And the Story Begins

Well, I’ve been planning this big, long letter telling my close friends and family where I stand in my health starting with losing good ol’ Dad in 2007 (which hit me much, much harder than I expected) all the way to my current situation. This obviously hasn’t happened, so I’m giving you a much shorter version and maybe a few thoughts I’m battling. I have been diagnosed with liver disease. More specifically NASH, which is non-alcoholic liver disease. This means I have been gifted with liver disease without all the fun of drinking too much. So what does this mean? Good question. There is absolutely no cure for NASH. My medical hope to stay alive is a transplant. My doctor’s opinion, which he will admit is no exact science, is that without a transplant I probably won’t make it another year. With a transplant there really is no telling. If I survive the transplant it’s almost assured that my quality of life will improve. But here’s the deal: getting a transplant is not exactly like changing the oil filter on your beat-up, 1976 Buick. The statistic is that 25% of people die, mostly from complications after the surgery. The doc says my chances are probably not even that good due to my diabetes and super fatness. (Things I was also going to include in that long letter that never happened.) But here’s my other option: I’m a very believing Christian and I know that God is still healing his children in this modern day. So I have a chance to test my faith in a very big and intense way. Obviously I would like to stay alive, but being a Christian I am not afraid to die. Whatever the outcome, I hope to make the best decision. Though I will admit that after seeing what Dad went through in the hospital, and after my own minor surgery in which they put me under, surgery freaks me out. I mean it really freaks me out to the point that I don’t know if I can do it again. So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Feel free to email or call me. I don’t guarantee fast or long responses. So stop being so greedy. ;)