My Story

After several months of his health continuing to fail, we began to talk as a family about other options.  We discussed living donors.  If you don't know, the liver is an amazing organ - it regenerates when split in two.  First, my younger brother volunteered, however, he was not chosen due to an anomaly in his vein structure.  Then I volunteered - and was accepted. In October of 2005, we underwent the transplant process.  My father never woke up from surgery and after a series of setbacks, died a month later. My father was in the middle of a contentious divorce from his 3rd wife at the time and he and I had made the decision to list me as the potential guardian for my then 14 year old brother and 12 year old sister. With his death, at 22, I was facing a reality of raising two teenagers. I was granted guardianship and suddenly, was responsible for not only their care, but also securing housing, healthcare, and managing a household on my own. It was a full time job. Luckily, I was introduced (on a blind date) to a man who loved and supported all of us in all the ways we needed, and both of my siblings graduated from high school and then college. My husband and I weren't ready to have kids of our own right away - we were enjoying being empty-nesters! After a few years, we had some foster children, before starting a family of our own. Our family now consists of a farm, animals, and four kids ages 10, 9, 5, and 3. My journey has been filled both highs and lows - I have lived through a great deal of trauma, heartache, grief and mental health challenges. It's also been filled with lots of support from people who care about me. It has also inspired me in my professional journey. I went back to school in my late twenties and got my Master's Degree in Social Work. Since then, I have had many opportunities to learn and grow - including doing non-profit management, school social work, individual and family counseling, as well as owning my own businesses. I feel strongly about using my skills to help the world and people around me, and all of my personal and professional endeavors work towards this goal.