Michaela Boland: Seeking a Liver Donor with Support from URMC

Michaela Boland, Cancer Patient, shared a post on Facebook:

“Dear friends and family,

Heartfelt thanks to all of you who have reached out to me and to the University of Rochester Medical Center/Strong Memorial Hospital (URMC) about being my liver donor. I am amazed and so thankful to have you in my life.

Thank you so much to everyone who has offered invitations, help, food, and so many other thoughtful things. While I couldn’t or haven’t yet take you up on your lovely offers, please know that each one of them means so much to me.

Healthwise, I am doing really well. I’ve completed surgery and 34 rounds of chemo so far. My imaging continues to be great, showing that I’m responding well to treatment. I’ve had no growth or spread, and all my labs and tests have been very promising. Insurance has approved me for a transplant, and according to URMC, I’m in a perfect position for the procedure.

We are still looking for the right liver donor. URMC is continuing to evaluate prospective donors now, but so far, one has not been identified. The donor evaluation process is extensive; a lot of things need to line up physically, mentally, and administratively. URMC now requires donor evaluation and testing to be done onsite in Rochester, NY.

This means there would be additional costs involved of travel and board just to be evaluated. My insurance would cover the medical costs of my donor, but there would still be the cost of food and board in the Rochester area during recovery as well. To try to help, I will be setting up a GO FUND ME type fundraiser for my donors’ related expenses.

If you want to and are able to help financially, I’d like to show my donors that I am able to cover their non-medical costs so that the added expense of travel, board, etc. does not become an obstacle. I’ll post that information soon.

If you are interested in possibly becoming my liver donor, you can absolutely still be considered; please reach out to URMC for more information (contact info below). URMC is continuing to evaluate candidates until we find the right one.

Here’s a reminder of the basic donor criteria:

• 18 – 60 years old
• Blood type O (+ or -)
• BMI 30 or less
• Be in good general health

Things to know:

• The liver regenerates itself for both donor and recipient – so cool!
• Evaluation costs are done by URMC and my insurance would cover the medical costs of my donor.
• You can talk to the transplant center privately if you are interested in donating. You don’t need to tell me and URMC won’t share your information with me; you can be tested without telling anyone at all and can opt out confidentially if it’s not for you.
• The next steps are getting more info and testing. The decision to donate only happens after all the testing and education.
• Your health is a priority. URMC will say no to anyone for whom it’s too risky, medically or otherwise.

If you or someone you know may be interested in learning more about becoming a liver donor, you can:

• Call the Living Donor coordinator at the URMC Transplant team at (585) 275-5875 and/or
• Start with the health history questionnaire here

Please feel free to share my post!

Thank you for all the love and support you’ve been sending. It’s beautiful and healing. I am so grateful for how many people are cheering me on and sending their love and prayers. All of your good wishes and caring mean the world to me!”

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