For the Hartman family out of LeRoy it has been a long 19 months.
Thanks to a $13,640 donation from the Humboldt Emergency Relief Organization, things have been made a little easier.
Andrel and Dustin Hartman have been on the go since their son, Theo, was born.
Theo was born with Biliary Atresia where his bile ducts are underdeveloped and therefore could secrete bile.
After a failed surgery to help correct this, Andrel says they knew what came next.
Theo was put on the wait list for a new liver which had the family waiting six months before a new liver was found for him.
Andrel is grateful for all the people who stepped forward to be tested for live donation and says they were lucky to have that many people come forward. Thanks to a local Humboldt donor, Theo received a new liver at 14 months old on July 27.
Andrel would like to thank the Organization twice since they also helped the liver donor with their own expenses which included getting to and from Edmonton for tests and the transplant.
From the middle of July to the end of October the family lived in Edmonton which meant taking care of two household expenses as well as travel to and from Edmonton.
This money has meant a lot for their family, says Andrel.
“We assumed we were going to go into debt when this was happening but with the help of H.E.R.O. and our community, we can say we’re okay. We have one less worry.”
Theo is doing very well so far, says Andrel, however there are still trips to Saskatoon to keep on eye on his health.
This has been the biggest donation that the Organization has ever made. For H.E.R.O. President Phil Wilson, he cannot imagine the emotional and financial strain this has been on the family.
“It’s nice to be able to see the fruits of our fundraising go towards a good cause.”
It has been a nice way to give a Christmas present or start off the new year, says Wilson.
Donations are always accepted for those people looking for help covering medical expenses that are not covered by insurance. Most of the time, that means travel expenses, says Wilson.
Andrel would like to encourage everyone to be an organ donor since that is what saved her child’s life. With 35 million people in Canada, the fact that we have the lowest number of organ donors is just ridiculous, she says.
“You can save up to eight lives, how amazing of a gift can you give to someone.”
