: About Me

In July of 2006 I was diagnosed with Level IV Cirrhosis, or End Stage Liver Disease. This was a result of Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) from years of dealing with Fatty Liver Disease.

For almost three years I was diagnosed with everything from Lupus to contact dermatitis. In July of '06 I began to exhibit symptoms of Hepatic Encephalopathy and pleural effusion. I was taken to a regional medical center and diagnosed with cirrhosis and ESLD. I remained in the hospital a month while doctors worked tirelessly to stage my illness, stabilize me and drain the fluid from my chest.

I was told my only hope was a liver transplant. In November of '06 I travelled to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston for a consultation with the transplant team. In January I returned for the full evaluation and workup. After an initial scare when I learned I had a congenital heart defect, I was placed on the waiting list. My MELD score was 26.

Seventy Two hours later I received the gift of life and was transplanted. I have been doing fabulously ever since and actually am in better shape than I have been since my early 20's.

I currently live in Newberry, SC and will be returning to school in the Fall to finish my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I was a Surgical Technologist for many years specializing in trauma and orthopedics. My plans are to work with transplant patients and get my NP or PA designation from MUSC eventually.

I'm so grateful for this second shot at life.

My passion is ...

History and Animals

I know too much about ...

M*A*S*H (I can still recite episodes)

My parents always told me ...

Never play ball in the house.

My childhood ambition ...

To be Scooby Doo.

My favorite memory ...

Fishing at my aunt's lakehouse with Mama & Daddy

Why I write ...

Because I have to.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Mysteries, Scrubs, Michael Emmaneul

My first job ...

Clerk in a video store

My best moment ...

Cracking a chest in a closet sized ER with Nottingham on my first day at a small hospital

My inspiration ...

My donor, My mother, and My partner Michael

Health & Fitness > Medical Concerns & Issues Medication errors in post transplant patients

1 of 1

"During the study period, the researchers identified 149 medication errors in 93 patients, who were taking an average of 10.9 medications each. The most frequent type of error (56 percent of all errors) was patient error. An additional 13 percent of the errors were prescription errors; 13 percent were delivery errors; 10 percent were availability errors, when a patient did not have at least a 24-hour supply of a medication; and 8 percent were reporting errors, which occurred when a patient could not give the researchers enough information to identify the type, dosage, or frequency of a med...

More..

• Helium Charter Member