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Even those that have been around for years.
You only know bits and pieces of my struggles, heartaches, and obstacles. And that’s only because you happened to be there, when in that moment, I was going through them. That doesn’t mean you are less important than those that do know. It just means that I am only as good as what I show you. I don’t let most people know what I am going through, including those closest to me. Why you ask..?
Because I am a strong, proud woman that doesn’t like to ask for help – in any way. I hate the looks of pity I may get – because I am NOT fragile. I AM capable. And I will do whatever it takes to make everyone around me believe I don’t NEED anything or anyone. But, I’ve lied. I’ve lied to all of you. Not in the traditional sense. But I withhold the truth when you ask “Are you ok?”, or “Is there anything that I can do?”.
Now I don’t have a choice. Now I HAVE to ask. I need ALL of your help. I need to guarantee that I am here for the long haul for my boys. I NEED to see them in their sports. I NEED to see them get their driver’s licenses. I NEED to see them have girlfriends, graduate, see the men they grow up to be. I NEED to see their weddings, who they become, what kind of Dads they are when their children are born. So, now I will ask. I AM asking. I am begging you to help make that happen. Please…?
Family and friends of Janeen Hanselman are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with transplantation.
Janeen has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.
For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.
Thank you for your support!
And the hits keep coming’…
I was supposed to have had one of my repeat procedures this past Monday. It had to be canceled. Happy Mother’s Day to me, I tested positive for COVID. I literally had to distance myself from my boys that day, and I will have to quarantine for 20-30 days because of my transplant and the immunosuppressives I’m on. I had already spent too much time as it was, away from my boys.. Another minute is too much.
2+ years and I get it now. Why..? When I’ve been so careful... Now I can’t work. I don’t know what they’re going to do. We were short on employees as it was. They’re going to get tired of me taking time off. And I don’t have enough PTO in the world to cover what I’ve already missed.
I could really use some prayers right now. For me, my family and friends that were exposed, my boys, and my coworkers. Please let us all get through this as unscathed as possible and without anyone else becoming infected or affected… Thank you. Amen.
So, again, here we are, a good amount of time has passed since my last update. I was hoping to be able to give everyone an update with how wonderful things have been going, but I can’t. This last month really knocked me on my ass - physically and emotionally. Again, I had to explain to my boys that something could happen to me during one of my procedures. And again, I am having complications and other challenges…
On Feb 4th, after expressing concerns for months over increasing liver enzymes (not what we want to be happening), I had a procedure scheduled, to again, go in through my abdomen, to check out my liver and the connecting duct. Let’s say, it did not go as planned, at all.
My Mom and I were there for the procedure with a start time of 630am. I finally was taken back at 830. My Mom received a few texts saying that the procedure was going well. Then a text saying it was progressing. It wasn’t until after 330 that my Mom knew I was in recovery. I woke up IMMEDIATELY knowing something went terribly wrong. Too much time has passed. The pain in my abdomen was unbearable. My sciatic nerve was SCREAMING. And no one would tell me anything.
I don’t remember much, but my Mom was with me until 8pm. I lost a day, because I thought the rest of what happened was still on that Friday. Sometime during Fri/Sat, I remember the nurses commenting on hanging the 5th bag of fluids for me and how my blood pressure was at 70/55. I also remember SEEING my blood pressure reading at 60/33. After that, I didn’t know that I had an IV bag of epinephrine to try to increase my BP, that there was a crash cart in my room, or that I was moved to the ICU. My Mom; my emergency contact, my medical power of attorney; did not know any of that either. And at least for 8hrs. Thankfully, one of my good friends had called and after a lot of convincing of the nursing staff, eventually found me.
We found out that I was septic from the procedure. The Drs had found that since August, my new duct, had completely scarred closed. They could not get through it on either side, even after trying for several hours. They actually had to make a brand new opening in my liver, and connect it to my colon with an internal drain. They are hoping my body will “form” a new duct around the drain. During this part of the procedure is when I became septic.
And yet again, I now have an external drain. I was hospitalized until Feb 9th, but not released for work until the 21st. To a new job, that I don’t know if I will be able to keep. Solely, because I will be going every 4-6 weeks to repeat the procedure of them checking the internal drain and growth, changing out my external drain for a larger one, and possibly repeating the process of placing stents into the new “duct”.
I don’t know what my future holds, I could lose this job, I may lose my health benefits, this “fix” may not be a fix at all. What I do know is that I have too many good things in my life to even think about giving up: my amazing boys, my incredible family, my irreplaceable friends, and all of the support and prayers of so many people . So thank all of YOU, for giving me reasons!!
I know it's been a little while, and again, I'm sorry. And again, I've had complications.
Yesterday I had my 4th "surgery" (besides the transplant and multiple other procedures) and I'm feeling beat up. My lips are all cut up and my throat is bruised and sore from being intubated, the site is super irritated, along with muscles underneath, so I'm moving very slowly and carefully. The procedure itself went well. Each surgery I had prior, the doctors placed stents and an external drain into a liver duct so, 1. they could close up a hole/leak, 2. drain excess fluid that had built up, 3. stretch the duct itself, 4. monitor flow, and 5. have easier access for the next time. But, this time, they removed everything, in hopes that they won't have to replace it all sometime down the road.
Even though it went well, it has been frustrating, disappointing, reinjuring to my already inflamed abdomen, slowing/halting my healing, and downright painful. I thought for sure I would be feeling better by now, and farther along in my healing process. But then I remind myself that this is a marathon, not a sprint. That this is all temporary. I remind myself that this time last year, I was hoping for a miracle, and finding a donor. That this is nothing compared to what I was dealing with before the transplant. That I was actually writing letters to my boys and my loved ones, in case I didn't make it. I remind myself of so many others that are suffering way worse than I ever have. Thinking about all of the strangers I didn't even know, offering to be tested. Strangers I hadn't even met, donating. People I hadn't heard from in years offering their help. SO many people stepping up in ways I didn't even know I needed, and that I still need.
So, if you want to know how I'm doing..? I'm scared with such an uncertain future. I'm sore, tired, not sleeping well, not eating much, but I'm ALIVE. I'm here. And I realize... I have my miracle. I have been blessed with so much support, a new liver, my donor, my friends, new and old; family, and a second chance.
First, I need to apologize that I haven't kept everyone as updated as I can. Recovery from the actual transplant was a little rough in the beginning, I spent a lot of time sleeping and being in pain. It was very tiring just being awake. Then slowly, it started to get a little more tolerable day by day.
Unfortunately, I had a few minor setbacks (comparatively speaking): a partially collapsed lung, a leak in the duct between my body and my new liver, one duct was dilated, and there was a narrowing of one of the ducts.
I needed to get the fluid drained from the space around my lung, a stent placed in the one duct (thankfully, this took care of the leak, the narrowing, AND the dilated duct), and a drain put in my abdomen. This not only pulled the backed up fluid from my liver, but also left an opening for when the Drs need to go back in to remove the stent.
In the meantime, I was admitted back into the hospital, because then I developed an infection around the drain site.
It has been a roller coaster dealing with everything this last year, and some days all I want to do is lay in bed and cry. But, I know that won't help or change anything. So, I've tried to stay as positive as possible, which is so much easier with the continued good wishes, prayers, positive thoughts, generosity, support, and love I get from all of you. Again, I appreciate it to no end, and I would not have gotten through all I have already, if it wasn't for you!
And on that note, I am truly sorry that I have not kept up on the thank you cards, but I WILL continue to write them all, no matter how long it takes!
1/24/21
Hi everyone! Just wanted to give you an update after my transplant. But first, I want to say thanks to my living donor. I never would have survived without her. I know I will never be able to repay her in any suitable way. She is truly a miracle, my angel, and my hero all in one! Next, I'd like to thank everyone for the outputting and overwhelming amount of support, prayers, good thoughts, and generosity. I couldn't do it without you either! (Ok, this is starting to sound an awful lot like an acceptance speech...)
So, after 54 staples, 15 HR surgery, 2 drains, my liver transplant - priceless. There's no amount of words or emotions that adequately address either, or the steadiness if the surgeons hands, the tireless teams working with each of us. All I can say is thank you and thank God. I am determined to pay it forward after recovery. And until then, comes the hard part. Pushing myself harder than I have ever. I will be sore, I'll want to quit, but I won't. That's the only way I can give back right now...
One more thing I forgot to mention... It may take me awhile, but I promise to thank each one of you individually (I've never been good at writing thank you notes!), just please be patient with me! ;-)
1/6/21
Happy New Year to all of you! I hope you can agree with me that it has already been better than 2020! For those of you who don't know, I received the best Christmas gift I could ever possibly ask for - a viable donor! One of my Mom's oldest friend's daughter has not only agreed to be a donor, but she is a match as well! Meaning I will have my transplant surgery on Jan 20th.
I am not only nervous and happy, but excited and to be honest, a little scared too. My surgery will last 12-16 hours, my donor's surgery about 12 hours, and we will be on our own. We are allowed one visitor at a time, but only 2 total. (I REALLY detest COVID at this point). But, the real work will start after the surgery.
Recovery is going to be difficult and painful. I will have to be on steroids, antibiotics, anti-rejection meds, and any other "anti" drug you can think of. I will have drains coming out of everywhere, I will be intubated, I'll have pretty close to 100 staples for my incision. I will have daily labs and check-ups daily for the the first week, at least. I will probably be required to get out of bed and walk the day after surgery. I will feel great at first, but then worse as time goes on. I won't be able to drive for a month (small sacrifices, right..?), but , I'm not sure if I will even feel up to it. My donor will have it a little easier than me, but she will still need time to recover. She will have time off from her job, but it will be unpaid. I'm hoping, with this foundation, we can help her pay a lot of her bills since she is giving the most selfless gift for me. So, I'm asking again, for your help. This time it's not just for me, but for my donor, as well.
I have been astounded by the generosity, support, prayers, thoughts, and help I have received from so many people. Truth be known, I am overwhelmed. I know I can never repay any of you for all you have done for me and my family, but I know that as soon as I recover completely, I will be paying it forward to others that are in a difficult time in there lives. I can never say it enough, but thank you. Thank you for EVERYTHING you have done for my family.
I cannot begin to thank you all for the overwhelming response of positive thoughts, support, prayers, and generosity! I appreciate it more than I will ever be able to express. I will still give you what may be a feeble attempt, but THANK YOU SO VERY Much. Please know that I will be thanking each and everyone of you, individually, but it may take awhile...
I'd like to tell you about our daughter Janeen (Witowski) Hanselman, our first child and only daughter. She is a daughter any parent can only dream of having. She is kind, thoughtful, intelligent, brave and a loving mother to 12 year old twins. She is the first to step in whenever someone needs help or a listening ear. When she had heard that a friend and her children were anticipating sad holidays, Janeen immediately organized a fundraiser to provide Christmas gifts, clothing, toys and monetary donations for the family. Now it is her time to ask for help.
Our daughter was born with congenital issues involving her liver and underwent a major surgery at 6 years of age. Her health truly began to deteriorate within the last few years and she has been unable to work or care for her sons as needed. Between March and September of 2020 alone, she has had 7 hospitalizations including time spent in ICU. Now at the age of 47, she is in desperate need of a liver transplant.
We are asking family and friends to help us in fundraising with the nonprofit Help Hope Live to assist with critical expenses. Although Janeen has insurance there are many expenses which are not covered. The cost of just the anti rejection drugs, which she will need to take for the rest of her life, may exceed thousands of dollars a month.
Donations to Help Hope Live can help ease some of the financial burden of a transplant, allowing Janeen to focus on attaining a healthy recovery and life.
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Get well, Janeen!
Adrienne Driscoll
Here’s some love!
-an old Chili’s pal-
Anonymous
Sending hugs and prayers! Love you girl!!!
Patty Pendley
We are rooting for you Aunt Neen! Love and hugs! Cole, Lydia, Caroline & Brian
Caroline Olenick
My dear friend Janeen, I love you .
Linda & Doug
Linda Schrader
Sending you good vibes always and praying for your full recovery and strong health.
Lizzie Roscoe
Stay strong Janeen!❤️
Carol Zilinskas
Melissa and I were so happy to hear that the procedure was a success. Now comes the hard part of healing. We will keep you in our hearts and prayers as you continue your road to recovery. If you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
The Kersey Family
Kevin Kersey
praying you heal fast
richard dawson
Keeping both you and your donor in our prayers for comfort, support, care, and a safe recovery! Sending you so much love!
Jacquelyn Bogan
Love and healing prayers to you!
Michelle Petersen
Cousins by birth, but sisters in illness. If anyone deserves a chance and the best outcome, it’s you Neen. I love you and am always with you. You will not fight this fight alone
Elizabeth Underhill
Janeen,
Pat and I are praying for your successful transplant and speedy recovery. Best wishes to you!
Kathleen Casey
My donation is on Janeen’s behalf, a friend in need. Good luck, best wishes, and a speedy recovery for you and your donor.
Sal Martinez
Prayers for blessings and healing for you and your donor, we love you Janeen!
Kristy Kaser-Shively
Keeping you in our prayers Janeen! Stay strong.
The Konley family
Linda Connor
Praying for your speedy recovery and many many happy healthy years ahead! God bless you ❤️
Susan Swiecicki
Janeen,
I have never met you, but I am a friend of your Mom's from EPCHS. Please know I am thinking you and sending you lots of prayers.
With love,
Charmane
charmane kovanich
Sending prayers and hope for Janeen.❤️
Maureen Niswonger
So happy for you Jeannine
Ruth Casey
We’re praying for you Janeen.
Martin R. T. Mersch
Sending love and continued prayers.
Amy Warnock
Best wishes, Mayka, Dan, Aedan and Ben
Daniel Casey
Praying for your success. The Wilkey family
Marjorie Wilkey
We're praying for you!!
Carrie Opiela
Sending positive vibes.
Izabela Bogacz
Janeen Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
John & Rose Prohaska
Our thoughts and prayers go to Janeen and her family for a successful liver donor.
Geri and George
Geri Garvey
Hey Janeen,
Sorry to hear you are facing this.
I think you are the first person I met who made me realize that is possible to be both intellectually AND emotionally intelligent. That "the cool kids" aren't always cruel. It was a good thing to learn and made the world a little brighter during a dark part of my life.
Good luck!
Phyllis Steinhauser
Sending hugs and prayers to Janeen and family. Love, The Gleeson’s
Marilou Gleeson
My family and I are praying for you and your family, Janeen. You'll get through this.
Christopher Kinsella
Love you girl ❤️❤️
Lindsae Baldes
So sorry you're going through this Janeen. Thoughts and prayers are with you!
Erin Gorecki
From our family to yours. Keeping you in our thoughts and prayers for strength during this fight.
Jackie Bogan
You will get through this, Janeen! Erin and I are hoping and wishing you a speedy recovery and enjoyment of all the good things in life. You are as tough as they come -- keep going and it will work out!
Jesse & Erin Boyle
Janeen, you have been in our prayers. Wishing you a road to recovery and the strength you need to get through this. We are here for you, Jamie, and the boys.
Darshana Novick
Wishing you the best and sending prayers to you and your family.
Diana Kompare
Thanks for the Christmas memory! The one where Santa truly is real! You are an amazing light in this world & I’ll never forget the support and sisterhood we shared “back in the day”! Times do get tough but babes support babes, then and now; & always know how many are thinking of you with so much love, respect and prayers for strength .
Anonymous
Prayers with your entire family and please know you have the entire Elmhurst Bears board and organization here to help in any way!
Bob Gollias
Thinking and praying for you.
Michele Olenick
Janeen you will be in my thoughts and prayers❤️❤️
Marita Lynch
Love you mom that only raises ballers
Kelly Harrison Conrads
Janeen is a childhood friend from Evergreen Park. She is a cheerful, beautiful, wholehearted person. I wish Janeen and her family much strength at this time. My thoughts remain positive for a transplant for Janeen.
Jackie Rush
We Love you and praying for you
Bruce and Ana Swartz
Bruce & Ana Swartz
Praying for you lady! You got this!❤️
Jen Verde
In Honor of Janeen Hanselman
Ray and Jan Kowalczyk
Jeanine was the most fun babysitter my sister and I ever had! We are all thinking of you and praying for you! All our LOVE, Joell and Jina Bartolini
Joell Bartolini
I will be in prayer for you. God is the ultimate healer. May you be blessed by His healing touch. Diana Stone
Diana Stone
My thoughts and prayers are with you!!!
Maureen McNichols
WHAT A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE AND KNOW EXACTLY WHERE IT IS OING. WISH I COULD DO MORE..HANG IN THERE JANEEN!! LOVE YOU!
CYTNHIA WITOWSKI
God bless you ❤️
Susan Swiecicki
Sending you a huge hug ❤️❤️ !!
You got this girlfriend!! ❤️❤️
Colleen Kramer
I have worked with your cousin Sheri for many years. I pray for your healthy recovery and a long life well spent with those you love. Stay strong.
Katie Maxwell
Mrs. Witkowski, you and Jeneen are remembered by my son, Dan, in his words for you “an awesome lady” and “Jeneen as pretty, always smiling and sweet “. I’m very sorry to hear this news, but I am happy to share with an Evergreen Park group and other groups. PLEASE - if there is anything else I can do please contact me @ d.gervase@icloud.com. Prayers and hugs.
Darlene Gervase
Prayers for Jannen to find the perfect donor and heal quickly. Sending many caring thoughts and much Love to ALL in the family
Brenda Stonitsch
Janeen, our thoughts and prayers are with you and hope that FINALLY everything comes together for you. Best wishes always.
Tony & Pat Mehok
Tony Mehok
With so much love
Mary Underhill
Praying for you. I'm so sorry you are going through this.
Renee Cozzolino
Holding hope for Janeen and her family.
Bruce & Karen Swiecicki
Janeen
I'm so sorry you're going through this. I wish I was there to help. Please know that you and your family are in my thought and prayers. If you ever need anything, I'm just an email or a phone call away. I will do whatever I can for you to make things a little easier. Love to you all.
Susan Todd
SUSAN TODD
Janene! You & your family will be in my daily thoughts & prayers. I'll try to help financially as much and as often as I can! With love always❣❣❣ Stay strong! Sarah Schimanski Knezevic
Sarah Schimanski Knezevic
We will be praying for you!❤️
Natalie Engel
Janeen,
Our prayers are with you!
Hernandez Family
Laura Hernandez
Neen you are consistently in our prayers!! We love you and your sweet family and are thinking about you all. You keep fighting because I know in my heart that you will come out of this stronger then you started. I will continue to stay positive and pray like no other. Love you!!
Heather Cox
My Prayers are with you!
Jim Robilotta
I’m will be praying for you, Janeen, and hoping for all your needs to be met.
~friend of your parents from SFA.❤️
Regina Knapp
Need we're rooting for you and your health! Prayers and positivity! Lots of love always! Jeff, Lizz, Noah, Owen, & Rosalee
Lizz Walker
Its been a long time my friend. I will be thinking of you! Sending hugs and Love you way!
Amy Long
Make checks payable to:
Help Hope Live
Note in memo:
In honor of Janeen L Hanselman
Mail to:
Help Hope Live
2 Radnor Corporate Center
Suite 100
100 Matsonford Road
Radnor, PA 19087
Donor preference is important to us. Please specify in writing if you wish for your name or donation amount to be kept private.
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