Fundraiser to help Cecil residents after liver transplant
Kristi Thomas pushes her daughter Rachel on a swing while keeping an eye on her three other children in Cecil.
Half “brownie,” half “birdie,” the car will be without windows but will have plenty of dings and dents after the car bash.
Rachel Thomas giggled as her mom pushed her on a swingset, with no sign that just three months ago she received a section of her dad’s liver.
John and Kristi Thomas of Cecil Township have four children and their youngest, 3-year-old Rachel, will face a life constantly reminding her of early struggles.
“She’ll be on anti-rejection drugs for the rest of her life,” John Thomas, 33, said.
Thomas, who has the same blood type as his daughter, donated roughly one-quarter of his liver to her June 2 after multiple complications were found with cysts in her bile ducts and she developed biliary atresia, which prevents the bile ducts from growing. Both were out of the hospital within nine days, despite doctors saying it would be a month. Thomas is nearly fully recovered, while his daughter faces at least one more surgery in the spring to repair abdominal muscles.
To help with nearly $30,000 in medical bills not covered by the family’s insurance, members of Crossroads Church in Bridgeville are organizing a “Bash the Brownies and Birdies” car bash fundraiser at the Chartiers Valley Shopping Center from 1 to 4 p.m. today.
“Orange on one side, purple on the other – representing some of the Steelers’ favorite rivals – people will get to bid for chances to smash the car with a sledgehammer and help raise money for the family,” volunteer coordinator Tawney Roddy said.
Roddy said she’s aiming to raise $50,000 overall through this event and others so the Children’s Organ Transplant Association can donate an additional $5,000.
“The words ‘biliary atresia’ will painted on the car, so people will not be really bashing these teams as much as the disease,” Roddy said.
The Thomas family knew they would be in for a long-term care situation from the start, but they say they didn’t know how complicated or how serious it would be.
“Before she was born, we knew she had a cyst on her bile duct coming out of the liver, and doctors were telling us they’ll remove it and it won’t be a problem. But after she was born, she started having periods of jaundice that wouldn’t go away. We knew something was really wrong,” John Thomas said.
“They decided for surgery and (to) fix whatever else they found in there. Well, they found biliary atresia. Doctors connected her intestines to her liver directly, which takes care of it temporarily, but she needed a liver transplant,” he said.
Because of the surgery, her organs were constantly infected with pockets of bacteria and she had to switch antibiotics every month. The anti-rejection drugs she takes lower her immune system.
“The symptoms for rejection are fever and flu-like, so it’s going to be a scary flu season with lots of trips to the emergency room because you just don’t know,” Kristi Thomas, 32, said.
Rachel’s complications placed her low on a donation list, so John stepped in because the wait could have proven fatal.
“We thought John could be a backup plan, but when the doctors said she needed one now, John stepped in,” Kristi said.
Raising four kids, Kristi said she and her husband found their church family a more than welcome support group.
“For me, I just depend on God. I know without that I can’t do any of this. We have family nearby, a strong church family. I just know that I always have someone I can call, ‘Hey, I need someone to watch the kids. I’m going with Rachel to the emergency room.'”
Other upcoming fundraising events include a cookie decorating booth at Cecil Township Fall Festival Sept. 27 to 28 and “A Night of Music” at Crossroads Church Oct. 23.