Hello,
my name is Esther Coronado and I am 60 years young. I was diagnosed
with Diabetes in 1988 and in 2007 I was also diagnosed with cirrhosis of
the liver.
My family was blindsided by the threat of cirrhosis back in 1997 when my
father went in to have gall bladder surgery and began to hemorrhage
from the cirrhosis. Daddy was a tall and strong man, but that image of
him began to deteriorate as he fought his hardest to live with this
disease. Cirrhosis would eventually claim the lives of my father, my
mother, and two of my siblings.
In 1999 my mother was also diagnosed with this horrible disease, and
with the help of medical professionals she was able to live for nine
more years after her diagnosis. It was difficult watching mother be
admitted into the hospital so frequently during the last three years of
her life. In 2006 my family faced another heartbreak. My youngest
sister, Vicki, became very ill and also passed away due to cirrhosis.
Two years after burying my baby sister we again found ourselves
grief-stricken when we buried our mom.
Diabetes is another "silent killer" that my family has been battling
with; both of my parents, my brother Richard, and myself were all
diagnosed with diabetes. Richard's diabetes became so bad that he had to
have dialysis seven days a week. He was on a transplant list for a
kidney for years. During this time his doctors determined that he also had cirrhosis of the liver. His
doctors had considered a triple transplant surgery but they later
determined that he wouldn't be able to withstand the surgery given the
fact that he was experiencing congestive heart failure. As hard as my
brother fought to stay around to watch his family grow he breathed his
last breath this past March (2014).
When I was diagnosed with cirrhosis I was in the very early stages of
the disease. Unfortunately, my liver is not functioning as well as the
doctors would like. In February, 2014, both Richard and I were in the Methodist Hospital in the medical district at the same time. My
liver is getting worse. In April I had to be readmitted into the
hospital and this time I went through vigorous testing to consider
having my name added to a transplant list. Fortunately, the Board
approved my case and I am now on the list. According to the Model for
End-State Liver Disease, there's a scoring system for assessing the
severity of Chronic Liver Disease. Once my score reaches a certain
number I will be eligible to receive a liver transplant, if one is
available.
Not only do I want to bring awareness to what this disease is, but I
also want to share my family's story and how it affects all of those
that we hold dear to us. Having seen what my parents and youngest
siblings have succumbed to I fear that the same fate may be inevitable
for me as well if I don't receive a liver transplant. Getting on the
transplant list was not the only obstacle that I have to face; I will
also have to go through more testing to make sure that my heart will be
able to withstand the surgery once my doctors make the call that I'm
ready for the transplant.
I
have two beautiful daughters and two beautiful grandchildren that want
and need for me to be around and continue to see them grow. I thank you
for taking the time to read my story and for helping in any way that you
can (financially, spiritually, etc.). Thank you very much for the
unconditional support shown by friends, family, my medical team, and so
many others.
