Pittsburgh. All remaining funds will of course go towards medical/meds. We are having to rent a house next to UPMC rather than the hotels normally available due to us all having to stay together. Since they both have to have personal caregivers which is their spouse's and of course me. This is true until they both come home.

We are all so very thankful for the love and support! There's power in prayer, so please pray for them and all of us. We will be sending updates throughout the process.

Kind regards, lots of love & appreciation,

Terrie Vann