Some of you may have noticed I havent been posting lately.
There's a reason, and it's one I haven't really been ready to talk about publicly yet.
I will be making a video and blog post tomorrow with more details, but I thought the V4L family deserves to hear it first.
My mother has a fatal genetic liver disorder. She has been in the early stages of a terminal slide for a few years now, and her one sole long term hope is a liver transplant. She had been receiving excellent care, was largely winning her fights against her other health problems and obsticles to acceptance in the program, diabetes and obesity, and we had every reason to hope she would be eventually be accepted into the liver transplant program at the Mayo Clinic branch in Arizona.
But her condition began to decline rapidly a few months ago, and around two and a half weeks ago she was admitted to the hospital at her home i Alaska. At first it didn't seem too critical. Some jaundice and confusion, but she was expected to recove with some treatment. Just over a week ago I found out that she had taken a worse turn. Her kidneys had failed as a result of her failing liver.
At first we were told to expect her to pass within days or weeks. There was some dispute whether she would be accepted at the last minute at the Mayo in Arizona, but she was declined.
Then my aunt Mary, Mom's sister, who had been thrugh her own liver transplant 14 years ago, got her admitted to the liver transplant program at the main Mayo campus in Mom's and her's hometown of ROchester Minnesota.
With Steve's blessing and support I flew in to Rochester that day, and will be with her until the end of this ordeal, one way or another.
She has been on dialysis since arriving, and after an initial decline her kidney's condition is finally improving. But it is sill very questionable whether she will be accepted for transplant.
The determination will be made next week.
I don't know of anything anyone can do to help, and even if accepted, I don't think anyone can do anything to help her ifnd the donor liver she will need. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Steve has freed me from all duties at this trying time, so I can be with her through to the end, which hopefully will be with her receiving her transplant. I hav been spending the last few days watching over her at nights, while Aunt Mary and a plethora of cousins I haven't met since I was a child on summer vacation, visit her during the day. Her mental state has been very confused, they can't give her much painkillers or sedatives, and it is very hard to watch her suffer.
My Mom BTW, was raising my brother's daughters, because neither he nor thier mothers are able to, and is in the process of adopting them as her own. She is truly an angel in our family, and we just want her to live to see them grow up. Her husband will come down next Monday, but the girls won't be able to for weeks yet, if ever.
Like I said, her short term improvement is good, but only the transplant will save her, so I am hoping and praying, and holding her hand, because it is all I can do.
I am going to check in from time to time, at least, and am toying with the idea of making a blog about it, from a family members perspective.
But for right now I'm just holding her hand through the night.
There's a reason, and it's one I haven't really been ready to talk about publicly yet.
I will be making a video and blog post tomorrow with more details, but I thought the V4L family deserves to hear it first.
My mother has a fatal genetic liver disorder. She has been in the early stages of a terminal slide for a few years now, and her one sole long term hope is a liver transplant. She had been receiving excellent care, was largely winning her fights against her other health problems and obsticles to acceptance in the program, diabetes and obesity, and we had every reason to hope she would be eventually be accepted into the liver transplant program at the Mayo Clinic branch in Arizona.
But her condition began to decline rapidly a few months ago, and around two and a half weeks ago she was admitted to the hospital at her home i Alaska. At first it didn't seem too critical. Some jaundice and confusion, but she was expected to recove with some treatment. Just over a week ago I found out that she had taken a worse turn. Her kidneys had failed as a result of her failing liver.
At first we were told to expect her to pass within days or weeks. There was some dispute whether she would be accepted at the last minute at the Mayo in Arizona, but she was declined.
Then my aunt Mary, Mom's sister, who had been thrugh her own liver transplant 14 years ago, got her admitted to the liver transplant program at the main Mayo campus in Mom's and her's hometown of ROchester Minnesota.
With Steve's blessing and support I flew in to Rochester that day, and will be with her until the end of this ordeal, one way or another.
She has been on dialysis since arriving, and after an initial decline her kidney's condition is finally improving. But it is sill very questionable whether she will be accepted for transplant.
The determination will be made next week.
I don't know of anything anyone can do to help, and even if accepted, I don't think anyone can do anything to help her ifnd the donor liver she will need. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Steve has freed me from all duties at this trying time, so I can be with her through to the end, which hopefully will be with her receiving her transplant. I hav been spending the last few days watching over her at nights, while Aunt Mary and a plethora of cousins I haven't met since I was a child on summer vacation, visit her during the day. Her mental state has been very confused, they can't give her much painkillers or sedatives, and it is very hard to watch her suffer.
My Mom BTW, was raising my brother's daughters, because neither he nor thier mothers are able to, and is in the process of adopting them as her own. She is truly an angel in our family, and we just want her to live to see them grow up. Her husband will come down next Monday, but the girls won't be able to for weeks yet, if ever.
Like I said, her short term improvement is good, but only the transplant will save her, so I am hoping and praying, and holding her hand, because it is all I can do.
I am going to check in from time to time, at least, and am toying with the idea of making a blog about it, from a family members perspective.
But for right now I'm just holding her hand through the night.
