A New Liver for Adam. A Hope for Longevity.

Family, Friends, and Kind-Souls,

In July of 2021, my husband, Adam, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colorectal Cancer, with metastasis to his liver. Adam and I were in shock. A lot of information came at us quickly including the dismal odds of how long he might live.

Adam is stubborn in a wonderful way. He is determined to defy those odds and he has put in the work. He has endured 50+ rounds of chemotherapy, two rounds of heavy targeted radiation, and multiple surgeries. He walks, runs, or does yoga nightly and is an avid hiker. He even walks while hooked up to his take-home chemo pump. His response has blown away all expectations for stage four cancer. In March of this year (2023), the portion of his colon and surrounding lymph nodes were removed where the primary tumor had been located. During the operation, the surgeon uncovered that the primary tumor was no longer there! This was called a “complete response.” No detectable signs of cancer in his colon or lymph nodes.

However, his liver is uncertain. There is one area remaining that doctors are unsure whether it is scar tissue from a dead tumor or if the cancer is still there. This brings me to why we are here. Adam is a candidate for a living donor liver transplant. A new liver will give him the best chance at a cure. Or, if the cancer returns post-transplant, it gives him a better chance at beating it at that time. If we don’t do the transplant, at some point the chemotherapy will stop working and the cancer will spread. We need help finding a living donor to donate part of their liver (a big ask) and we need help with paying for travel, lodging, and medical expenses – which we’ve started this GoFundMe for. The transplant will take place in Rochester, NY. (We live in Southern California.) Our family will need to relocate to Rochester for one to three months for the surgery and recovery.

Liver Donor Criteria

The liver is an organ that regenerates itself. 60-65% of a donor’s liver would be taken. The livers in both the donor and the recipient will begin to regrow until they are fully sized livers again.

The donor must:

• Have a compatible blood type – Type O

• Be physically fit and in good general health

• Between the ages of 18 and 60.

• Have a healthy body weight – BMI of 30 at the time of donation

• Have no significant medical or psychiatric problems

• Test negative for active or chronic hepatitis B and C and can have no serious medical

conditions such as diabetes, cancer or heart disease.

Interested donors may complete the liver donor health questionnaire or contact the Living Donor Coordinator in the Transplant Office to learn more about the process and ask questions at (585) [phone redacted].

GoFundMe

If you’d like to help us with expenses, we’d be most grateful. We’d also appreciate any sharing you can do to help us raise funds and maybe even find a donor!

Although we’ve kept this chapter of our lives somewhat private until now, it doesn’t mean we’ve been going through it alone. We’ve had an incredible close group of family and friends supporting us. While it’s been a very difficult few years, it has also been so beautiful with all the kindness that’s been bestowed upon us, and for that our souls have been filled with gratitude.

On behalf of our family,

Renee Shock