Support for Bryan Teti's Family

Update:

Bryan Christopher Teti of St. Tammany Parish passed away on May 12, 2023, at the age of 51. Bryan was a native of Charleston, South Carolina born to the late William and Martha Teti.

Bryan leaves behind to cherish his memories, his loving wife Risherrah Teti, his children, daughters Scout Teti, Elliott Teti, Delaney Teti, son Luke Teti as well as his brother Kevin Teti.

Bryan earned his bachelor’s degree in project management from Charleston Southern University.

Bryan was a dedicated and faithful husband and father. He was loved by all who knew him. He was kind, gentle, intelligent, generous, and had a quick wit about him. He loved God and his family and put them first in all things. He lived with integrity in all that he did.

Bryan loved all things logical and scientific. He enjoyed baking bread and cooking because of the science behind it. He could cook an amazing brisket and his BBQ was competition worthy. He loved to travel and was constantly educating himself on all the newest gadgets. He was an avid reader and was a huge fan of Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and John Eldridge.

Bryan loved working for the Boeing Company and was excited to move from the Charleston, South Carolina facility to New Orleans to work in conjunction with NASA building the Artemis Rocket. He dreamed of moving to Florida to work with Boeing at the Kennedy Space Center. His love for space exploration drove him to ensure he did his ultimate best at his job. He took it seriously.

Mostly, Bryan loved his family. He loved his wife and children fiercely. His family will miss him beyond measure, but we also rejoice knowing that he is completely healed and that his is in heaven with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Family and friends are invited to attend services on Friday, May 19, 2023, at Redemption Church of Lacombe, Louisiana

update May 15, 2023

I am very heartbroken to share that Bryan passed during his liver transplant on Friday May 12, 2023. Please continue to show your support to help the family. I am thankful for each and every donor who has helped and those who will continue to support Risherrah and their 4 wonderful children. Funeral arrangements will be posted soon for those who are interested. Instead of flowers a donation would be appreciated.

Thank you

Susan

Hi, I am helping a friend who has been diagnosed with End Stage Liver Disease from a rare, autoimmune condition called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). This is a terminal illness that only a liver transplant can fix. I would like to help raise funds to pay medical bills and monthly day-to-day expenses for his beautiful family while in the hospital. So many friends, co-workers, and family have asked: What can I do? This Fundraiser will help the family tremendously with the burden of worrying about medical expenses, monthly bills, and house payments, while still praying to get the liver transplant he desperately needs. The costs will not cease- even after he gets the transplant. They have shouldered the extra costs for almost 2 years of hospitalizations (some long-term), tons of testing, and other medical expenses related to diagnosing and treating Bryan’s liver failure. He has been waiting on the National Transplant List for over 6 months now.

Who is Bryan Teti? Why should I consider donating to him and his family? Bryan, a husband, father, friend, co-worker, and a Christian are just a few descriptions we can place on Bryan. I am no award-winning writer and probably cannot do justice to describe a man such as him. I will just stick to the facts that I know about Bryan. He would do anything for anyone and has a heart of gold. He loves Jesus, his family, and all the people around him. He never meets a stranger because he calls them all brothers. Kind, gentle, caring, generous, giving, honoring, helping, understanding, uplifting, intelligent, and at times quite funny. This family of 6 needs people like us to not only lift them up in prayer but show some financial support that will help them with the burden of the medical costs.

Unfortunately, as so much time has passed since the first hospital visit, Bryan has lost his current disability insurance starting, today, April 12th, 2023. There is a Gap between insurance and Cobra, which is very expensive. They are currently waiting on approval for long-term benefits, but the cost of their insurance coverage will go up substantially while their income has been cut to 60% of his normal earnings since October. In the meantime, the hospital has told them that they will not even consider a $500,000 liver transplant unless they have 10% to pay. Not likely many of us have $50,000, especially someone that has been in and out of the hospital for over a year. In addition, he will have a lifetime of rejection medications that are thousands of dollars, physical therapy, continued follow-up treatment and testing. This is a life-altering event.

Please search your heart to help this amazing family save their husband….dad….provider.

I am sharing an account of events as they unfolded from Present day to July 2021.

Anything you can do to help this family would be appreciated. Please pray for their strength, healing and recovery. Thank you in advance for your support and kindness.

Here are posts by the Teti family and a recent update from the present day toward the beginning of this journey.

March 31, 2023

He was having a terrible morning and had to get a blood transfusion, but then his day got a whole lot brighter. My mom came in for a visit and cheered him up and then Beth & BJ came for a quick pop in on their way west. Some friends come & go, but these friends have been with us for a mighty long time. Beth helped me get into homeschooling and BJ and Bryan have been friends since they were teens. We’ve been on trips together, in each other’s weddings, and laughed more times than I can count together. Friends forever. Thanks for stopping by and putting a smile on his face today!

March 24, 2023

No testing or procedures for today. Quality time with my favorite and my best half.

March 18, 2023

A positive thing about being in the hospital so much is you get to know people you wouldn’t have known otherwise. Nicole was with us in Oct & Nov and she has been with us this month. Come to think of it, she’s been here when we’ve checked in for transplant calls, too. She calls us “my babies” and we think she is the best employee here at Ochsner. She always wears a smile, she’s always encouraging, she cries when we cry, and she laughs when we laugh. I pray that God richly blesses this beautiful soul. She makes being here so much better than it would be without her.

March 12, 2023

29 years sure does fly by pretty quick when you love the person God has given you as a life partner. Before I popped the question I asked God for a sign to confirm what I really already knew. He came through the next day and my commitment was sealed. We made a promise to stick together through sickness and health. Little did I know that she would rise to be the warrior and advocate I would so desperately need during this challenge.

God has so blessed us and ordered our steps even though it has been beyond our comprehension as to why. Four amazing kids. Many beautiful family experiences. I do not profess to know Gods plan anymore today than over the past years of His blessing. I do know that God is with us. He has not forgotten us and He has not turned His back on us. This is confirmed every time I look over at her sleeping on that crap hospital bed. I tell her to go home and rest but she refuses insisting I will not be alone. Love is more about action than feeling. I think I can safely say I am loved.

Happy Anniversary Sher. I love you too.

March 12, 2023

Happy 29th Anniversary, Bryan! I’ve loved you since I was 19 years old. So many people told us we were too young and we would never make it, but here we are all these years later. This year has tried really hard to take you down, yet look at you still fighting! Whatever the future holds, I’m staying right by your side. Peas & Carrots until the end. You are still my best decision.

March 9, 2023

Visit with all the kids. Celebrating healing from all infections! Praising God in this moment of togetherness.

March 4, 2023

Checked into our 5 star resort again. Fever. Based on labs- infection. They will work on determining what kind and treatment today. He has been on a strong antibiotic (Ciprofloxacin) since October and we are hoping and praying that we are not dealing with drug resistant bacteria at this point. The infectious disease team will be meeting with the transplant team to discuss today. They have already ordered a bunch of labs, cultures, scans, and procedures. Prayers appreciated.

February 26, 2023

When all I see is the battle, You see my victory

When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved

And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me

There's nothing to fear now for I am safe with You

So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees

With my hands lifted high

Oh God, the battle belongs to You

And every fear I lay at Your feet

I'll sing through the night

Oh God, the battle belongs to You

And if You are for me, who can be against me?

For Jesus, there's nothing impossible for You

When all I see are the ashes, You see the beauty

Thank You God

When all I see is a cross, God, You see the empty tomb

So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees

With my hands lifted high

Oh God, the battle belongs to You

And every fear I lay at Your feet

I'll sing through the night

Oh God, the battle belongs to You

Almighty fortress, You go before us

Nothing can stand against the power of our God

You shine in the shadow, You win every battle

Nothing can stand against the power of our God

~Phil Wickham

Battle Belongs

February 26, 2023

Pain

Three times we have held each other's hands and been told he was getting a transplant. Three times we’ve said goodbye to our kids, separated from our kids, told them dad was going to be healed. Three times we’ve told our friends and family who have been hoping with us that it was time. Three times we’ve gone through the process of him getting hooked up, poked, prodded, fasted, prepped. Three times we’ve stood on the verge of the end of the roller coaster and the wait. Three times we’ve been told, “we’re sorry to inform you…”. Three times we’ve been told, “Next time will be the right liver, here’s your discharge papers”. Three times we’ve taken the silent, empty drive home. Three times we’ve told our kids, “Not this time. Next time”. Three times we’ve processed the disappointment. And in the meantime, he is silently dying. And in the meantime, I am drained. I know all things are possible and that God can. But in the meantime, I’m just trying to keep standing in the middle of it all. Trying to make sense of it all. It’s the storm of our lifetime.

February 23, 2022

He and I tag-teamed his hair cut. I think we did an okay job

February 22, 2022

A dear friend sent this to me and it resonates so well right now with where I am at in all the waiting and the toll liver disease has had on Bryan and our family the last 2 years. Thank you, Jung Jee. I am holding on to God. It is the hardest season of my life, yet I already see areas God is working in me for good. The storm is all around, but the peace is in Him. I try to remind myself of this especially on the hard days and in the roller coaster waiting that is the transplant list.

Waiting would be easier if I had a guaranteed good outcome. Or at least a promise from God to hold on to. But God often seems silent.

I have read and reread Psalm 13:1 “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” I have asked these questions many times. If I knew God would eventually answer my prayer, it would be different.

Several years ago, I searched the Bible to find a promise that would help me during a torturous wait. I read, “No unbelief made [Abraham] waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:20–21).

While I admire Abraham’s faith, this passage frustrated me. Of course Abraham never wavered. He had a direct word from God. I wanted God to give me a promise like that, so I kept begging him for a sign.

None came. In the end, God’s answer was “No.”

At first it felt unfair. Why didn’t God answer me at the beginning?

Several years later, as I began reading Romans again, I hesitated at Romans 4. It painfully reminded me of that time of asking and waiting. Feeling disconnected from Abraham, I decided to look at his life in Genesis.

Abraham’s struggle with impatience felt all too familiar. I, too, had tried to help God fulfill his plans - that is, the plans I wanted him to have.

As I studied Genesis, I saw that while Abraham was waiting, God was working. Molding his character. Teaching him patience. It was in that 25-year wait that Abraham got to know God intimately.

Abraham’s faith wasn’t in the promise - it was rooted in the Promiser. He wasn’t holding on to a particular outcome. He was holding on to God. His waiting strengthened his faith. Showed God’s faithfulness. He knew that God would provide everything he needed.

I have the same assurance that Abraham did. God knows what I need. His perspective is eternal. As Paul Tripp says, “Waiting is not just about what I get at the end of the wait, but about who I become as I wait.”

February 10, 2023

We were just informed that during the procuring of the liver, they found that the liver that looked good with the pre-testing wasn’t as good once they were able to really examine it after removal. They did not feel comfortable giving it to Bryan. We are being released and are going home. I don’t really know what else to say except that I know God still holds us. I still have hope and even in the disappointment, I know that God sees and knows all. I have to keep trusting. Still… this is hard. Thank you for your prayers and support.

February 10, 2023

We got the call! I am shaking, nervous, excited, sad, grieved, I think every emotion all rolled into one. I am so humbled that another family is giving the gift of life to my husband so that he can live! I am so grieved for them, but relieved for us. It's such a weird place to be in. Please pray for his surgery that will take place this afternoon/evening. It is more complicated than normal because of biliary duct issues that occurred through the disease. The surgery will be a minimum of 8-9 hours. He is projected to be in ICU for several days then be moved to the transplant unit for about a week. Please pray for no infections, no rejection, and for the surgery to go smoothly with no additional complications. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers! My family is so very grateful!

February 8, 2023

January 31, 2023

ERCP #10; EGD #4 today. Pray for no infections. He tends to get infections with the ERCP stent replacements. Still waiting on liver transplant. Love you, Bryan

January 24, 2023

Check in complete. Officially remelded. Hoping and praying for that liver soon!

January 14, 2022

Bryan was up for a walk. Looked at art from the craft fair and let Luke play a bit. I have missed these times together so much. Elliott added her personal touch to the video of Luke.

January 9, 2023

Bryan felt good enough to catch a movie with these 2 tagalongs.

December 30, 2022

Our weekly albumin infusion date- hanging at the St. Tammany Cancer Center every Friday morning. The last Friday of 2022.

We remain hopeful that this new year will bring about a powerful demonstration of God’s power and faithfulness. I gain a lot of strength from worship songs in this season. My personal reminder for the new year as we live it out are lyrics from the song Time and Time Again by Sound:

Every single morning, You are making all things new

Even in confusion, You are my point of view

Hope arise within me as I cling to what You've said

And I have seen Your faithfulness time and time again

You lead me through the darkness in Your revelation light

I have found my future in the hope of Jesus Christ

I will trust Your word, You are the truth, the life, the way

And I have seen Your faithfulness time and time again

You are with us

King through all the ages

From glory to glory

You will keep the promise

Of Your presence

Alpha and Omega

Author of redemption

Beginning to the end

Beauty from the ashes

Goodness for the broken

Darkness is not dark to You

Healing for the sickness

Rest for all the restless

Everything redeemed in You

December 25, 2022

Merry Christmas everyone! We didn’t get the call for a new liver, but we were all together- what an incredible gift.

The humbling of this Christmas has been the greatest lesson of my life. The lesson that God is unchanging. He is the same today that He was that night in Bethlehem, the same that He was while He walked among us, the same that He was as He was crucified, the same that He was when He rose again, and the same that He is right now. He is the source of all the good in our lives and because He never changes, I have hope and peace, comfort and joy.

James 1:17-Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Devotion from today:

It's important to cling to the truth, which is that every good thing in our lives is a gift from God. In the midst of our trials, we are tempted to change our opinion of the trustworthiness of our God. We start to make lists of all the things we think we are missing in our lives, of all of the things we have lost. If God were good, wouldn't we have those things?

This attitude leads to even more temptation. We begin to look elsewhere for the good things we think we're missing. "If God won't provide them," we think, "we'll have to go and get them for ourselves." We attempt to take control. We struggle to find our own satisfaction.

Now, however, James urges us to flip the typical human script. He calls us to make a new list: all the good things we do have. Where did all those good things come from? James is encouraging believers in Christ to tell themselves the truth: God gave you every single good thing in your life. He is the source of all the good you have and all the good you crave. Who God is does not change when our circumstances change. He doesn't go from being a good God to a bad God when our trials began. He is still the source of all the good in our lives; He never changes.

~BibleRef

December 23, 2022

From my morning devotion:

Suffering shows us the importance of our faith. It puts us in a place where we can't rely on ourselves. In 2 Corinthians 4, we are reminded that when the things we normally rely on fail us, our spirits get stronger. We become closer to the source of true strength, and we learn to fix our eyes on Him.

It's important, then, that when we go through trials and sufferings, we hold on to the lessons we learn.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

2 Corinthians‬ 4‬:16‬-18‬ ESV‬‬

December 22. 2022

From my Bible study this evening:

Fear tells us we are alone, that we have to face trials and struggles on our own. It reminds us of our weakness. It points us to our own failures. But faith points us to God. It reassures us we are never alone--God is always on our side! And faith shows us our weakness is just an opportunity to showcase God's strength.

Life is full of problems and joy. Frederick Beuchner once said, "Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." And he was right! We don't have to be afraid. We have a God who has overcome the world.

- Vernon Brewer, World Help Founder

December 19, 2022

To say that this has been a humbling Christmas wouldn’t even touch what we feel. This year has been hard. This Christmas season has been difficult, yet God sends reminders of how we are not alone and how much people care for our family. Thank you, Boeing and NASA friends and co-workers! You made us smile and cry all at the same time.

December 9, 2022

I’m just getting pictures of my girl from the school play she was in last week (my phone died). If you had told us she chose on her own accord to be in a drama class and to get on stage last year, we would have said no way she would choose to be in the spotlight. But even in the midst of all our family is going through, God is still faithful. I see it in my kids who are still thriving. It was hard for Bryan to sit through the play, but he was able to make it and it gave her more determination that her dad was there. This has been my Christmas present this year, to see my quiet little girl rise.

November 29, 2022

From my reading for today. This resonates with my spirit right now, in this moment, walking through the hard things. Praying God’s will for my life, the life of my family, and that He would lead us through this hardship with grace and mercy. That I would be humbled in His presence and allow Him room to move as He sees fit, even if the outcome is not of my choosing. Even if.

Why Is it Important that Christians Repeatedly Humble Themselves before the Lord?

It’s hard to hear God when we stand tall and proud declaring, “I can do it myself.” But we need him. This life holds troubles that vary in intensity based on the seasons of life we find ourselves in. God gives us wisdom and he directs our steps. We need to recognize our need for him in every aspect of our lives and to come humbly to receive his grace, strength, and power for living.

Another reason why we need to make humbling ourselves before the Lord a regular practice is because of the two-sided reality of following Christ. We are complete in Christ, yet we are becoming more like him. We have the status of kings and the duties of a servant. We know the presence of Christ but experience the pressure of sin. We are made right with God through Christ, yet we experience daily problems where we fail to make the right choices. Humbling ourselves before the Lord helps us not to grow discouraged by this two-sided reality, but to rely on God’s power to help us overcome. ~

November 26, 2022

Thanksgiving day is over and we are moving on to Christmas, decorating and picking out presents. It’s different this year trying to get into the spirit when I’m not even sure if we will be able to all be sitting in the living room gathered around the tree with our cups of Bryan’s hot loco cocoa waiting not so very patiently for everyone to get ready for the big event. This year my grown up Christmas list has one thing on it… the gift of life. I never thought we would be living through a terminal illness diagnosis of end-stage liver disease (there, I finally said it out loud). I have always preached the benefits of spending time with the ones we love and creating memories, but this year, this year hits different. This year I know that someone has to either lose their life and give part of it to us, or someone has to take a risk on their life for Bryan to live. I don’t think there is anything more surreal than that thought. So while we put out some Christmas decorations today, I’m praying for the life of my husband and the life of my family and remembering some of our Christmas memories from the past, hoping we will have more memories all together in our future. My gift this year to anyone who will hear it is this advice: *Make time for the ones you love.

November 14, 2022

After 40 days in the hospital since 10/1, we’re going home for now. The doctors feel there is nothing more they can do for him here until he gets the call from a donor match and the wait is longer than they anticipated. They also feel time out of the hospital will be good for him while we continue to wait. Scout & I have been shown how to give him his IV meds at home and I’ll be shuttling him around to all his appointments. They are giving him a home health nurse to check in on him during the week also. So, for now, we continue to wait and trust that God will provide the perfect liver at the perfect time. I am reminded of His perfect plan in Ephesians 3:20. God is able and has a more perfect plan than any we could understand or think of and He will do it in His perfect time. We believe and surrender this situation to Him knowing He has always been faithful and will always continue to be all that we need.

November 13, 2022

Got some daddy time in today with these 3. Mississippi River view.

November 11, 2022

I remember on our wedding day, they played our song, “I Will Be Here” by Steven Curtis Chapman. I think back to that song now and the line, “Tomorrow morning if you wake up and the future is unclear, I will be here.” We were so young. I don’t think we really realized the many paths we would take along this journey. This liver thing is tough, but when you wake up in the morning, I don’t know what the future will hold, but I know I will be here.

November 8, 2022

Took advantage of him having a feel good window. What game did I just clean his clock with?

November 7, 2022

Last night was a very rough night. His pain is increasing and he had 2 hours left before he could take more meds. I felt so helpless. You don’t really understand something until you walk through it. Liver disease is awful the way it just ravages other areas of your body. While he waits for a new liver, please keep praying for his pain to be more manageable and for other issues he is experiencing to stay controllable.

November 4, 2022

Every couple of days, they have to drain his abdomen by performing a paracentisis to lessen his pain and remove the toxins from his body since the liver is not doing its job. He has had quite a few now and so whenever they bring the bed up, the nurses send him off in his “chariot”. Today as they sent him off, they were talking about how nice his haircut was ScoutHe is becoming a bit of a celebrity everywhere here at the Ochsner Five Star Resort but the cafeteria. We won’t talk about that

October 30, 2022

All authority and every victory is yours, Jesus. My prayer is to be reminded of that daily.

October 28, 2022

We decided to take pictures of the transplant process so we could look back on them a year from now and see how far we’ve come through all of it. He’s had good days and not so good days. I captured this one this morning when he wasn’t looking because today wasn’t a great day. A lot of physical pain and raw emotion. This season has felt super heavy sometimes. That’s what I saw in this moment.

October 26, 2022

We are go for launch! Moving up to the 11th floor today while we wait for the call for his donor liver. That could happen anytime today or in the next few days. These are a couple of his favorite nurses who celebrated with us this morning as they help him for the last time today on this floor. They are awesome women

October 25, 2022: Today, Bryan is in a critical situation at Ochsner Medical Center. His body is fighting so hard to get rid of the current infection. They have pumped out 15 bottles of infection from his belly in the last 24/36 hours. He cannot undergo a liver transplant until the infection is gone. Please pray that God flushes the disease from his body and prepares him for the transplant.

October 22, 2022

So, great news! His sepsis is finally responding to the new antibiotics they have him on. He is having a very good day today. Even getting a haircut by Scout. Brought the crew to further brighten his day. After he clears the infection, he is able to proceed with the transplant process! Continued thank you for the huge amount of love and support from Boeing, NASA, SCHEF, Redemption Church, Northshore Church, and all the folks back home in Charleston! Big love from our family back to you all!

October 14, 2022

He had a setback last night, but his fan club is here in full force today! We love you, Bry!

October 13, 2022

Today and tomorrow he starts all of the transplant evaluations. Praying he gets through them because he is really feeling very poorly today and having trouble breathing from partially collapsed left lung. We meet with 9 different specialists today, they look at 33 different areas of bloodwork, we have our first face to face meetings with the transplant coordinator, the living donor coordinator, our social worker, dietician , financial advisor for the process as well. In large part, today is the real start of the process to get him on the road to recovery. A thank you for all the prayers and support for the journey ahead.

October 10, 2022

MRI #4. Bryan Teti, you are a pro at this now Gearing up for testing this week.

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face; You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

— Eleanor Roosevelt

October 6, 2022

And we’re outta here!

October 2, 2022

Well, our day started well yesterday but we landed back in the Oschner Five Star Resort (hospital). Getting a bunch of tests done today to check out his new issue. He’s feeling okay otherwise. Just tired a lot. Good news is his transplant evaluations are next week. So, we are looking forward to having this season behind us soon. Thanks for all the prayers.

October 1, 2022

Dad felt good enough to join us at our favorite spot. Enjoying the beautiful weather

September 23, 2022

It’s been over a year now Bryan has struggled with his health. We feel comfortable letting everyone know now that he has developed a rare autoimmune disorder in which he will be undergoing a liver transplant at some point in the near future. Prayers appreciated. We have awesome friend support here in LA and the 3rd best hospital in the world for this type of thing to help us through. Most importantly, we have our faith in Christ to strengthen us for the journey. I love you, Bry. I am happy to be by your side now and always, no matter what.

September 16, 2022

Dad was feeling well enough to go to dinner, so here we are with our typical dysfunctional photo

March 10, 2022: This guy right here. He’s been through so much in the last 7 months and is headed back for yet another surgery, yet he remains my compass. I love you, Bry. You’ll always be the peas to my carrots. ❤️

July 2021 Byran was admitted to the hospital, which was the start of many emergency visits, admissions, tests, surgeries, evaluations, and bloodwork. It’s been over a year, and Bryan has been diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder in which he will be undergoing a liver transplant soon, God willing.