Rebecca Thompson

Rebecca Thompson was born on April 20, 1989, nearly three months premature, and 26-years later she finds herself on a waiting list for a triple organ transplant. Rebecca has been a warrior from the beginning. As a result of the premature birth, gangrene infected her intestines, which required surgery to remove 75% of her small intestine and 50% of her large intestine, resulting in a condition called Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS). Rebecca has endured over 50 surgeries, countless infections, hospitals stays, drug trials and doctor visits. Due to all of the medical trauma Rebecca’s young body has suffered, doctors at the Lied’s Transplant Center of Omaha, NE have recommended a triple organ transplant. Rebecca was recently placed on the active transplant waiting list and told that her wait might be from six months to a year.

With such a small amount of intestines remaining, normal eating was out of the question, so Rebecca has spent the last 26 years with a feeding tube system known as Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN). Essentially, a pump feeds all the necessary nutrients into the body through an IV tube that runs straight to the heart. For Rebecca, food is not a necessity, she eats only for enjoyment, and despite her handicap she has turned that enjoyment into a lifelong passion. Coming from a family steeped in southern comfort cooking, Rebecca began cooking at a relatively young age, competing in the Art Institute’s America’s Best Teen Chef competition at 17 and earning acceptance into the Art Institute’s culinary arts program, where she earned her degree in just three years. Currently, she is a chef at the Enterprise Country Club, where she is notorious for her gourmet omelets and baked goods.

Rebecca continues to fight, and fight hard, but she needs you. Even with insurance, she will face many uninsured transplant-related expenses such as: co-pays and deductibles, doctor visits travel and temporary relocation housing to be near the transplant center and the costly anti-rejection medications that she will need to take for the rest of her life.

To help offset such expenses, a fundraising campaign in Rebecca’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the Southeast Multi-Visceral Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. If you would like to make a contribution please click the DONATE NOW bar.

Thank you in advance for your support – together we can make a difference for Rebecca!

Brittany Broderway