Medical Funds for Monte's Life-Saving Liver Transplant!

Monte has been fit and healthy all his life, until August 2024 when he was diagnosed with liver failure. Well known around the country as a “camel man,” Monte was very active and busy with a traveling exotic animal petting zoo and racing camels until his baby girl was born. He then semi-retired and began working as a heavy equipment operator, giving up the camels and show business he loved for health insurance to cover his family that he loves even more.

 When he wasn’t working, he was spending time with his (now) six-year-old daughter, Morgan. When he was working, he was planning activities Morgan and him could do when they were together. They would go fishing, to the zoo, to the park, to play with the animals at Hedricks Exotic Animal Farm, or even just stay home and play games and read books. She is the light of his life and the reason he lives.

While Monte was not officially diagnosed with liver failure until August 2024, he began having undiagnosed symptoms long before that.  Two years ago, Monte went in for routine lab work and was told he had a chronic kidney illness. There was never any official diagnosis, or complications during or after. He felt fine and continued to live his life while monitoring his bloodwork.  A few months later, he began to have severe back problems that rendered him unable to work as he waited on approval for a back surgery. In August of 2024, he became jaundiced and swollen nearly overnight and was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with liver failure. He continued to have problems with managing the liver and living a normal life, on top of the back surgery he was still waiting for and the severe pain that made living a normal life impossible.

In October of 2024, Monte was on the operating table for his back surgery and was denied by the anesthesiologist as he was a “high-risk” patient. This action likely saved his life, although the continuation of having to live with severe pain was a disappointment. Shortly after, Monte received a second opinion from another doctor who informed him the back problem was a misdiagnosis, and the real issue was in his hip. His entire hip joint had deteriorated due to liver failure that he had only recently received a diagnosis for. He received hip surgery on December 17.

Despite the hip surgery giving him much-needed relief from the pain, the stress from the surgery along with new prescriptions burned into his upper intestines, causing a large ulcer nearly immediately. This left him struggling to make it through Christmas Day with his daughter before being rushed to the hospital. He spent a few weeks in the ICU while doctors tried to locate the source of the bleeding and get it stopped. In the meantime, Monte received 15 units of blood just to keep his hemoglobin at a reasonable level to sustain life.

It has been a long, hard road of hospital visits and liver-related issues that were only recently diagnosed properly. From the kidney issues that were an early-warning sign that went undetected, to the necrosis of the hip joint being misdiagnosed as a back issue, it has been a hard journey for Monte the last few years and he is just now getting proper treatment and answers.

Monte is currently in the ICU waiting on a liver. He has spent the majority of April and May in the hospital. Despite this hardship, and missing time with his daughter, he remains upbeat and has impressed the doctors with how hard he is fighting to get stronger.

The liver transplant is looming quickly on the horizon, as he is medically very much in need. However, while the transplant will save his life, it is also incredibly expensive. The cost of the transplant is exorbitant, and the hospital visits leading up to the transplant are not included in that very high price tag. Monte will also have to be on expensive immunosuppressants for the rest of his life, and will be unable to work for quite some time as he heals and will have frequent doctor appointments which prevent a steady job. His life will drastically change as he learns how to adjust to all of the medical challenges he is facing.

In addition to all of this….and it is a LOT to navigate, especially for someone who previously had no medical problems…..Monte’s insurance ends May 31. Because his insurance will cover a huge portion of the medical costs related to the liver transplant, he will need to pay the high COBRA payments to continue the same level of insurance coverage. Since he has been unable to work, these costs on top of his normal bills is unmanageable, and he needs help.

Monte chose Help, Hope, Live as a nonprofit organization to help with fundraising as it ensures that all the money that is donated to them on his behalf is tax deductible for the giver. It also ensures that every single penny goes toward his medical-related expenses.

If you know Monte, you know he has never asked for any kind of help. Independence is important for him, and now having to rely on help is so, so hard. Something we can all attest to. Monte NEEDS help.

If you can give, please give! If you can’t, please share his story so that others may see it and be inspired to help. If you would like to host a fundraiser in his honor to help, please reach out. Even if you can only do a small fundraiser like online popcorn sales, t-shirt sales, or are willing to reach out to a business or church on his behalf. We cannot do it all on our own and need as much help as we can get.

Every little bit helps and will go a long way toward helping him get through this long and expensive process. We appreciate each and every one of you for your continued support.