Help Sara (Moore) Hernandez get through a Heart and Liver Transplant

September 11, 2024

So, a year has come and gone since my whirlwind trip in July of 2023. For me, healthwise, it was a pretty low key 6 months from July, 2023 to January, 2024. I did have some energy decrease and a few paracentesis (fluid draining procedures) done, but continued to go to work full-time and go about my daily life. The low point of the year happened in November when my husband's leg from the knee down became infected and was amputated. The highlight of the year was a trip to Bali, Indonesia in December. I traveled with friends and family to see my brother and his girl become husband and wife. What an unforgettable adventure!

In January 2024 I flew back down to Stanford with a very good friend, Leanne Mezerkor. She was very good at helping me write down questions for the doctors as they came up. We had great conversations with my Cardiologists there. The general consensus from the visit was that I should monitor my energy use, and that we revisit the possibility of being admitted at the next visit (July 2024).

When I returned to Portland, life got crazy! After a routine paracentesis in mid February, I suffered a full stroke. The stroke made it difficult to communicate in any form for around 24 hours. Both my speech and right extremity function was quite diminished. I am so thankful that in the following days and weeks I made a near full recovery, with only some speech irregularities continuing occasionally. Following my stroke was 3 weeks of chaos as my husband suffered 3 heart attacks in a 3 consecutive week span. The final incident required an ambulance ride! Again I remain extremely thankful for his healing and recovery during the following months.

The next major change for me began in mid April, when I developed a very bitter/metallic taste in my mouth. The taste made eating very unpleasant. In the following months I underwent a steep decrease in appetite and began to lose weight. By the beginning of June, my energy had decreased enough that my Cardiologist in Oregon helped form a plan to decrease my schedule at work.

In July I dropped from 40 hours a week (5 days) to 24 hours a week (3 days). Even with my decreased appetite and energy level, the new routine brought life back into me. My summer kicked off with a beach camping trip with my horse. It continued with pleasant outings, day trips, visits from friends, and lots of restful hours in reading in my Hammock by the garden.

In late July, Leanne again returned with me to Stanford. My team discussed my energy, appetite, and several other odd little ailments. The general consensus this time was a certain hospital admittance. The plan was to return to Oregon, get all my affairs in order and return to Stanford in January, 2025.

By mid-January, I will become a hospital patient and wait for the right donor to become available.

In the meantime; I have several trips planned during my next few months of “freedom!” I will enjoy a lot of time with my family, friends, pets, and horses! I have found amazing families to lease my two geldings together while I am in the hospital and recovering afterwards. My turtles have gone to live with my friend Sonja Tuma in Billings and my cats will be fostered at the homes of close friends (Laura Young and Leanne Mezerkor) here in Portland. My husband will continue to take care of our pups, and my older sickly ragdoll kitty. I have created a facebook page: "Riding the Trail to Transplant" for everyone interested in following my journey! I will be adding a matching Instagram account as well with the same name in the near future. Please feel free to add me as a friend and follow my journey of the heart. https://www.facebook.com/riding.the.trail.to.transplant

As far as finances are concerned, I will be able to continue to use my insurance through my work though a program called Cobra. This will cost $1000 a month starting most likely in January, 2025. I will have used up my Oregon Paid Leave hours to cover my reduced work schedule by then. Once I am an in-patient, I will obviously not be able to work. Thank you for all of you that have donated and that have continued to help support me on my way down this trail!

August 17, 2023

Hello Friends, Family, and supporters of my journey,

I'm writing to give you all an update on things!

It has been a bit of a roller coaster as far as keeping up with what the different doctors have had to say and their predictions of how quickly the transplant will be needed.

In early May, I had an appointment with my regular pre-transplant/congenital cardiologist at OHSU. I had my 6th paracentesis (abdominal fluid drain) shortly before the appointment. This doctor was concerned that my condition was rapidly deteriorating. I also learned this cardiologist would be leaving his position in Portland, so I will need to return to a congenital cardiologists' care. Before leaving, he had me meet with a Post-Transplant doctor. He didn't seem to share his colleague's urgencies, which made me feel better.

Fast forward two uneventful months, and July 5th, it's time to return to Stanford. Early in the morning, myself and my husband, Israel, got in the car with two of our dogs and headed down south from Portland.

We had a couple bumps in the road including my credit card getting blocked and being side swiped on the highway by a car that sped off.. My first appointment was pushed to the afternoon, so we went for a nice lunch in HalfMoon Bay.

Upon returning to the hospital, my husband Israel was not feeling well. He thought maybe his blood pressure was a little low, and he might have a fever. We got in the room to await the appointment with my Cardiologist, and the nurse and I noticed a funny sound. We turned to Israel, and he was rocking back and forth and shaking uncontrollably! They called transport, and took him to the ER immediately. I didn't see that bump in the road coming!

I continued on to my two appointments, which I went through with a fuzzy brain, and learned that I am declining at what my doctor says is an expected rate. For now, I am encouraged to continue living my life as best as I can until either they feel that I have declined enough to need to be admitted, or I get "the call” that there is a donor for me. We don’t know when this will be.

Once I was out of my appointment, I had to evaluate my situation. I was on a huge campus alone, our two dogs in our car in a garage somewhere. I was dangling keys to a car I can't drive, so I set off to find the car and dogs while waiting for news about Israel. A nurse had to rescue me on campus, because I got lost looking for the car, but I finally got the dogs the relief they needed.

I entered the ER, not knowing what to expect. I found Israel conscious but shaken up. The doctors came in and told me he was in sepsis and they'd need to operate on his foot to remove infected tissue and toes. Meanwhile plans were in motion to get my sister Jessie flown down to drive myself, our car, and the dogs back to Oregon. It was confirmed that Israel would likely not survive the trip if he were to come with us, so we decided he would fly back when he was healthy enough. They proceeded with the surgery and antibiotics, and myself and my sister prepared for the journey home. After making sure he was on the mend, we headed back up north for the 12 hour drive back to Portland! Finally we arrived at 2 am.

I learned just a few short days later that Israel would be enduring a 2nd and a 3rd surgery, causing him to lose the remainder of his toes. A week and a half later, he returned home, and is starting on the long road to recovery. What a crazy trip, with the bumpiest bumps!

As for me, I'll see my congenital cardiologist on August 17th to see what's next in life, like how often I'll need to check in with doctors. Only time will tell if a new specialist is hired who can understand congenital heart defects, focus on fontan surgeries, and keep track of pre-transplant progression. Until told otherwise, I will be getting paracentesis as needed, monitoring my blood thickness, and generally trying to live well. I can continue my usual routine of working my two jobs, riding my horse, and spending time with friends and family!

My next trip to Stanford could be anywhere from 6 months (regularly scheduled appointments or needing to be admitted) to any day ("the call")!

Thank you again for your continued support, both monetary and all of the love.