September 26, 2019
Jeff had his staples removed today and an Ultrasound of his new fistula. Besides a little extra swelling everything is going well. They said in a bout 4 weeks he will have another surgery to bring the new fistula to the surface. For now its as much time with his arm over his head as possible.
September 18, 2019
Jeff had surgery to take down his old fistula last week, it was too large and at risk of rupturing. During the procedure the doc started a new fistula in his upper arm. In about 4 weeks they will bring that fistula to the surface to be used for dialysis while Jeff waits for a kidney. They also placed a central line to be used for dialysis while we wait for the new fistula to develop. The new line did not work well at home on our dialysis machine so Jeff is going in center now to receive his treatments. This is easier on our home life but harder on Jeffs body. The treatments are longer and have more dramatic shifts for Jeffs body which leave him feeling run down. Please keep Jeff in your thoughts and share his updates so that we can find a donor.
September 17, 2019
Got the call today that Jeff is officially on the transplant list. Now we try or best to keep Jeff healthy and wait.
September 16, 2019
My Kidney Transplant Failed, I’m Heartbroken and Frustrated. I fought hard to recover from bi-lateral femoral necrosis, after receiving a second chance at life, and I want to do it again. I used my good time to give back to my community by working at a substance abuse rehabilitation facility and advocating for people seeking assistance to get their lives back together. I did my best to pass on the second chance I was given. In Feb of 2019, I went into acute rejection, and my doctors were unable to save it. I've been working hard since then to get my ducks in a row to become eligible for transplant again, and I'm happy to say I will officially be listed on the donor list for a new kidney transplant in Jacksonville, FL tomorrow! The waitlist is long, and I am doing everything I can to be the best home for the gift I desperately need to carry on. Until this happens, I am completing hemodialysis treatments at home, which has made it possible for me to receive 5 dialysis treatments a week.
May 10, 2019
So in Feb of this year Jeff's kidney transplant officially failed. We have started home hemodialysis . Jeff is also in the process of being re listed at the the Mayo Clinic for a second transplant. The list is long this time, meaning Jeff may have to wait several years for a deceased donor. We are hoping to find a living donor.
August 5, 2016
Update: Jeff is having surgery Monday. The doctor is going to drill small holes in his hips and knee joints to trigger blood flow to the area in an attempt for them to heal. On top of that he is going to take stem cells from Jeffs hip and inject it into the joints. Hopefully this will trigger his joints to heal and avoid having to the replace the joints and restore mobility. Please send good vibes.
June 30, 2016
We are almost 3 months out from Jeff's transplant now. The kidney is working wonderfully!!! That is great! Unfortunately Jeff started to have mobility issues about a month and a half out from his transplant, severe paining his hips, knees and ankles. It has continued to get worse has time has passed. Meds have been changed in an effort to help but nothing has worked. Today we got some bad news. Jeff's MRI came back with bilateral necrosis to both of his femur heads. It's a rare side effects caused by the transplant drugs that doesn't allow enough blood to the femur heads and causes them to break down. We have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon tom. wish us well!!
April 17, 2016
Jeff's kidney is slowly starting to function labs are leveling out and starting to drop!!! Yay! There is a chance we will be released home today:). Of course we will have to return tomorrow for labs and clinic but that will be the next few months of life for us. Jeff will have to be back here often to make sure his kidney, medications and labs are all on track. He is eager to return home and is pretty restless after spending a week in the hospital.
April 12, 2016
All in all Jeff is doing amazing, they said is stay will prob be longer due to how sleepy the kidney is. They said due to the manner of the donors death that this is to be expected and nothing to worry about.
April 10, 2016
Got the phone call today!!!!! Jeff goes for surgery at 5:00. We are so excited, he is currently receiving his last dialysis treatment. Some wonderful friends have already pitched in to take care of our puppies and bring me lunch. Jeff's mom is heading down from Montana right now and my dad and brother are on there way out tom or the next day. Yay it is all coming together.
March 29, 2016
3/29/16 Update: Jeff got his cancer free results last thurs, and was approved by the transplant team in the same day as well. Today we got our approval from insurance and Jeff should hopefully be listed by the end of the day. Jeff has 4 years served on the list from all his time spent on dialysis, which is good. It means Jeff is highly competitive for any kidneys matching his blood type. They have all warned us that this will all happen very quickly. We are excited but also anxious and rushing to get ready. We are in the middle of moving to a new apartment that will help Jeff to take care of his new kidney.
March 1, 2016
Update: Doctor just called and we have been pushed back yet another week. Jeff's culture came back and he has a urinary tract infection, so he will need to be on antibiotics for 10 days. So biopsy is rescheduled for next Friday. One positive to this is that the abnormalities in his bladder could have been caused by the infection.
March 1, 2016
Tomorrow morning Jeff has a biopsy of his bladder...hopefully our last step before Jeff is transplanted. The purpose of this biopsy is to rule out cancer in his bladder, due some abnormalities they saw in a scope last week.
February 24, 2016
Jeff had an appointment with his urologist yesterday unfortunately it has pushed progress back a week..
Jeff had some abnormalities in his bladder (probably due to the fact that he no longer makes urine) They want to do a biopsy to make sure everything is ok, which is scheduled for next week.
This will change his actual transplant surgery, they will have to do some repair's to his bladder also.
February 17, 2016
Ok today was a long but informative day!
Jeff has one follow up test, a stress test for his heart, before he is presented to the transplant team for approval. So yay that is awesome and should be completed rather quickly. Some important things that we learned today:
1. Unfortunately anyone who may have called to be a possible donor on Jeff's behalf in the past year were put on hold. This was a shock to us we had no idea Jeff's case was on hold. As of today he is no longer on hold. If anyone is considering donating on Jeff's behalf or know someone who may be, please follow the link below or call the University of Utah transplant team.
www.uofulivingdonor.org
this is a link to a questionnaire that will help determine if you are eligible to donate
The transplant team strongly encourages finding a living donor and recommends we amp up our efforts to find one. Doesn't matter where you are located, you may still be able to donate on Jeff's behalf.
2. We learned that gofundme is not a good source for raising money for this purpose so, we will be starting a nonprofit site that will manage our donations and even pay medical bills for us.
www.helphopelive.org search Jeff Jon Haslip
This way people's employers can match and you can receive a tax credit if you donate. Also the site takes no fees and holds the money until we need it, so worst case scenario if Jeff needs a second transplant or is hospitalized in the future for any reason we can use the money. The site only allows the money to be used for medical expenses so it creates more peace of mind for those wishing to help out. It also helps manage our medical bills, create fund raising events, and has information about how to obtain permits for such events and so much more.
3. In the past Jeff has had a high antibody level, this can make finding a match more difficult. They redrew his labs today and will let us know if he still has high levels of this antibody or if it is no longer a concern.
4. Overall the doctors and other members of the transplant team were encouraging and think Jeff is a great candidate for transplant. They said it will take almost a month to clear him with the team and insurance and then he will be ready to go.
Please share this site to help support Jeff in his Journey to receive a transplant. Thank you so much for all the Love and Support.
