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

May 20, 2026

Hi everyone. It has been a while since we posted any updates. As usual, life gets in the way, and we have been very busy. Monte just completed his annual evaluations in Kansas City last week to remain on the list. A few hiccups, but overall, everything went well and we are moving forward. (Or staying stagnant while we wait for the call?) He continues to have good days and bad, and we just manage them as best as we can. He was hospitalized in March and had a pretty bad episode- probably the worst ever. Strangely, when he was admitted, he was doing pretty good. It was after four days of hospitalization that he had the episode, so nothing that he did or did not do. Just what his condition can do now. The doctors told us he probably shouldn't drive or be alone for very long, so I have moved in with him temporarily and we will see what the future looks like for us. Cindy is here off and on to support when the two of us need a break from each other.

Mostly, I think he has more good days than bad. He is busy through the week, and keeps me running. He just hit 650 days sober, and continues to be a leader and source of strength to others in his local AA chapter. He not only attends meetings, but is a volunteer host and also leads a few meetings a week. We are incredibly proud of him for that. He maintains a cheerful attitude, and is continuously gracing the world with his jokes. I don't think we have many more updates than that. He says he is ready for the transplant, so he never has to deal with the brain fog again. It steals so much from him. He has always been the brains of the family, so seeing him struggle when the fog creeps in is heartbreaking. Fortunately, he has been doing an excellent job managing the condition, and we have tried some new techniques that seem to be working so far in keeping everything balanced and the fog at bay.

Several people have asked, and we try to be pretty open about sharing about his condition- Monte does need a full liver and matching kidney. He cannot accept a living donor. We appreciate those of you have asked about getting tested for a match. While we desperately want and need a transplant for his health, we realize the heartbreaking cost to another family.

Finally, we wanted to express our thanks to everyone that has prayed for us, reached out, donated, or helped in any way. We are incredibly blessed to have such a loving circle of friends and family. Those who have donated- thank you so, so much. The funds have helped get him through some of the worst times. We have been able to pay his insurance premiums, which were quite high, his prescription costs, and his medical bills when insurance only paid part. It has been a relief and a blessing for us to be able to not worry quite so much about how we have to pay for it and instead be able to focus on him. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us! As always, please share so we reach more people. You never know who has connections that can help him!

Much love, The McClurgs

September 13, 2025

September 2025 Update: Apologies for not getting back to everyone that has reached out or graciously donated. We appreciate each and every one of you so, so much. Monte has been doing really well the last few months, and we have all sort of taken a step back and enjoyed the lull in the chaos to catch up on our lives. We know it is temporary.Monte has been pretty independent the last couple of months since he was released from KU Med. He has dialysis 3X weekly, which wipes him out those days, but the rest of the week he tries to get up and go outside for a drive at the very least. He has been doing some volunteer work out at the farm just to get out of the house, which has been really good for him. Morgan has even helped him with some of the tours in the evenings. I am so happy to see him able to get out and around and do fun things with her. This last week he was able to go to the fair and announce the pig races, and Morgan was able to help a bit as well.  He still has good days and bad, as expected, but has learned his limits and how to identify the signs that he needs some help earlier rather than later.In August, we hit the one-year mark of when he was “officially” diagnosed with a liver problem, although he was misdiagnosed and having severe problems related to it for a year before that. It has been a very hard year on all of us, and I feel like we have all really grown and changed in response to the disease. I am so proud of all the accomplishments Monte has made in the last year. It has been hardest on him, and even in pain in the hospitals, he tried to make the nurses and doctors laugh. If you know Monte, he is a showman first.We have learned a lot about how to cope with this disease. It isn’t easy. There is SO much more than just showing up and getting a transplant. Monte has had to make drastic changes to his life. His mother and I have also had to make changes and sacrifices to get him through this. A year ago, we had no idea what we were getting into, and how our lives would change.We all have bags packed and ready to go. We have plans for the transplant and who will take which shifts. We have learned some of the things that we can and cannot do, and what will need to change once he gets the transplant. We don’t make any changes to his health regime without consulting with his transplant team and have learned how to advocate for his health without compromising on his needs.We are still waiting on the call for that dual liver-kidney transplant. His life will change again once we have that, and we will need continued support through that ordeal. Again, we appreciate all of you for your continued support. Much love from the McClurgs.