I’m Oliver. My dad saved me and now it’s my turn to help save him!

My dad is a great dad! He adopted me in 2017 and I adore him.

So how did all of this happen?

My dad woke up one morning with some severe stomach pains. It wouldn’t go away, so he finally decided to go to the hospital to get it checked out. The doctors diagnosed him with pancreatitis. Upon further investigation, the doctors found the cause of the pancreatitis to be from a direct side effect of taking Ozempic, which was prescribed to him for his diabetes.

While in the hospital, getting treatment for the pancreatitis, his blood panel came back with some alarming numbers which was cause for concern. A nephrologist was then added to his care team. Dad’s nephrologist continued to monitor his creatinine levels, but expressed concern as it was not decreasing as he had hoped it would.

Flash forward to March, my dad felt like he couldn’t breathe properly. He happened to have a follow up appointment with his nephrologist and when he arrived, his blood pressure had skyrocketed. So much so, his doctor sent him immediately to the emergency department. After a chest x-ray, it was clear that dad had fluids built up in his lungs, causing the difficulty breathing. They treated him to remove as much fluids as possible and shortly after, surgically added a catheter so he could begin peritoneal dialysis.

Dad recently met with the transplant team at Duke University Hospital. Since he is an A+ blood type, he was told his wait time on the transplant list can vary from 3-5 years. The transplant team are advocates for getting a live donor, so that’s where I’m coming in. I’m hoping that my adorableness will help find my dad a live donor.