Chrystal Silvers

PLEASE HELP SAVE CHRYSTAL SILVERS’ LIFE

I would like to tell you about my wife, Chrystal Silvers. She is 35 years old and a mother of two beautiful girls and a loving stepmother to my son. For about six years she has been battling chronic pancreatitis and it has worsened steadily over the past two years. Her way of life has changed dramatically. There are days where the pain is intolerable to the point where she cannot care for herself let alone her family. She has sought several opinions about treatment options and care which includes the removal of her gall bladder. After several hospitalizations and local specialists, her doctor sent her to the University of Arizona Medical Center to see a GI specialist where it was decided that she should meet with their transplant team to discuss having an islet cell transplant and total pancreatectomy.

The pancreas is responsible for breaking down your food during digestion and producing insulin. While medical technology has developed medication that breaks down food intake, without insulin production, Chrystal will become a brittle diabetic. This is different than the normal Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The long-term outlook for patients with brittle diabetes is uncertain and grim. It is known that brittle diabetics have a higher risk of death and poor quality of life caused by unpredictable rises and dips in blood glucose levels. An islet cell transplant can save Chrystal’s life.

The islet cell transplant will only be covered partially by Chrystal’s insurance. The cost of this procedure is astronomical. There is no way she can finance this by herself, along with the cost of transportation, lodging, and other uninsured medically-related expenses that will be incurred due to this transplant procedure.

To ease this financial burden, a fundraising campaign in Chrystal’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 Southwest Islet Cell Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. If you are able and would like to contribute, please:Your financial gifts will help us through this difficult time, and will allow Chrystal to receive a transplant that will chnage her life. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Andrew Silvers
520-255-1492
[email protected]