Give Andrew the Gift of Life: Liver Transplant Fund

My name is Shea and if anyone knows me, they know that asking for help does not come easily to me. However, the time has come where I must ask for help and support from our community of family, friends, and kind-hearted strangers. In just a matter of days, our lives have changed forever.

The Situation

Over the last several weeks, my sweet husband Andrew’s health has deteriorated significantly. The decline in his health happened so swiftly, it’s hard to fully comprehend. On July 9th, Andrew was rushed to the trauma bay of the Emergency Department at Inova Hospital for shock and significant blood loss due to severe esophagitis and liver failure. Upon admission to the ICU later that day, he was given a massive transfusion of blood and plasma and we were told that his liver was failing. Late that evening, I was brought back to the ICU before they fully sedated him to tell him I loved him. The look on every face in that ICU room told me that this was a dire situation.

Andrew spent 11 days in the ICU, nine of which he was fully sedated and on a ventilator. We experienced a number of serious complications that needed to be addressed before the doctors could even begin discussing next steps for his liver, and on two separate occasions the doctors recommended I say my goodbyes. Once Andrew was finally in stable condition, we were told that his best chance to survive is a liver transplant. I immediately began the process of reaching out to major transplant centers to schedule an evaluation for Andrew as a transplant recipient to no avail. We are so fortunate that one of the amazing doctors at Inova surprised us by calling the MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute to advocate on our behalf. They accepted us for an expedited evaluation due to the severity of Andrew’s illness. It is truly a humbling experience to feel such gratitude and be brought to tears by the simple act of someone making a phone call, but that’s exactly how we both felt.

While waiting for the transfer to Georgetown, Andrew suffered another severe GI bleed and was treated with transfusions of blood and plasma, while also undergoing a second EDG to locate and stop the bleed. In the early hours of July 29th, Andrew was finally transferred from Inova to Georgetown’s Transplant Institute, where we spent an additional nine days. After undergoing a multitude of tests, evaluations, and labs, the doctors said Andrew could come home to wait for next steps. After a grueling 29 days and ten blood and plasma transfusions, I was finally able to drive Andrew home from the hospital and we were able to reunite with our precious daughter.

As we adjusted to life at home, we continued the rest of the transplant evaluation process with the incredible care team at MedStar Georgetown. While completing the evaluation, the doctors reminded us of the stark reality we are facing – even with the medications he is taking, his chances of surviving the next 12 months are around 30% without the liver transplant. Thankfully, on August 21st, Andrew received the call from the transplant team at Georgetown that they accepted him as a transplant candidate and are adding him to the national transplant waiting list.

Who is Andrew

Andrew is my best friend, my husband, my biggest supporter, and the most precious dad to our daughter. He is the funniest person I know and has the biggest, most genuine heart. Over the last ten years, there have been countless occasions where Andrew’s pure soul and kindness has moved me beyond words. From giving an umbrella to a neighborhood kid so she didn’t have to walk to the bus stop in the rain, to constantly making sure that my needs are met during this challenging time, he is the embodiment of selflessness. Some of my favorite things about Andrew are how deeply he feels and how much he loves a good sports story – especially a comeback (tears may have been shed when Tiger won the Masters in 2019). I also love just how much he loves our daughter. They have the sweetest bond and are truly two peas in a pod – even if they team up on me every chance they get. These last few weeks have been especially hard on our daughter as she hasn’t been able to see him due to isolation protocols at the hospital.

Our Request

I never imagined facing something as serious as the love of my life needing a liver transplant to save his life. In 2024, the average cost of a liver transplant was $1,100,000 – the second most expensive surgery in the nation. While we are fortunate that insurance will cover a lot of this cost, there is still a huge financial burden that our family will face in the coming months. Due to his critical illness, Andrew is no longer able to work. In addition to being responsible for anything not covered by insurance, there will also be post-transplant therapies, immunosuppressants and other expensive medications that he will take for the rest of his life. We are also preparing to make modifications to our home to better suit his current and future mobility needs. On behalf of our family, I am so sincerely grateful for any assistance you can provide to help us reach our fundraising goal.

If nothing else, I ask that each of you please consider being a blood, plasma, or organ donor. Blood and plasma transfusions have been essential in stabilizing Andrew and keeping him with us these last few weeks, which is all thanks to the selfless individuals that chose to donate in our community. And it goes without saying the power of organ donation in providing life-saving treatments for individuals experiencing devastating health issues like Andrew.

I will keep posting updates to this page as we continue Andrew’s liver transplant journey. My deepest gratitude to anyone who has read this far, prayed for us, sent well wishes, or feels called to help us.

Let’s give Andrew the comeback story that he deserves!

God bless,

Shea