I have shared with many of you but not all my fathers situation. In 85 after a bad snow skiing accident he recived a blood transfusion. Back then they did not test for Hepitius or HIV. In 99 my father was diagnosed with HepC. HepC attacks the liver. It has been a long road for him as having a unhealthy liver makes you ill much of the time and the drugs he takes also make him ill. It is a real no win situation. In 02 he was dianosed with end stage liver disease and we began the research into finding him a transplant team that was best suited for him. Big city hospitals with teams have more available livers than small city teams but they also have more people who need them. He was on the list at two hospitals and the team at UC Davis in Sacramento CA looked the best. They only had a few people with my fathers blood type so his "list" was shorter. Then he had a stroke. This complicates things tremendously and makes what is already a very difficult surgery (the transplant) much more complicated. So UC Davis took him off their list as they didn't feel he would survive the transplant surgery. He has been stable and pretty healthy all things considered for the past 3 years. University SanFran allowed him to remain on their list, but as a high risk, meaning that if every other person on the list didn't need a given liver he would get it. They use a scoring system nation wide that is called a Meld Score. For 3 years his Meld Score has been consistent at 15, the min number to be on the USF list at all. Today that changed. He wasn't feeling well and was admitted to the hospital, the first test came back at a 23. That is a huge jump. When the liver is in crisis it can take big swings up and down. So they will be testing him daily for the next week or so. Bottom line is that he needs a liver NOW.

The following are the two reasons I am posting this publicly (besides the fact that it is a kind of therapy to share with friends).

#1 Organ Donors - The Biggest Gift Ever!
We all have thought about this at one point or another. Many of us have checked the box so our drivers license says we are an Organ Donor but many don't know that just checking that box isn't enough. You MUST share with your family what your desire is. You MUST tell your family that you under no uncertain terms want your organs donated to help save another life. If this is not communicated well enough you are chancing letting someone else make this choice for you. I am not asking you to choose one way or another, that is a personal choice. But I am asking that if you have made the choice to donate to please let everyone in your family know your choice and put it in writing. Please make sure your choice doesn't get wasted, it is a matter of life and death to another family.

#2 Help
If you know anyone in the transplant industry who would be willing to speak to me about options for my father and help me find information regarding where we should look for the best care, please send them my way. If the best hospital happens to be in Arizona or Florida and dad is strong enough to make the trip then we will move to get him the best care. I am a bit desperate here and I am using every ounce of my networking skills to help save my fathers life.

Thank you for reading my huge post and for making sure you share with your family your wishes regarding organ donation.

Rob

 

I wish I could help Rob. I hope your dad finds a liver and has a successful operation!

 

Thanks V, your positive thoughts help a lot!

 

Rob our prayers are with your father on this end

mr and mrs mark

 

Best wishes to your dad and your family, Rob. Good advice about organ donation too.

 

Thanks guys. It has been a rough day. He lives in SanFran so sitting here in Seattle isn't easy. I have to figure out when the best time to travel is based on his health so I don't wast dollars and vacation time from work.

Good news today is that the docs have found the correct combo of meds to make him feel comfortable but doesn't tax his liver too much.

Please do take to heart what I said about organ donation, please tell everyone close to you what you desire so your wishes are known and completed.

 

Thanks for posting this Rob. It's a tough time for you and we're there for you. While there isn't much I can do for you, I'll do my part every night before bed.

 

Great news today. My fathers strength has improved so much that his doctors think he will be more comfortable at home with his dog Ziggy. He goes home today. More tests next week at University SanFran Hospital Transplant team. He is so attached to that dog that when he is in the hospital he gets depressed because Ziggy isn't there with him. My step mom even sneaks him into the hospital to visit him. She says she thinks Ziggy is a big reason why dad gets to go home, they are tired of asking her to take the dog home =)

Thank you for all your prayers and positive thoughts. Keep them coming as he still has a long road ahead.

Cheers to all and happy turkey day!