Help Shane Williams With His Liver Transplant!!!

UPDATE~ (warning, long post, but well worth the read :)

Shane had a liver transplant on July 25th!!! The way it happened is nothing short of a miracle, so I felt compelled to share the story with all of you who graciously donated to our go fund me. On July 23rd, Shane's cousin Chris Sirovy, who lives in Portland, Oregon, texted me and asked Shane's blood type (A+) and what types he was compatible with (A+, AB+ and O+). He was filling out paperwork to be a live donor (unfortunately, being over 50 disqualifies you immediately) so I did not find this question odd. Then a while later, Chris called and said he knew of a "situation" that could potentially help Shane get a liver. His best friend, also named Chris, who he has been friends with since elementary school, had a death in the family, and that person was a donor. Friend Chris and his siblings checked with Lifesource to see if they could designate their mother's liver to Shane. My first thought was, "Is that even a thing?" 30 minutes later (or so), Cousin Chris called Shane and said Lifesource would let them know as soon as possible, but it might not be until morning. We were camping at the time and went to bed, not knowing the outcome. It was a VERY restless night for us both-trying not to be too hopeful but still being hopeful. At 7:30 am, July 24th, a transplant coordinator, Reece, from the University of MN called Shane to say a liver had been designated to him from a donor family in MN and that we better head to Minneapolis asap. The donor was a 75-year-old woman who had passed away (Friend Chris' Mom, although he couldn't tell us that). Of course, the liver had to pass all the necessary inspections, but we remained hopeful and drove the 50 miles to Minot way faster than we should have. At 10:30 we received another call that the liver passed all inspections!!! Shane was on a plane at 1 pm, and Lexy and I were on our way, driving by 2. The next day at 6 am, he was in surgery getting a new liver and a new lease on life!!!! The surgeon told me when he made rounds later that day that Shane would not have lived another 3 months; his other organs were in "death mode," following suit with his bum liver, it would have been just a matter of time. While this was hard to hear, it sure puts things into perspective. We feel blessed beyond words that Friend Chris and his siblings were so giving even in their grief. We also thank God for His hand in making everything happen the way it did. I know Friend Chris and his family are grieving, and we feel so sad that someone had to die to save Shane, but we will forever cherish this gift of life! We cannot thank this family enough (or Cousin Chris) for their part in making this happen. 5 weeks later, we are back home in Minot, Shane is getting better every day, and we have felt blessed every day since this journey began! The money we received from the GoFundMe helped us comfortably stay in MN for as long as Shane needed to, it was used it for gas, food, bills and more. So, THANK YOU to all who donated. I hope you enjoyed our unique story.

P.S. We are also very grateful to my sister, Patty, her husband, Scott, and their sons, who allowed me to stay with them for 5 weeks and Shane when he was released from the hospital; your generosity is humbling.

God Bless!!!

Jen Williams

On November 2, 2021 our lives were changed. My step-dad, Shane, had some routine blood work done where it was discovered that he was in liver failure. Shane has been sober since October 15th. His liver is operating at about 20% and is cirrhotic. 3 sources caused Shane’s liver disease; overuse of Tylenol PM, overuse of alcohol, and gastric bypass surgery.

He was seen in the ER and released to the care of his primary care provider and an appointment with a GI doctor here in Minot. The GI doctor was brutally honest and told us Shane had 2-12 months to live and would need a liver transplant to save his life!! He referred Shane to a new primary medical doctor, Umer Hashmi, who was able to see him shortly after that and put him on some diuretics, anti-nausea meds, and other meds. He was also referred to a Hepatologist, Dr. Julie Thompson, at the University of MN.

Since that day in November, Shane has suffered from depression; he stopped working, stayed in bed all day and accepted that he would die. Then he had a virtual visit with Dr. Thompson, and she told him she was going to do everything to save his life; she gave him hope! Since then, he has slowly gotten back to work and is trying to live his life to the fullest, as much as he is physically possible. If you know Shane, he is a hockey fanatic and loves to watch his grandson's play and the Minot Minotauros. While he couldn't attend as many games as last year, he sure tried!

Shane gets ascites, which is fluid in the abdomen. It is removed via paracentesis. Paracentesis is a procedure that removes fluid (peritoneal fluid) from the stomach via needle. He has had this done a total of 17 times so far. He was also hospitalized from February 20-24 due to an infection in his lungs and belly; when this fluid is drained, it causes extreme fatigue, severe muscle cramps, and dehydration, only to have it build back up to be drained the following week again. It is a vicious cycle. We are hoping he will be able to have surgery to insert a drain into his liver to control the ascites, but that can’t happen until his liver swelling goes down.

Needless to say, this has been a substantial financial burden on my mom, Jen, and Shane. My mom has severe Rheumatoid Arthritis of the spine and is in constant pain. She has not worked in 3 years. With Shane working less and less and being sick, they have been having a rough time financially. Liver Transplants are costly. Shane is now on the transplant list!! If and when Shane does receive a transplant, he will need to be in Minneapolis within 5 hours of notification. He will be in ICU for two days to 2 weeks and will be required to remain in the Minneapolis area for an additional month in case he rejects the liver. My mom has to be with him because he will need a 24/7 caregiver once released from the hospital.

I am hoping to help ease their burden by requesting monetary donations. Please donate if you can find it in your heart to help them. We would be so grateful!!

Thank you,

Lexy Mosser and family