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In September of 2021 Tanner was diagnosed with alcohol induced cirrhosis of the liver. At that time he was told that if he didn’t stop drinking he would die. His liver was to damaged to regenerate itself and he would need a liver transplant. The transplant could not be from a living donor, it would need to be from someone who passed away. He would also have to be sober for 6 months before he could even be considered for the transplant list. After one slip up in October of 2021, he has stayed sober. He is now 16 months sober.
We started the transplant process in January of 2022 at the University of MN. He also has a Hepatologist in SiouxFalls and his General Practitioner in Luverne. When the time comes the transplant will take place at the University of MN.
He has been hospitalized several time over the last 16 months for illnesses related to his liver failure. He had been doing relatively okay until the beginning of 2023.
Starting the beginning of January 2023 his kidneys began to be affected by his failing liver. This is very common in end stage liver cirrhosis. Because his liver is unable to flush the toxins out of his body, the kidneys have to work harder and eventually can’t keep up. He has been hospitalized 3 time this month, including his stay in the hospital right now.
Due to his kidney problems everything went into high gear. On January 24 he was informed that the transplant team had approved him as a candidate for a transplant. On January 25 the insurance company approved the transplant and Tanner had the insurance required blood tests. Then he got a call from the U of M that they emailed him paperwork that needed to be signed immediately so the could get him on the list asap, because his kidneys were struggling. He got the paperwork signed and was on the transplant list in the next 30 minutes. Then the caller told us to head to the ER because he needed to be hospitalized for treatment to help his kidneys.
We were informed that the transplant could happen at any time, but they didn’t think he’d have to wait longer than a month.
While our prayers have been answered that he’s on the list, it also comes with the burden of knowing that someone is going to die in order for Tanner to live. So as you pray for our miracle, please pray for the donor and their family.
Tonight we celebrated Tanner's One Year Transplant Anniversary. Tanner is doing fantastic! He is living in Sioux Falls and working full-time at Menards. He will be starting Manager's training in April. His health is doing great. He continues to be sober. He has been sober for over 2 years now.
We are hoping this is the first anniversary of many, many more. This has been a 2 1/2 year journey with the best outcome that we prayed for.
Thank you to everyone for doing this journey with us. ❤️❤️❤️
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