Fundraiser for Kate Rootsey (Beautiful Kate)

Hi, my name is Carly-Jay Metcalfe, and my friend Kate needs your help. At the age of 27, Kate had a double lung transplant for Cystic Fibrosis and is now in desperate need of a kidney transplant. On Sunday night, Kate was rushed to The Gold Coast University Hospital after she suffered a massive bleed in her abdomen. She is currently on life support in ICU, is on dialysis, and is in dire need of a kidney transplant.

Kate is Mum to Molly whom she and her husband John welcomed in 2013, albeit very prematurely. She has done extensive work raising awareness for organ donation through sharing her own story and through her work with Donate Life. She's even been in the transplant games - anything to raise awareness for organ donation. Sadly, while John is a match for Kate, he has been ruled out as a living donor due to issues with his own kidneys.

Because Kate is likely going to be in hospital for months, and because John has already used up his sick leave due to Kate having had other medical emergencies this year, Kate's family needs financial assistance for bills, cost of living, hospital parking, as well as for recovery costs when Kate goes home. Any donations are greatly appreciated. After everything Kate has done for others, it is time we all pulled together and supported her. Thank you.

*UPDATE Friday 13 October: Kate is having surgery next Friday (20/10) to see if a catheter for peritoneal dialysis (PD) can be placed. Unfortunately, surgeons won't know if this is a viable option until she's in theatre and they've had a look. Their main concern is the scar tissue from the massive bleed she had in August and the resultant haematoma. If a catheter can be placed, Kate will do PD education for a week or two which involves going to the hospital centre every day. Once everyone is confident that Kate is able to do PD independently, she will hopefully be able to do dialysis every day (four times a day) at home. In another hurdle, Kate needs to pass all the tests to be listed for a kidney transplant, so she's really at a pretty critical juncture right now, and her best chance is still a live donor so she can bypass dialysis altogether.

*UPDATE Monday 11 September: Kate's situation has changed yet again, as is the nature of CF, transplant and kidneys. The plan is to start dialysis sooner than first thought because her kidney function isn't improving. This means surgery for a catheter so she can have peritoneal dialysis (PD). She's currently waiting on an appointment with a surgeon. There are a couple of issues, in that surgeons need to get into her belly to see what they're dealing with. As PD is her only option for dialysis, we are hoping that PD will be possible. Unfortunately, Kate can't have a fistula for dialysis due to the issues she has with her SVC (superior vena cava), so we have everything crossed that surgeons can place a catheter for PD.

*UPDATE Thursday 24 August: I have good news - Kate is home! Kate's been allowed to go home on the proviso that she put on the weight she has lost in hospital. In order to get Kate on dialysis, she needs to heal from the abdominal surgery she had when she was initially admitted. Firstly, she will need peritoneal dialysis (PD) before she has surgery for a fistula for permanent dialysis. This is still going to be a very long road for Kate. When I last spoke to her, she was getting ready to go and hide to surprise Molly!

*UPDATE: Friday 18 August: It's day ten today, and as yet there is no home date set as it's still a day-by-day situation. She is managing to go for one or two walks around the ward each day, and it doesn't need mentioning that Kate is mentally and physically wrecked from this whole ordeal. Doctors assure her that she came very close to dying on the day she was rushed to hospital and put in an induced coma.

Her haemoglobin level seems to be stable for the moment and daily blood tests are closely monitoring this. When she's well enough, Kate will be on dialysis until she a kidney becomes available. Each day brings it's own challenges, but she wants to thank every donor for making the load easier to bear.

*UPDATE Monday 14 August: Kate's haemoglobin keeps fluctuating and she's being very closely monitored for any internal bleeding. A scan couldn't confirm or deny another bleed, so it's watch and wait for now. Kate's having injections to try and boost her blood cells in hopes of avoiding another transfusion. It really is an hour-by-hour (and even minute-by-minute) waiting game. The renal team is saying Kate will be in hospital for weeks at this stage, and this of course can change (as in, it could be a lot longer) depending on what unfolds over the next few days.

*UPDATE 13/8/23: Kate's haemoglobin dropped again overnight, so she's waiting on a scan to see if she is bleeding again. She will probably need another blood transfusion and is physically and emotionally exhausted. Thank you to everyone - it's going to be a very long road for our girl.

*UPDATE 11/8/23: Kate has been transferred to the respiratory ward. Her kidneys are hanging by a thread as dialysis has had to be stopped due to an issue with her SVC (superior vena cava). Needless to say, she is exhausted but is very grateful for everyone's well wishes and donations.

*UPDATE: Kate is breathing on her own and has been moved to the renal ward (which is great news), but after having six blood transfusions from having half the blood in her body, she still has a long way to go. People have offered to donate a kidney to Kate, so if this is something you would like to do, please contact Fiona, the transplant coordinator at the PA Hospital in Brisbane on 07 3176 2111.