Amy Prue

Kevin Prue Needs A LIVING Liver DONOR

We need Kevin’s healthy, strong and steady presence in every aspect of our lives.

My husband Kevin and I met 37 years ago as Resident Advisors @ Western New England College. Married for 33 years, he’s been my constant love and support throughout every stage of our adult lives. We’ve built a life of shared dreams, highlighted by our two children, daughter-in-law, and our first, most precious grandchild. His particular brand of wit and wisdom are a constant source of guidance and amusement for our adult “kids”. Kevin has been my rock when I stand tall and my cushion when I fall. We are often the counterpoint for each other and the complement to each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Underneath his intense, tough exterior is a huge, soft, sensitive and generous heart. He is loyal and committed to supporting those around him in mind, body and spirit. Our greatest joy is in spending time with family – anywhere and everywhere, especially New England and Maine in particular, but Connecticut is HOME… We are so grateful to have relocated to the Connecticut shoreline where we both grew up. The familiarity and proximity to family and friends is peaceful and comforting, especially given Kevin’s health challenges.

Kevin’s health has progressively declined, and he’s had to learn to lean on others. He has retired earlier than he had expected and is focused on maintaining his health until a donor is found. He had hoped to find a role where his 33 years of experience in the financial services industry could make an impact, but the rigors of fighting this liver disease have taken their toll and he finds himself unable to reliably meet the demands of his profession. He tries to remain very optimistic about the future, but it is heartbreaking to see him sad and scared, knowing that his fate is in the hands of another person's generous gift of life. Having previously dealt with health challenges that included Gall Bladder surgery to remove the impacted organ from his Liver, an emergency Appendectomy, Kidney Stones, removal of a Pituitary tumor, Kidney failure and removal of a parathyroid adenoma, he is no stranger to medical adversity. He stayed strong and determined to recover each time. This battle with End Stage Liver Disease is a rollercoaster, emotionally and medically. He’s lost muscle tone and strength, has decreased stamina, and battles chronic fatigue and inflammation. He has had 11 Paracentesis procedures to drain accumulating fluid from his abdomen (Ascites), a TIPS procedure to bypass the liver, bouts of Hepatic Encephalopathy (delirium and diminished mental capacity caused by a buildup of ammonia when a damaged liver doesn’t remove toxins from the body) and a Portal Vein Thrombosis. A daily regimen of medications and dietary restrictions is necessary to maintain a delicate balance. All of this has impacted and limited Kevin’s ability to enjoy simple pleasures like a walk on the beach, a round of golf and at times, driving a car, which, if you know Kevin, was a big loss. Yet, each day he is focused on what he CAN accomplish. His immunocompromised status had required us to be extra vigilant in avoiding exposure to the coronavirus and had severely limited our ability to reconnect with friends and family when we re-located in the peak of the pandemic to our home in CT. Breakthroughs in treatment have eased the initial fear of the deadly virus and we have been blessed to be able to re-connect with friends and family without the initial fear of the deadly virus.

A living donor would help restore Kevin’s health before he declines any further and ensure that he can continue to interact and engage with family, friends and our community in a meaningful and significant way. Our newest passion is raising awareness for the value of Organ Donation by sharing his story in the hopes that more people will register their decision to be an Organ Donor.
I can’t even imagine life without him by my side. Most importantly we need Kevin’s healthy, strong and steady presence in every aspect of our lives. We still have so much parenting and GRANDparenting to do!!

At this point we have done all we can do, as myself and our children are not matches. Now we need to ask for your help and support on this journey to find a willing, matching donor, so that Kevin can enjoy the future that he has dreamed of and worked so hard towards. You can help us find his perfect match by sharing this information freely, asking those in your own network of family and friends to do so as well, and/or starting a living donor evaluation to determine your eligibility as a living donor for Kevin. As his journey progresses, we will post updates, relevant information, helpful resources and links via KEVIN'S JOURNEY TO LIVER TRANSPLANT Page on Facebook and Kevin's Journey to Liver Transplant on Instagram.

If you or someone you know, might be interested in learning more about Organ Donation and Living Donation on Kevin’s behalf, please contact the Yale-New Haven Transplantation Center @ 866-925-3897 or visit www.YNHH.org/OrganDonation
The Center for Living Organ Donation will provide information, guidance, resources and support without obligation.

Thank you for your interest and for taking the time to read Kevin’s story. We know his perfect match is out there somewhere… it could be you or anyone who hears his story!

Please share, share, share Kevin’s story. The broader the net we can cast, the greater the chance we have of saving Kevin’s Life! And in the interest of providing hope to the tens of thousands of people on the journey to transplant, please consider end of life organ donation and register your decision @ RegisterMe.org

#kevinsjourneytolivertransplant
#livertransplant
#donatelife
#bealivergiver
#weareTeamPrue
#thePrueCrew
#liverlifetothefullest

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