In 1988, while I was working in Denver, Colorado my appendix ruptured, which required emergency surgery and a blood transfusion. Unfortunately I later discovered the blood I received was tainted with hepatitis C. A search revealed many others in Denver in 1988 also contracted the deadly hepatitis C virus from blood transfusions.

The virus went un-detected for many years, in fact I had no clue that it was causing a severe case of cirrhosis of the liver until I started hemorrhaging. The reason I need a complete transplant is not only the damaged liver, but hepatitis C virus, in it's end stage can only be removed by replacing the liver.

Whether I make it in time or not I want you all to know I've got no complaints, I've had a good life. But if I'm fortunate enough to get the liver transplant it's gonna cost about $500,000 to pay for all the medical costs, before and after care, and it takes approximately a year to recover. Unfortunately the hospital said, my insurance didn't cover liver transplants. So it looks like I'm gonna need some financial help if I'm gonna live. I applied for Medi-Cal, under the disabled act several months ago, but was turned down.

Update: Debbie contacted the governors office and asked them what we should do, as we were turned down for Medi-Cal and I would die without a new liver. They transferred her to someone high up in the Medi-Cal department, who promptly informed her they do have to cover my liver transplant, that the first Medi-Cal employee had no business turning me down, because it's life threatening and not too many peope have an extra half a million dollars laying around. She did say that we still have to raise enough money to cover before and after costs that Medi-Cal doesn't cover, such as certain medicines, additional nursing care, travel, parking and basic living expenses, as I won't be able to work for about a year.

"All souls are mine sayeth the Lord" and when the silver chord parts our souls return to our Father who created them. So I'm not worried about dying, but it's that darned living that's so expensive. I asked my doctor to be brutally honest with me and tell it like it is and so he laid it on the line. "Either raise the money or die". In the meantime they can do some temporary patches and transfusions, but he was pretty adamant about the urgency in getting the show on the road as the clock is ticking.

At the end of July, 2007 I felt sick and coughed up 2/3 of my body's blood supply. Thank God my wife and son Gus, were with me. They called the ambulance and notified the hospital that I was bleeding to death. I got there in the nick of time and they were able to give me blood transfusions to hold me over for a few hours.

They then performed an emergency procedure called T.I.P.S., that re-routed my blood supply around the liver. They inserted a plastic tube that goes through my liver and my heart, up to my jugular vein so the main supply of blood by-passes my liver. This has kept me alive so far, however my doctor told me this would probably only last a few months to a year, as my liver will eventually develop cancer and end my life. This is why they call it "End stage liver cirrhosis" . 

It's already been almost a year. So if I want to live I better not let grass grow under my feet, get crackin and try to raise enough funds I'll need in order to have the transplant. That's why we're asking for your help. In truth, I'm not really worried about myself departing from this world, but it's my wife, children, grandchildren and other loved ones that want me to stay.

We also added a couple extra links for medical updates, pages that offer free recipes and I started putting together the greatest music hits of the 20th century. It's still a work in progress, as I've completed from 1894, to 1929, and some of the songs in the 30's, 40's and all of the 1960's, 70's, 80's and part of the 90's.

And of course we put what I consider to be the greatest work, "The King James Bible" in text and audio narration (in streaming audio) for those of you that want some words of true wisdom and comfort. 

We also secured the domain name www.newliver.org and forwarded it to this website because it's easier to remember and spell. We're hoping people will be able to tell their family, friends, and relatives to go to newliver.org or e-mail them the link to help us raise the rest of the funds.  

Thank you

May God bless you

Steve Gliksman 

                           steve@gift-fundprogram.org