Maureen (Hughes) Kardell



Update: Maureen has successfully received a new liver! She still has a long journey of recovery so please read on and share if you can.

Yes, our shiny, happy, life-loving Maureen is severely ill and could use our help. It may come as a shock to you, as it did to me because even in her time of need she's smiling as much as she can and taking care of her three boys as often as she can. But she is sick and her disease is taking its toll.

To be clear, I offered to start this GoFundMe campaign because I want to help and I'm sure many of you will too. I am sharing my limited knowledge of this disease and the journey she has been on. I will update with more facts and as I get them from some of her core support team: her sister Nancy, fiance Joe and other key family and friends. 

Maureen has been struggling with very serious health issues for about a year now, they found she has nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) which starts out as a silent disease with few or no symptoms. 

Maureen's MELD (Model End-Stage Liver Disease) score has quickly increased. This score determines where you are on a donor list. The score ranges from 15-40.  At 15 your body is in liver failure. When Maureen was diagnosed with NASH this summer her score was about a 24. Within the last few months, it's risen to a 31. We only have one liver, and it can heal itself (which is why a healthy donor can donate half of his or her liver) but by the time her doctors discovered her disease her liver was too far gone to heal itself. 

The only hope now is that she receives a liver from a deceased donor or a living donor. *If you are interested in learning more about the process and if you might be a fit-I'm certain her family would like to know. Please contact us for more information.

But there are many other ways you can help. 

As Maureen's health is continually failing, now is the time we can step in and offer our love, prayers, and help.

She has 3 amazingly, sweet and kind boys/young men and is now a loving mother to Joe's daughter.  



The energy it takes to be a mom, not to mention at the loving level she performs that role is tremendous. 

So, local neighbors and friends if you have enough to share your leftovers or make an extra tray of lasagne, yes, please. If you have kids in school or the same after-school activities a ride to and/or from will make the world of a difference to her and her kids.

What else? What do we do on a daily basis that we take for granted?

If you're thinking should I...?   The answer is, YES! 
But, would that be insulting to ask if she needs help vacuuming her house? Nope. 

What I've learned from a wonderful caregiver is to ask, how can I help? But better yet, what can you offer right now and ask, Can I do "this" for you?

This is a roller coaster experience and beyond the mental, the physical, spiritual and emotional strength they have been displaying. The financial burden is now something they need to face.

Maureen and her fiance Joe need to continually drive back and forth, an hour and a half each way to the hospital for frequent testing and overnight stays are getting longer as her health declines.  Her sister Nancy is another key part of her support system and is making the trek from our hometown which is a two and a half hour drive each way.  We all know how valuable our time is, and we never have enough of it, but traveling is a financial burden as well, between gas money and hotels by the hospital. 

If you're far or near, this fundraising campaign is to help relieve the financial burden of a lifetime of medication Maureen will need, medical bills, physical therapy, continued lost wages since she's had to quit her job, travel, and living expenses associated with her diagnosis of advanced liver disease. 

The road will be long, but she will find a donor and she can do it. And with our help, she may be able to do it with a whole lot less strain or financial worry.

I will be thankful if you can take a moment to reflect on the love and spirit Maureen brings to this world. And to acknowledge that the world is a better place with her in it. Not only for us but for her family and her children. 

If you can make a donation, big or small, it will be used to help the burdens that go along with healthcare and give her the time she needs to share with her family, her focus on finding a donor and then the long journey of healing and lifetime medications ahead of her. 

Any donation, love or support you can share will be so very much appreciated. Please share this if you can. And, Thank you!

You can also follow Maureen's sister Nancy's Facebook page: Stay Up To Date W/Maureen