About Me

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.