Liver Transplant & Medical Expense
Donation protected
Hello, for a couple of years now I have been silently battling with a disease and i feel I should share it with you guys. My senior year of high school, when I was only 17 years old, I was diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis. Just recently I was admitted to the hospital this weekend and received some news that I will be needing a liver transplant due to the severity of damage to my liver by the disease.
I would like to leave a couple pieces of information for people reading to provide more awareness to this disease , what I experience and other auto immune diseases:
1. Although it is called Auto-immune "Hepatitis" does it have no relation whatsoever to the normal Hepatitis disease that is most commonly know as being contagious and deadly. ( I AM NOT CONTAGIOUS) Hepatitis only refers to my liver which is being affected.
2. Auto- immune Diseases in most commonly understood terms refers to the issue of your body attacking itself. In my case my body is attacking my liver. So when saying auto-immune hepatitis it basically is the act of my body attacking my liver.
3. When I tell people that I have liver issue or will need a liver transplant. No, this does not mean have a drinking problem and that I am an alcoholic or have purposefully damaged my liver in any way. This is mostly hereditary and sometime can even appear out of nowhere.
4. Auto-immune diseases are become more commonly seen in our society today. Most auto-immune diseases can be considered silent killers because of the issue of it not be widely known in our society as well as many doctors not knowing how to treat the disease as well. There are no cures for auto-immune diseases and are very little known treatments as well to maintain it. I cannot stress the importance of going to your doctors and telling them when something is wrong. The earlier the better. When I was first diagnosed it started with something so simple such a severe fatigue and exhaustion and can rapidly progress to something worse.
5. If you or anybody you know if battling with an auto-immune disease I urge you to stress the fact that they are not alone. Through this process, I have met lots of people who as well have been silently battling with an auto-immune disease. Just because a person does not look or act sick doesn't mean on the inside they are undergoing immense pain/stress/ and or worry over their sickness.
I am not without hope, my mother a living testimony. Was diagnostic in the early 2000s with lupus another form of Auto-immune disease that, by the time I had reached my freshman year of high school, left the complete bottom half of both of her lungs completely deteriorated and her on the use of oxygen 24/7 where ever she went, even at home. My mother in 2011 undergo a double lung transplant and went through almost 2 years of recovery. Now even though she had some minor remission and the lupus is still her body she has made a 180 change in her ability in being able to breath for herself and live a more abundant lifestyle.
I hope this post can open your eyes to one the many issues that are happening right beneath our eyes. Many people you know closest to you can be dealing with an auto- immune disease and will never tell you. I have recently believed that god has put it on my heart to share this message with everyone as to spread the importance of getting checked (it can happen to anyone), being supportive of friends and family if they do come to you telling you that something is wrong because 9/10 something is really wrong.
Today I will be leaving the hospital with the news of me needing to have a liver transplant which I would have never have expected. But I am determined to remain positive and motivated and I want to thank everyone that is in my life to be there for me and comfort me with battling this disease. I ask for prayers and blessing from everyone as I will continue to pray and keep in good spirits. I will be starting a go fund me for my surgery and many of my medical expense any help with be greatly appreciated but your prayers and blessing with be more than enough as well. ❤️
I would like to leave a couple pieces of information for people reading to provide more awareness to this disease , what I experience and other auto immune diseases:
1. Although it is called Auto-immune "Hepatitis" does it have no relation whatsoever to the normal Hepatitis disease that is most commonly know as being contagious and deadly. ( I AM NOT CONTAGIOUS) Hepatitis only refers to my liver which is being affected.
2. Auto- immune Diseases in most commonly understood terms refers to the issue of your body attacking itself. In my case my body is attacking my liver. So when saying auto-immune hepatitis it basically is the act of my body attacking my liver.
3. When I tell people that I have liver issue or will need a liver transplant. No, this does not mean have a drinking problem and that I am an alcoholic or have purposefully damaged my liver in any way. This is mostly hereditary and sometime can even appear out of nowhere.
4. Auto-immune diseases are become more commonly seen in our society today. Most auto-immune diseases can be considered silent killers because of the issue of it not be widely known in our society as well as many doctors not knowing how to treat the disease as well. There are no cures for auto-immune diseases and are very little known treatments as well to maintain it. I cannot stress the importance of going to your doctors and telling them when something is wrong. The earlier the better. When I was first diagnosed it started with something so simple such a severe fatigue and exhaustion and can rapidly progress to something worse.
5. If you or anybody you know if battling with an auto-immune disease I urge you to stress the fact that they are not alone. Through this process, I have met lots of people who as well have been silently battling with an auto-immune disease. Just because a person does not look or act sick doesn't mean on the inside they are undergoing immense pain/stress/ and or worry over their sickness.
I am not without hope, my mother a living testimony. Was diagnostic in the early 2000s with lupus another form of Auto-immune disease that, by the time I had reached my freshman year of high school, left the complete bottom half of both of her lungs completely deteriorated and her on the use of oxygen 24/7 where ever she went, even at home. My mother in 2011 undergo a double lung transplant and went through almost 2 years of recovery. Now even though she had some minor remission and the lupus is still her body she has made a 180 change in her ability in being able to breath for herself and live a more abundant lifestyle.
I hope this post can open your eyes to one the many issues that are happening right beneath our eyes. Many people you know closest to you can be dealing with an auto- immune disease and will never tell you. I have recently believed that god has put it on my heart to share this message with everyone as to spread the importance of getting checked (it can happen to anyone), being supportive of friends and family if they do come to you telling you that something is wrong because 9/10 something is really wrong.
Today I will be leaving the hospital with the news of me needing to have a liver transplant which I would have never have expected. But I am determined to remain positive and motivated and I want to thank everyone that is in my life to be there for me and comfort me with battling this disease. I ask for prayers and blessing from everyone as I will continue to pray and keep in good spirits. I will be starting a go fund me for my surgery and many of my medical expense any help with be greatly appreciated but your prayers and blessing with be more than enough as well. ❤️
Organizer
Clarissa Boniaby
Organizer
Magnolia, TX
