Fred & Jerry's Liver Transplant Fund
Donation protected
In July of 2015 I was diagnosed with Liver Disease. At this point I had not had a drink in 9 ½ years. I have lost about 80 pounds and my body tone has slowly been wasting away. I was fortunate to have good insurance. My little sister helped get me in to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and she flew back the first time with my wife and I.
I was asked to participate in a trial study that started in October 2015. I was number 6 in North America and this is all the FDA would let them do; because of this, I have gotten very close attention from my doctors at Mayo. In October 2015 they started the test and we were there for 1 ½ months until the middle of November. I had to go back for a week in December and then again in January. I now have to go back every 3 months including April and in August of this year, we spent the whole month at the Mayo Clinic. I will be back for further tests during the first week of November. My wife and I have been paying all of the expenses for what we have spent in travel, lodging and meals. We have depleted our savings account and some of our retirement accounts
Right now, my MELD score is right in the middle and I will not be offered a liver until I am too weak. My good friend Jerry Tufly kept bugging me on what he could do to help and I told him that I had heard that they did living donor transplants and would find out more. Apparently, I was not finding out quick enough so he contacted the Mayo and took a week vacation and went to Rochester, MN to go through a week of testing. He is a perfect match and we both agree to have the surgery done at the Mayo. They have performed 208 out of 300 living donor procedures. We are scheduled for December 7th and within 30 days, both of us will have full livers.
Jerry will be in Rochester for a month and I will be there for 6 weeks. My two children want to be there before I go into surgery and when I come out. I am also blessed to have my other sister who is a nurse, taking time off so she can help for 2-3 weeks for both the donor and me. My brother is flying back with his fiancée to help my wife, Gretchen and I drive back. My wife and I will be paying all of the expenses for all of the above including the donor and whomever he wants to be there to help. The housing cost alone will exceed $10,000 plus meals, airplane tickets and other miscellaneous expenses.
Many friends have asked how they can help. Your financial support now can help cover expenses associated with my transplant, the expenses for the donor family, and help with follow-up trip expenses scheduled for both of us at the Mayo Clinic in this next year. Your financial support will help to make this Holiday Season truly a season for Hope, with much anticipation for a healthy New Year!
Blessings and Thank You.
I was asked to participate in a trial study that started in October 2015. I was number 6 in North America and this is all the FDA would let them do; because of this, I have gotten very close attention from my doctors at Mayo. In October 2015 they started the test and we were there for 1 ½ months until the middle of November. I had to go back for a week in December and then again in January. I now have to go back every 3 months including April and in August of this year, we spent the whole month at the Mayo Clinic. I will be back for further tests during the first week of November. My wife and I have been paying all of the expenses for what we have spent in travel, lodging and meals. We have depleted our savings account and some of our retirement accounts
Right now, my MELD score is right in the middle and I will not be offered a liver until I am too weak. My good friend Jerry Tufly kept bugging me on what he could do to help and I told him that I had heard that they did living donor transplants and would find out more. Apparently, I was not finding out quick enough so he contacted the Mayo and took a week vacation and went to Rochester, MN to go through a week of testing. He is a perfect match and we both agree to have the surgery done at the Mayo. They have performed 208 out of 300 living donor procedures. We are scheduled for December 7th and within 30 days, both of us will have full livers.
Jerry will be in Rochester for a month and I will be there for 6 weeks. My two children want to be there before I go into surgery and when I come out. I am also blessed to have my other sister who is a nurse, taking time off so she can help for 2-3 weeks for both the donor and me. My brother is flying back with his fiancée to help my wife, Gretchen and I drive back. My wife and I will be paying all of the expenses for all of the above including the donor and whomever he wants to be there to help. The housing cost alone will exceed $10,000 plus meals, airplane tickets and other miscellaneous expenses.
Many friends have asked how they can help. Your financial support now can help cover expenses associated with my transplant, the expenses for the donor family, and help with follow-up trip expenses scheduled for both of us at the Mayo Clinic in this next year. Your financial support will help to make this Holiday Season truly a season for Hope, with much anticipation for a healthy New Year!
Blessings and Thank You.
Organizer and beneficiary
Cassie Homedew
Organizer
Grand Junction, CO
Fredric Lance Pierce
Beneficiary
