Help Kevin Sardino- info here

Hello friends,

For those of you that don't know, within a few weeks of being diagnosed with end stage liver disease, caused from a rare autoimmune disorder Kevin Sardino is in need of a new liver. His condition has been deteriorating rapidly. He needs help. He needs a blood typo O, under 55 liver, Based on timing and how quickly his situation is deteriorating, he needs a living donor. (you donate part and it grows back) or he will die.

Here is information on Liver Donors.
1. Theres not enough Livers.The nation has a severe shortage of donated livers. More than 16,000 people are awaiting a liver transplant, and just 6,300 a year get one. More than 1,400 others die waiting each year.
2. A living donor is Kevins best option


Info on Being a Living Donor 

1. They only take a small part of your liver. Your Liver    grows back in a few weeks 
2. You must be a Blood typo O 
3. you must be under the age of 55 
4. You need a BMI of under 30 

If you think you could be a donor and would like to do this for Kevin please fill out the link below. 

https://www.montefiore.org/responsive-body_min.cfm?id=5509&iirf_redirect=1



The best way for me to give you information is to share the messages from Gina on Kevins facebook

11/23/2017 Dear family and friends- I wanted to write this note to tell everyone who knows and loves Kevin that he's having some serious health issues. He was diagnosed 6 weeks ago with end-stage liver disease. Having been asymptomatic prior to the diagnosis, this caught us completely off guard. The cirrhosis was caused by a rare auto-immune disorder called PBC. His only option is a liver transplant. We're working with a world-class team at Montefiore hospital in the Bronx, and Kevin was officially accepted to the transplant list on Monday. Living in New York is a benefit because of the quality of service we're receiving at Montefiore. But, it's also a hinderance as New York's transplant list is significantly longer and the requirements for order placement on that list are far more challenging to meet. His best chance for making it through this is a living donor transplant. We have a few wonderful people in our lives who are preparing to begin the process for acceptance and compatibility as a living donor. They need to be healthy, share his O blood type and be under the age of 55. As this fills us with love and hope, ultimately none of them may be acceptable candidates. We wanted everyone to know the situation, keep us in your thoughts, and ask for your help in spreading the word. With love and hope in our hearts, Gina and Kevin


12/3/2017 From Gina- "I wanted to give you an update on Kevin. His condition is deteriorating very rapidly. His liver isn't responding to the medication the way it had been. His blood count has dropped significantly and will require a blood transfusion. He has lost about 25 pounds in muscle mass as his disease progresses -- he cannot intake enough calories to keep up with the degeneration in his body. Originally, there was a hope that he could wait for a cadaver liver donor, but this is no longer an option. He had a few wonderful people apply to be living donors, but the majority have been ruled out either because of age or body mass index. The situation has quickly gone from sustainable with meds and regular fluid taps, to accelerated degeneration and a very grim time line prognosis. We need help. If you have been considering applying to the living donor program, but are assuming someone else will -- please don't wait. I know this is a very personal and difficult decision for anyone to make, and Kevin would never want anyone to do something they weren't completely committed to. This will be a life changing choice, literally. Because of the cause of Kevin's liver failure and how it effects the other systems in the body, he will die. That's as bluntly as I can put it. Please look into your heart and ask yourself if this is something you can help prevent. Even though this forum is not very personal, I know of no other way of spreading the word as widely as the seriousness that this situation requires. Please share this information and hopefully we can come together to keep this wonderful man with us for years to come. With love and hope still in my heart, " - Gina

Please help share this message, read what you can about living liver donation, Please consider what you can do to help.

This fund is set up to help with the expenses they have incurred now and in the future. At their time of need and being so far from their friends in Seattle -for those that want to help, here is a way.

For those that would like to reach out to Gina directly please use Facebook messenger.  Please make sure to add Kevin on Facebook for updates on his condition as well.