This past summer, Ryan Fitzgerald was like any other teenager working on the boardwalk, saving money for books and getting ready to leave for college in the fall. He had just one more thing to attend to — a simple hernia operation. Pre-admission blood work indicated Ryan very low blood platelets, and he underwent more exhaustive testing. He was then sent to New York Presbyterian Hospital in NYC for further evaluation.
Finally, in December Ryan was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease and told by his medical team that his only chance at life would be to have a liver transplant. To maintain Ryan’s health, he must undergo treatments known as variceal banding which helps prevents bleeding in the esophagus and stomach. He presently takes seven different medications every day; this number will increase to 20 or more after his liver transplant.
With this diagnosis, Ryan’s plans for attending college away from home had to be put on hold. He decided to attend the local community college to pursue a nursing degree, and would love to help others with their transplant needs after he is completely healthy.
Even with insurance, Ryan will have many uninsured transplant-related expenses such as: co-pays and deductibles, doctor visits, travel expenses and the costly immunosuppressant medications that he will need to take for the rest of his life. This situation has caused an extreme financial burden for his family and they were in danger of losing their home.
To help with this financial burden, a fundraising campaign in Ryan’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the Mid-Atlantic Liver Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Your contribution is greatly appreciated.
For credit card contributions, please call 800.642.8399 or select the “Donate Now” bar. To send a check, see the instructions on the right side of this page.
To help achieve our fundraising goals, t-shirts/wristbands/bumper stickers have been printed with Ryan’s logo, “transplant life” and are ready for distribution and sale. If you or anyone you know would be interested in donating time to help sell these items, please contact us at [email protected].
Thank you and God Bless,
Our Family, Lisa, Ryan, Michael and Mike
