Help for Phil & Shelby!!!

Hi Friends,

My amazing friend, Phil Lepacek and his daughter, Shelby,  both had Major Emergency Surgeries last week within two days of each other.  The cost of these surgeries is financially devastating to Phil, and they desperately need our help!!!!

Phil is a single parent of 17 year old Shelby, and both have been helping each other through some severe medical illnesses over the last year and a half.  Phil had been suffering with liver failure,  while his daughter, Shelby, was suffering with hydronephrosis, a kidney disease she has had since birth.

Shelby had her first kidney surgery shortly after she was born, which successfully helped her manage the disease for approximately15 years. However, in the past couple of years she has been getting increasingly sicker, with bouts of excruciating kidney pain and infections. Within the last few weeks, Shelby’s disease progressed to the point of needing immediate kidney surgery  to correct the blockage causing her pain.  Meanwhile, Phil’s health was rapidly worsening and his other organs were beginning to shut down.  As sick as he was, however, Phil managed to stay at the hospital by his daughter Shelby’s side until she out of recovery and resting well in her hospital room. 

Exhausted as ever, but feeling relieved that his daughter was doing well, Phil got the call he had been praying for. It was Mayo Clinic Hospital calling to say they found a liver that was a match for his blood type and size. So, immediately Phil’s brother rushed him from Shelby's hospital room to Mayo Clinic to undergo liver transplant surgery.

Thank "GOD" Phil made it through his surgery well, and so far there are no signs of rejection. However, it will be a long road for Phil and his daughter, as Phil will be hospitalized for a few weeks and then released to stay at a small casita  behind the hospital for several more weeks afterwards. The transplant team require their patients to stay very close to the hospital in case there are any signs of rejection that require emergency treatment. At this point Shelby is out of the hospital and her sister in California will be caring for her so she can recover. 

Phil is elated that he now has the opportunity to see his daughter through the rest of her teens, and one day he will be able to walk Shelby down the aisle on her wedding day!! Phil and Shelby have a very close relationship, and she depends on him for absolutely everything, so it is CRITICAL for both of them to be able to focus on recovering without worrying about the EXTREME FINANCIAL HARDSHIP in front of them.

Please find it in your heart to help Phil and Shelby by donating today! The donations will be used to help pay hundreds of thousand of dollars in medical bills that are climbing by the day, and will continue to  flood in for several more months to come. Donations are needed ASAP to help with the cost of the casita while Phil is recovering  by Mayo Clinic, as well as medications needed for both. Your generosity will help Phil to recover without worry, which will provide him the best chance of the liver transplant being successful. 

Please remember that even $5.00 will help and be appreciated!

Also, please keep them both in your prayers!!

I will update this page as there is news on how both are doing, and I appreciate the time you have taken to read their story.