Julianne's (Montana's) Recovery

Hello to my network of Family, Friends, and Supporters,

Update October 2017:

I am humbled by the generosity of family, friends, and strangers alike. Your support has helped sustain continuity over the last few months. At the end of August, out of nowhere, I had an obstruction in my intestines requiring a medical flight to the Mayo Clinic. The blockage subsided without surgery but occurred again a few days later. After a month at the Gift of Life Transplant House, I was able to return home at the beginning of October.

I have made a decision to increase the top end of my goal to try and raise a bit more to help through the end of the year. The surprise trip to Mayo Clinic cost about $1,500 total and thankfully no more thanks to my insurance plan. I would be grateful if you would continue to help me share this link and story. Sharing has made a huge difference and besides monetary contributions, I also value spreading awareness as well regarding transplant, organ donation, PSC, and any other experiences that can benefit others.

Thank you again to everyone that has contributed, shared, and supported this campaign in other ways.

Julianne

Original Story:

I have set up this GoFundMe page to raise funds for continued medical, recovery, and living expenses due to seven surgeries and multiple illnesses in the past two-and-a-half years. I am in need of your help to cover outstanding medical bills, future medical check-ups, medications, recovery treatment in the forms of physical and mental therapy, and supportive costs. Through calculating costs, I have come up with a goal of $14,049 which will hopefully last roughly 6 months as long as recovery continues in a positive direction. Please know that any contribution helps, whether $0.49 or $49 dollars. Why all of the 49's? It was my college hockey number and it carried a special theme through the initial transplant.

This need has arisen through a roller coaster of medical challenges, denial of social security disability funds since February 24, 2016, and the additional stoppage of long-term disability (LTD) funds this past May. I am continuing with the appeal process to both of these sources. Furthermore, I want to thank everyone who contributed during the Duluth fundraiser in April of 2015.  Money that was raised plus an initial period of disability allowed me to pay expenses above the LTD allotments.

If you are not familiar, this all began February 23, 2015 with a hospitalization in Duluth, MN that resulted in an emergent liver transplant and the removal of 40% of my colon, just 6 days after I entered the hospital. In addition to a rare liver disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) that I had fought since 2008, a second rare disease called Budd-Chiari formed clots in my liver. Thanks to St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, on February 26th, I was added to the top of the transplant list with liver failure and multiple other organ systems in critical condition. The higher a person is on the list, the less time they are expected to survive. The transplant miraculously happened on Saturday February 28th, 2015. On March 5th, I awoke from a 10-day coma. I was alive and had no idea what had happened.

During it all, I have done my best to approach each challenge through perspective on what I could control which in turn as kept me in the moment. (I also have a very high pain tolerance thankfully.) Since the most recent surgery on March 20th to repair a large abdominal hernia, I have been recovering at home in Duluth with the help of my parents contributing as caregivers. Although I have reached a milestone of 15 weeks since hernia surgery, I am still functionally, physically, mentally and emotionally recovering. 

I do not admit it often, but I am honestly tired. I have been fighting, recovering, fighting again, recovering again and on and on. I have been on a 24/7 journey of health. Since March 1st of 2016, I have had 3 surgeries, 4 hospitalizations, 5 ER visits, over 100 clinic visits, 60 local lab and INR draws, 17 radiology tests, 6 bouts of anesthesia, pneumonia, Crohn's diagnosis, a bowel blockage, and an emergency D&C from hemorrhagic bleeding.

At this time, it is crucial for me to ask for help. I love the community of Duluth and I want to stay and pursue goals, but I need help for that to be feasible while I am still healing. My medical insurance for this year is $700 a month, housing expenses $780. I will be continuing mental and physical therapy to help restore mobility and function so I can return to work hopefully sometime later this year. Medication and medical bills make up roughly $300 per month. Other expenses run about $600 a month.

Due to drugs and medical recovery, my 24/7 healing schedule involves naps, a steady diet of medications from pills to shots, appointments, walking, eating and a lot of paperwork. For the past 4 months I have been struggling with coughing at night, which has not yet yielded to any solutions. However, the beautiful community around me and online has helped provide emotional support through all of these challenges.

Together with my physical therapist at In Motion Therapy in Duluth, the goal is to continue healing towards functional freedom. This Fall, I am hoping to begin riding my bike again. I am using the beautiful lake view and easy access to trails to begin building walking stamina and to rebuild a suppressed cardiovascular system. Currently, I am continuing to write about my experiences with a goal of publishing a book. In the immediate future, I will join the College of St. Scholastica's Women's Hockey Team as a Strength Coach in a limited and flexible role for the second year. This has been a great way to work out of brain fog and to resume teaching while addressing medical issues and continuing to heal amidst fatigue and changes in drugs. I occassionally enjoy speaking  as a Volunteer LifeSource Ambassador at driver's education classes and other events. Of course, I continue to join PSC Partners Seeking a Cure in raising awareness about PSC, which unfortunately can return in those that are transplanted. As my body and mind grow stronger for longer periods of time, I look forward to resuming dedicated work.

At some point in the immediate days after surgery in March, I leaned back in my hospital bed. I felt relaxed and calm despite needing pain management and having little mobility. However, in this moment a thought crossed my mind and a sense of relief overwhelmed me, “I think this is it."

Through the process of the transplant, many critical events occurred exactly as they were needed. I am here to attest to it today. I have been continually surrounded by love, community and the perfect doctors, surgeons, PA's, nurses, therapists, and of course the unselfish decision of organ donation to help me through all of it. I feel incredibly lucky and I hope, through our interactions, that you feel my deep gratitude for all that you do and for my chance to be apart of your lives.

Julianne (Montana, etc)

Please share this campaign to those who might be interested and if possible through your networks or on social media. I will be sharing it on Facebook, Twitter (@Vasichek49), and Instagram (jvasichek).