Markie's Liver Transplant
Donation protected
Meet Markie Rose Lewis, our sweet, loving, beautiful baby...she needs a liver transplant.
For a typical family, dealing with the ups and downs of everyday life can be very difficult. Having an infant with a life-threatening illness makes a difficult situation almost impossible. That is why we are asking for your help.
Markie Rose came into this world on February 8, 2018 at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY. At just a few days old, Markie was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, which is a rare, chronic and progressive disease of the liver. At three weeks, Markie underwent major surgery at Strong to have a Kasai Procedure, which we hoped would correct her issues. The Kasai procedure involved removing the blocked bile ducts and gallbladder and replacing them with a segment of the small intestine. This segment of intestine is sewn to the liver and functions as a new extrahepatic bile duct system. Unfortunately, this procedure was unsuccessful. Markie’s only hope is liver transplant.
Markie is has a liver team in Rochester and a transplant team at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. They are coordinating efforts to prepare for the surgery. She is on the national liver transplant list. The wait is horrible, frustrating and exhausting. Because of her anatomy, the surgeon’s preference is for her to have a total liver transplant (receiving a liver from a deceased donor), rather than proceeding with a living donor option. Markie’s dad is a match and he has been approved as a living donor. Each day Markie’s liver becomes more and more diseased. She may become so ill that the doctors will have no choice but to proceed with the living donor option, which has much more risk involved.
Markie needs constant medical care by her many doctors in Rochester, by visiting nurses and her parents/family members. Markie has been hospitalized several times at Strong with lengthy stays due to infections caused by her liver disease. Her medical care also includes frequent trips to Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC prior to the transplant and will continue after she receives the transplant.
In the meantime, Katie (Mommy) has had to withdraw from school and cut back her hours at work. Mark (Daddy) has nearly exhausted his paid time off from work. When the transplant surgery occurs, Markie will be in the hospital 4 – 12 weeks. If Mark donates a portion of his liver, he will have a long recovery as well and will be unable to work. Markie’s seven-year-old sister, Hailey, will be separated from the family during this time. We hope to be able to get her to NYC several times while Markie is recovering.
To say that it has been increasingly difficult to make ends meet would be an understatement. Katie and Mark, along with the rest of the family, would like to have Markie’s care and recovery as their primary focus without constant worry about finances. Therefore, we are asking for your assistance. Please consider donating to Markie’s GoFundMe account so that they are able to continue to keep up with their bills and pay for the many extra expenses and be with their daughter while she is recovering in NYC. The family has created this account for Katie and Mark, and we are very grateful for every dollar that comes in, as well as your prayers.
We thank you in advance for your generosity and support.
For a typical family, dealing with the ups and downs of everyday life can be very difficult. Having an infant with a life-threatening illness makes a difficult situation almost impossible. That is why we are asking for your help.
Markie Rose came into this world on February 8, 2018 at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY. At just a few days old, Markie was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, which is a rare, chronic and progressive disease of the liver. At three weeks, Markie underwent major surgery at Strong to have a Kasai Procedure, which we hoped would correct her issues. The Kasai procedure involved removing the blocked bile ducts and gallbladder and replacing them with a segment of the small intestine. This segment of intestine is sewn to the liver and functions as a new extrahepatic bile duct system. Unfortunately, this procedure was unsuccessful. Markie’s only hope is liver transplant.
Markie is has a liver team in Rochester and a transplant team at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. They are coordinating efforts to prepare for the surgery. She is on the national liver transplant list. The wait is horrible, frustrating and exhausting. Because of her anatomy, the surgeon’s preference is for her to have a total liver transplant (receiving a liver from a deceased donor), rather than proceeding with a living donor option. Markie’s dad is a match and he has been approved as a living donor. Each day Markie’s liver becomes more and more diseased. She may become so ill that the doctors will have no choice but to proceed with the living donor option, which has much more risk involved.
Markie needs constant medical care by her many doctors in Rochester, by visiting nurses and her parents/family members. Markie has been hospitalized several times at Strong with lengthy stays due to infections caused by her liver disease. Her medical care also includes frequent trips to Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC prior to the transplant and will continue after she receives the transplant.
In the meantime, Katie (Mommy) has had to withdraw from school and cut back her hours at work. Mark (Daddy) has nearly exhausted his paid time off from work. When the transplant surgery occurs, Markie will be in the hospital 4 – 12 weeks. If Mark donates a portion of his liver, he will have a long recovery as well and will be unable to work. Markie’s seven-year-old sister, Hailey, will be separated from the family during this time. We hope to be able to get her to NYC several times while Markie is recovering.
To say that it has been increasingly difficult to make ends meet would be an understatement. Katie and Mark, along with the rest of the family, would like to have Markie’s care and recovery as their primary focus without constant worry about finances. Therefore, we are asking for your assistance. Please consider donating to Markie’s GoFundMe account so that they are able to continue to keep up with their bills and pay for the many extra expenses and be with their daughter while she is recovering in NYC. The family has created this account for Katie and Mark, and we are very grateful for every dollar that comes in, as well as your prayers.
We thank you in advance for your generosity and support.
Organizer
Susan A Brown
Organizer
Batavia, NY
