I've posted on Facebook a few times about my niece Stephanie and her diagnosis of cancer, as well as her recent liver transplant. Her transplant has been successful so far, and she is recovering as well as could be expected at this point (it's been four days). Their family is still in dire need of prayers, service and financial help. As it says below, my brother is taking unpaid leave for all of these medical visits and is still the sole provider of his family of 10, and Stephanie will need to stay in the Ronald McDonald House for another 3 months. If you're able to help even a little bit, please click on the link below to donate.
Here is Stephanie's story, taken from the COTA website at COTA for Stephanie Dawn:
Stephanie Dawn Bassett
With the cost of a transplant often exceeding $500,000, many transplant patients are unable to shoulder the financial burden of such a procedure. The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) is a national charity dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-needy patients. In Longview, volunteers are raising funds for transplant patients like local girl Stephanie Bassett.
Stephanie Bassett is a bright caring eleven-year-old girl. She is the fifth of eight children. Her beautiful smile is not easily forgotten. Stephanie’s faith and love for the Lord is evident in how she behaves and treats others. You can see it reflected in her as only a pure Child of God can. Stephanie is often found reading a book, playing with her siblings, engaged in her home schooling or participating in activities with her church group. It is hard to not be impressed with this beautiful intelligent young lady.
This past year Stephanie started to have severe stomach pain and unexplained itching. Due to this, she found it hard to eat and sleep through the night. Her mother took her to her pediatrician but left without many answers. Within a few days of that visit, her mother noticed she looked Jaundice. Blood results confirmed that diagnosis. Stephanie and her family visited specialists who helped but issues kept arising and deep down her family knew they had not found the cause or a cure for Stephanie. She was eventually referred to the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. It was determined that a surgery to have a stint placed in her bile duct was needed to help it drain. What seemed like all too soon that stint failed. More long trips to specialists, testing, procedures and waiting occurred until it was determined that she would need to have a bile duct bypass because it appeared her bile duct had not formed properly. Was this the cause of all these health issues? Prayers were offered and family and friends hoped this would be the final procedure.
During this procedure, her gall bladder was removed and the surgeon noted that there were enlarged lymph nodes pressing on her bile duct. While examining these lymph nodes they found that Stephanie had lesions on her liver. After a two week stay in Children’s Stephanie returned home while she and her parents waited for answers. More lab work and testing were prescribed. And as always, the waiting began. Waiting for results and answers. Waiting for healing and peace. It would appear that the Lord had guided the surgeon to find this so that the prayers of a proper diagnosis could happen. Further testing gave the diagnosis of Hepatic Epithelioid Hemangeoendothelioma (HEHE), which is a form of cancer of the liver. Only a handful of pediatric cases have been diagnosed. Most cases of this cancer are found when it has progressed much further. This was another evidence of the hand of the Lord in Stephanie’s life. After her medical team meet several times her family was told the only treatment option for this very rare form of cancer was for her to have a transplant. After seeking the Lord in prayer her family determined to go ahead with the necessary but draining process of working with insurance and the Transplant Team at Children’s to have Stephanie placed on the Donor List.
On Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 5:00 am in the morning, her family received their first call that a liver might be available for her. The liver was a match!! By 4:30 pm that afternoon, she was in surgery and by 10:15 pm that evening the transplant was completed. Stephanie is now in the very early stages of recovering and healing. Many prayers are being said for a full and quick recovery.
The Bassetts are a large and loving home schooling family. Despite the illness of a family member life continues. Children’s is a long three-hour drive from home and Fred & Maggie, Stephanie’s parents, have had to find caregivers for her siblings for appointments and stays. Great pains have also had to be taken at home to help keep Stephanie as healthy as possible and this will continue to be the case once she returns home after the transplant. Stephanie has had to wear a mask, most of the time, in social situations to help her stay healthy and prevent sickness. As well, diet has been a major part of Stephanie’s care. Her siblings supported her during the fall holidays by all choosing to not have any candy because Stephanie couldn’t have any.
Even with the support of Grandparents, friends and church family have found many opportunities to serve. Meals have been taken to them and household cleaning has occurred. Friends have helped with yard work, home repair, schooling and childcare. This support has been offered in hopes to help maintain the physical needs of the family so they could work on supporting each other and trying to keep Stephanie as healthy as possible.
This has been a very stressful time for all of the family. They love their daughter and sister very much and want her to be well. One of the components of dealing with a major illness is that as much as you need and want to care for that child you have other dear children tugging at you to keep life normal for them. The daily strain of living and maintaining your entire family can be overwhelming. All your energy is focused on caring for your child and dealing with the “What ifs?”.
In addition, one question that still remains is where will the finances come from to pay for all of this needed treatment and the transplant. Fred is the sole provider of their large loving family. Fred & Maggie see their role of providing and caring for their family as a sacred precious responsibility. Financial decisions and sacrifices are always made accordingly. Fred has missed work and has used all his days off so he could be there for Stephanie and Maggie for many of the stressful procedures and treatments. Time taken now is unpaid. And looking at the road ahead of a three month stay at the Ronald McDonald House and the cost of the $75,000 out of pocket expense of the transplant, seems bleak. In addition, Stephanie will require immunosuppressant medication for the rest of her life. This medication is only obtained by paying a large monthly copay.
How blessed they have been to receive this miraculous gift! Prayers have been answered. However, the support Stephanie and her family needs is still ever present. Recovery and healing is a process not a onetime event. Fred and Maggie, Stephanie and her seven siblings have had to find a new kind of normal and will have to continue to do so for many months and years ahead. The need for help of friends and family with household maintenance and spiritual support is still needed. And just as before the transplant, financial assistance from friends, family and a caring giving community will ensure that the bills do not became the new source of “illness” in their fragile family existence. In addition, as we serve one another we find the blessing of serving the Lord. It is evident the Lord needs sweet Stephanie here a while longer.
Local volunteers and community members are helping to raise an estimated $75,000 in order to support Stephanie and her family. No matter how you feel driven to help whether financially, through volunteering or prayers please do not wait. Your help will be evident as Stephanie is able to slowly move forward in her life with the light and love of Christ, that has only been brightened by the service and love of others.
Comments