Autumn Needs Life-Saving Emergency Surgery

Autumn Johnson, our dear friend and momma to 4 adorable kids, has been diagnosed with life-threatening Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, as a result of complications from her most recent pregnancy (more on that below). Now she needs emergency surgery.

Over the last year, Autumn has tried everything to avoid surgery, with no improvement. Her doctors have now referred her for emergency Gastric Bypass.

This surgery requires enormous out-of-pocket expenses, even after insurance coverage. Her family needs $16,000 on an emergency basis.

For nearly a year, Autumn has been desperately working on non-surgical remedies for this life-threatening disease. Autumn was told the only way to stop this was to lose weight and do so quickly. So she resorted back her the power-lifting days. She committed to a healthy lifestyle, a healthy diet, and constant exercise. She's working with a psychologist, a dietician, and a physician - but she still isn't making progress. Despite all of that work, she has lost 23 pounds in the last year. Her medical team attributes this to a pre-metabolic syndrome issue and they say the only safe-saving option at this point is surgery.

Autumn's family is her life. Her oldest two kids are Autistic and their momma is their biggest advocate. She also cares for a village of kids in her broader family, and through her work, she has cared for thousands of kids in her broader community. She needs to be here for them (all of them).

She needs our help.

AUTUMN'S EXPLANATION OF HER MEDICAL SITUATION:

What is HELLP syndrome?

During my pregnancy, I suffered from a complication called HELLP syndrome, a type of preeclampsia. HELLP syndrome is rare. It occurs in less than 1% of pregnancies but in every case, it devastates your liver.

After my delivery, my liver remained damaged, enlarged, and my liver enzymes remained high. As they’ve monitored me over the last year the picture of my Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) began to come together. In January 2023, doctors told me that the disease was progressing rapidly and that within 3 years, my liver would be Cirrhotic and would require a transplant.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354567

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an umbrella term for a range of liver conditions affecting people who drink little to no alcohol. As the name implies, the main characteristic of NAFLD is too much fat stored in liver cells.

Some individuals with NAFLD can develop nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an aggressive form of fatty liver disease, which is marked by liver inflammation and may progress to advanced scarring (cirrhosis) and liver failure. This damage is similar to the damage caused by heavy alcohol use.

Causes

Experts don't know exactly why some people accumulate fat in the liver while others do not. Similarly, there is limited understanding of why some fatty livers develop inflammation that progresses to cirrhosis.

NAFLD and NASH are both linked to the following:

· Overweight or obesity

· Insulin resistance, in which your cells don't take up sugar in response to the hormone insulin

· High blood sugar (hyperglycemia), indicating prediabetes or type 2 diabetes

· High levels of fats, particularly triglycerides, in the blood

These combined health problems appear to promote the deposit of fat in the liver. For some people, this excess fat acts as a toxin to liver cells, causing liver inflammation and NASH, which may lead to a buildup of scar tissue in the liver.

Complications

The main complication of NAFLD and NASH is cirrhosis, which is late-stage scarring in the liver. Cirrhosis occurs in response to liver injury, such as the inflammation in NASH. As the liver tries to halt inflammation, it produces areas of scarring (fibrosis). With continued inflammation, fibrosis spreads to take up more and more liver tissue.

If the process isn't interrupted, cirrhosis can lead to:

· Fluid buildup in the abdomen (ascites)

· Swelling of veins in your esophagus (esophageal varices), which can rupture and bleed

· Confusion, drowsiness and slurred speech (hepatic encephalopathy)

· Liver cancer

· End-stage liver failure, which means the liver has stopped functioning

I have to avoid further deterioration to be here for my family. I've tried everything. My last resort is this surgery.