Give Thanks – Will Is Okay!

This is a little touchy-feely, but I’m going with it. As I get older, I’m definitely getting softer, and in the last two years I’ve learned that’s actually quite a pleasant thing.

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. It’s a holiday with a troubled past, but a good meaning: to remember what you are thankful for.

Well, I have a roof over my head, and it’s warm in my house. We couldn’t always afford heat in the winter, or food. I don’t have to worry about where my next meal is coming from. I do not ever underestimate these things. I am thankful for them every day. For the people who dislike Thanksgiving as something unnecessary – we ought to be more mindful of what we’ve got. But to me, and people like me, having an annual reminder of a virtue is useful.

I’m particularly thankful today because my cousin, Will Corcoran, got his liver transplant. If you haven't read about him before, this kid has been fighting Cystic Fibrosis his entire life and was suddenly confronted with a life-or-death need for an operation. The operation was back in October, and Will had to split it with two other recipients, but he got enough to live. I’d held off announcing it because there were complications, and “too soon” is seldom a good time for celebration. But now it’s been over a month, he’s had regular check-ups, and is healthy enough that tomorrow he’ll attend my family’s big get-together. It’ll be the first time I’ve been able to see him in years. More important than that, he has years to come.

 

It’s worth being thankful for.

What are you thankful for this year, friends and fellow humans?

Emergency: Liver Donor Needed for Teen Boy

This is my youngest cousin, Will Corcoran. He’s the only son to Jodi and Bean Corcoran, and brother to three loving sisters.  Will was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that attacks almost every facet of the human body. He’s no longer strong enough to go to school, he's routinely rushed to the hospital for infections his body can't fight, he's endured every kind of invasive test medical science has to offer, and yet he and his family have kept fighting. This kid has endured outrageous pain and disability in his life, and now if we don’t help him, he won’t live.

Recently we found out that Will’s liver is failing. The cystic fibrosis is destroying it, and he needs a transplant to live. A healthy person’s liver will repair and re-grow itself; one donates only a portion of his or her liver and lets it regenerate. Will's body simply can't regenerate the tissue anymore and needs your immune system’s help.

Will’s blood type is A, and so he requires either an A or O-donor. I don’t match and my health is too poor to donate living organs, but I can at least open this up to the people I know.

Will's family is asking for donors who have strong health insurance just in case. I'm told the healing process for a donor is typically two months. Bean has told us, "in a nut shell my insurance pays for the entire surgery all blood work and some traveling expenses depending on how far away the donor lives. There should be very little, if any out of pocket expenses."

Will lives in Connecticut. I’m certain his parents will help you travel for the procedure if necessary. If you or anyone you know can help this boy live past his teens, please message me here, by Twitter, by Facebook or e-mail. I will put you in contact with the surgery team and Bean Corcoran.

Any responses and any continued forwarding of this message is extremely appreciated.