Cami was diagnosed in 2020 with cirrhosis that was caused by Nash. (Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, is the most severe form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition in which the liver builds up excessive fat deposits.) It can be caused by type 2 diabetes which she has. In 2022, the cirrhosis advanced, so she started trying to get healthier. Since then, she has lost about 100 lbs. At this point, the liver specialist started wanting to see her twice a year. Even though she was losing weight, the damage had been done. In February of 2024, she started getting ascites. (the abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen, specifically within the peritoneal cavity) In December of 2024, she was hospitalized. And that's when the ascites started coming back on a regular basis. It started happening monthly. But in March it started coming back every week, and she was having to visit the hospital once a week to have it drained. In June the fluid started going to her lung cavities. She was having difficulty breathing. Her right lung was blocked 90% of the way, and the left was blocked 50%. Her liver doctor had her go to Denver to be hospitalized and have what is called the tips procedure. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a procedure to create new connections between two blood vessels in your liver. You may need this procedure if you have severe liver problems. She was hospitalized for about 10 days. She had to have her lung cavity on the left drained one more time. Since having the tips procedure, she hasn’t had a reoccurrence of the ascites.
Now her and her family have a mountain of bills from having to be hospitalized, and having all the procedures done weekly. When she was in the hospital she had a bunch of doctors telling her that she needs to get on the transplant list. But it's not something that you can just add your name to. There are a lot of requirements. Hopefully she will be added soon. In the meantime the bills keep piling up and her family are getting further and further into financial instability. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
