financial assistance help to save my dad

Hi  my name is Veronica I really dont know what to do i live in california  my dad needs a liver transplant really bad but we cannot afforded we are a  low income family  the problem with my dad is that he was on a motorcycle accident in mexico in 86 and they did a blood trunfussion and from that tranfussion he got hepatitis c but we did not know about it until 2006 but it was toolate since it became cirrhosis  we had tried evrything but the doctors keep saying that there is nothing theycan do because he has also low plataletes. he was ging to under an investigation study but he did not meet criteria . My dad need liver transplant to save his life i am even willing to get tested and see if i am mpatible with him to give him part of my liver to save my dad can anyone help me??

[ggreg]

There are treatments for Hep C, so I hope your Dad is at the very least receiving treatment for that...he can go to the County Health Department, which they only charge what you can afford, and he can at least get SOME care while he waits for a liver.  I have to assume he's on a list for a transplant...it does not matter if your Dad has an income or not, he can still be on the list, becuz you can figure out a payment plan with the hospital, or get a donation thing set up, especially since his disease came from a transfusion thru no fault of his own.  

I like your idea very much of getting your own liver matched to his, to see if you might can donate part of yours, but carefully consider the risks to yourself.  You could also ask your church minister to help you with all this, could be someone in the congregation can make a similar offer to yours, or perhaps make donations of money.  Be sure to talk to the Hospice organization in your town, see if they'll help keep your Dad comfortable, their services are free for those without financial resources.  You should also go down to the Department of Social Services and inquire as to any resources they may have to offer to your Dad, that place is designed to help people who have no money or insurance to rely on.

Start making all these connections with services and people right away, get some help in dealing with this, there are ways to help people just like your Dad and you need to ask for assistance and get hooked up with a variety of organizations.  It takes some practice to learn the ropes, but there is indeed a raft of folks out there that want to do nothing else but help others.

[Ariom63]

I am so sorry to hear about your father and what you must be going through!  I will keep you in my prayers.  

I don't know much about these things, but I can share what I did.  I am unemployed at this moment and needed Gallbladder surgery.  I filled out some forms and was given a awesome discounted rate for all my medical needs.  My surgeon even gave me a discounted rate.  You can talk to the financial assistance office within the hospital and see how they can help you or point you in the right direction.  

Like ggreg says there are so many organizations out there willing to help.  You need to do your homework and make calls, more than likely alot of them.  Perhaps trying to get him ssecurity and emergency medicaid services!  

Once again I shall keep you both in my prayers.  

[Vero84]

Hi thank you for your info the problem with my dad is that he cannot get the treatment for hep c because he has very low platelets(blood thing) so he can't get the shots for hep -c  because his platelets will go more lower and he could hemorrhage internal. So they have told him that he cannot get that treatment and they just want to see him every 6 months t check how his liver is doing  and when they do he ultrasound after the doctor visit they tell him that there is still no treatment for him and they will see him in 6 moths but waititng those six months for something to come up he might not make it because everyday that passes his liver get worse.

[ggreg]

I hear you.  Liver disease is difficult.  I understand that his red blood cell count is low, and so he cannot have Interferon treatment.  However, the docs should have checked his B12, Folate, and Iron levels, and if they are low, he can receive shots and supplements for those, which may help improve his anemia.  Also, while studies do not show herbs help, Milk Thistle in capsules is something he can ask his doc about as an alternative treatment for liver disease.  He could also find out if he's eligible for a red blood cell transfusion.  See, if he can get his red blood cell count up enough, he could receive Interferon injections, which might slow the progression of the disease.  Incidentally, people with liver disease should not take Tylenol.

I hope he is on a liver transplant list and hope you have been tested to see if your liver is a match for his.  Could be he is not eligible yet, which means his liver disease has not progressed enough to kill him, so while it's too bad he's not on a list, it can be considered a good thing because he hasn't gone downhill enough yet.  Many people live with liver disease for years, and so you should get yourselves in with a support group, either online or perhaps in a nearby city.  Some tips fellow liver disease people give, might wind up helping you.  And I would again talk to your church about setting up a donation fund in case cost of treatment becomes an issue down the road.  Also, again, do contact any social services organizations that exist in your area, for any other assistance your father may need while he is sick like this... he should be resting well and eating well... and include Hospice as a group you should speak with because they can at least keep him comfortable while he endures the ravages that Hep C is having on his liver.

By the way, since these docs are kicking him to the curb every six months, you still could visit the county health department in between those times, so as to make sure his general health hasn't gone down any further.  And do ask your doc about some of the treatments and tests I suggested earlier in this post.

[Vero84]

thx for your info i have informed my mom to ask for those treatments and tests the problem is that where they are kicking hm to the curv is in the county health department thats is where he has been going