Liver 4 Lightner – Round Two
In December of 2008, my father, George Lightner, received a liver transplant. Prior to his transplant he was very ill. He spent several months in liver failure at Duke waiting on a match. Just days before his transplant, he coded in the middle of the night. Thankfully the medical team was relentless in keeping him as healthy as possible until a liver became available to him.
Soon after his transplant, he began to have problems. The liver itself was functioning well and his body had accepted it with realitve ease. The problem was centered around the drains (bile ducts, I think) were not functioning properly. He was not gaining weight and was getting frequent infections which are life threatening to a transplant patient.
At first, the medical team at Duke thought the problem could be corrected through surgery. After looking into the problem further, and at the location of the drains, they realized this wasn’t an option. The only solution they had was to have the fluid that passes through the drains (I believe this is the waste that the liver produces) to be collected in an external bag (similar to a colostomy bag).
The external drains have to be changed every few weeks. This means that my Dad and his wife, Janet, have to travel from their home in Tennessee to Duke once or twice a month. After each drain change, my Dad is very sore and exhausted.He still has infections and still struggles with weight gain. His quality of life is miserable at best. He loves to work and be productive; ildleness is not in his blood. Patients that have external drainage bags only live for a year or two. Therefore the only real and permanent solution is for my Dad to have a second transplant.
To be listed for a second time, there are rings of burning fire that must be jumped through. Because of insurance contracts, he was initially denied re-listing. His case is so special and complicated that he had to go to the state of Tennessee to be granted permission. It’s a long story. After approval from the sate, he had to go through a lot of paper work and medical testing to make sure he was healthy enough to receive a transplant, but sick enough that a transplant was needed. Medicine is perplexing isn’t it?
Yesterday, we finally received confirmation that my Dad is officially on the liver transplant list! This is a major break through, and gives us hope that his quality of life may one day return.
It could take several weeks and months before a liver becomes available to him. He as B+ blood which is the rarest blood type. Only 8.5% of the population has this type of blood, and only 5% of the population in the Carolinas has this blood type. This is good news in the sense that fewer people are on the donor list with B+ blood. It is also bad news because fewer B+ livers are available. All we can do is hope and pray.
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Part of the transplant process is that the family is required to fund raise $10,000 to help cover the cost of recovery, rehabilitation and the large number of medications. He and his wife will also have to rent an apartment close to Duke during his recovery. The transplant team will allow him to accept the liver without the full amount of money, but in order for him to recover successfully, and with minimal stress to him and his wife, it is important to have these finances in place so that no step in the process is delayed waiting on money.
I am asking for your help. No amount is too small! I know times are tight right now, but if you have an extra dollar or $10, $20, $100 or more, it will make a huge difference in reaching the $10,000 we need.
I have setup a PayPal account dedicated to his fund raising. You may also donate by sending checks.
*To donate through PayPal: Please send money to liver4lightner@yahoo.com
*If you would like to donate by check please email me at liver4lightner@yahoo.com, and I will give you the information
Most importantly we ask for your prayers. Nothing can replace those! Pray for a liver, pray for the amazing team taking care of him at Duke, pray for his wife who is handling this beautifully, pray for a fast and speedy recovery.
Thank you all for your love and support! You too are in our thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Renee
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by MommaDJane, Patti McKenna, Terry Bennie, Meredith S, Renee Adams and others. Renee Adams said: My Dad is on the liver transplant list!!! Please pray http://memyselfandmommy.com/2010/04/01/liver-4-lightner/ [...]
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Praying for your dad!
So glad to here he is listed again finally!!! Will talk with you soon. Love Mom.
[...] Towards the end of March, my Dad was re-listed for his second liver transplant. It took a lot of work for the state of Tennessee and the board that accepts transplant patients to have him listed this time. A lot of complications made it challenging at times, but those complications are what ultimately made it possible for him to be re-listed. If you want to learn more about this journey and how you can help, please read his story here. [...]
[...] liver transplant. If you want to revisit that post, or a new here, you can follow the link below. Liver 4 Lightner – Round Two [...]
[...] May 14, 2010 my Dad had his second liver transplant (Liver 4 Lightner – Round Two). With the exception of a few pain management setbacks and a small infection he has been doing [...]