My name is Carolyn Mercer, and I am Mitch’s partner.

Some of you know, we started our little family on October 13, 2021 at 10:46pm, and we are very proud and excited to welcome little Hudson into our lives. He is such a blessing. Bringing our little bundle of joy into our lives has been a very rewarding experience for us, however it is one that will be challenging as the months go by…

Sadly, and so unfortunately, Mitch is in end-life-stage liver failure, which means his health condition is quite serious, and deteriorating quickly. In fact, he was released from the hospital just this March 3, 2022 with a White Blood Cell (WBC) count of 0.4 K/uL and is severely immunosuppressed, he can’t leave the house. Note: The normal range for WBC is 5 to 10 K/uL. Currently, he has a WBC count of 0.2 K/uL which is virtually non-existent!

This makes it very challenging to maintain any sort of work/life balance. With liver failure comes severe ascites, aka fluid build up in the abdomen which is critically prone to cause a septic infection, and lead to death in a matter of hours. (he was drained 13 Liters from his stomach just this week).  His kidneys, which serve the function of filtering wastes and excess fluids from the blood, are hard hit and nearing end-stage-life renal failure. When your kidneys lose their filtering abilities, dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes and wastes can build up in your body.

These two complications alone cause Mitch a lot of confusion, depression, irritability, dizziness, and makes it difficult for him to focus because of an accumulation of ammonia in his system. This additional complication is called hepatic encephalopathy, a neurological (nervous system) disorder due to the disease.

I’m scratching the surface really, additional issues he’s facing daily are severe, knife-like abdominal pain, Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia (GAVE) which is bleeding of the stomach, aka “Watermelon Stomach,” days without eating, days in bed sleeping, and the list goes on. It breaks our hearts to know that he could spend most of his time left in the hospital ☹

When speaking with the doctors, they said that although he is on the liver transplant list, he has a long while to wait. Unfortunately, Transplant Canada takes into account one score, the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) to determine the severity of the condition, and his immediate specialists have acknowledged that the protocol should go beyond and consider age, and date of his first diagnosis among other things. He was diagnosed with stage-2 liver disease at the young age of 32 years.

The MELD score measures 4 things; Bilirubin(mg/dL), Serum Sodium(mEq/L), INR, and Serum Creatinine(mg/dL), all of which are controlled under medication. It doesn’t seem fair, but it’s a reality that we must face every passing day. His doctor’s have acknowledged that, while there’s a critical need for a liver transplantation, higher scores take priority on the list.

His liver specialist has urged Mitch to seek a living donor which he is submitting to the idea, finally. We are all very concerned for Mitch, including his loved ones, his loving family, and best friends that he never stops talking about in fond ways.  He is now in stage-4 and life expectancy is 6-12 months, and although he’s got his things sorted already, it’s really hitting home for him now.

I am not a match due to blood type, and we have had two other angels come forward with the same outcome. Age, blood type, size of the liver, and mental capacity are factors considered when matching the donating person and liver.

When a liver is donated, a small portion is removed, and prepared separately for the immediate implantation in the host body. What’s really fascinating is the liver is the only organ in the system that regenerates itself fully in just 4 to 6 weeks. The donor is usually walking around feeling good the next day – They would stay under watch for a week, and back to work in some case, in 2 or 3 weeks.  It’s important to note that with every surgery, even a day surgery, there is always a risk, however the risk is low in the donor, in comparison to the host. Mitch would have to be hospitalized long term, between 3-4 months for rejection risks, monitoring, and rehabilitation.

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If you are interested in learning more about become a potential donor, Mitch has given all of us permission, and his full support, to share this information with you, and amongst the family.

Should you be inclined to consider a donation, please reach out to Mitch’s immediate family, and we will provide you with some information that will help you, make the proper decision, for you. The hospital will determine if you are an appropriate match as well and have final say.

It’s important to note that the first marker that must be considered as a donor is your blood type. If you are type “O,” you could be the perfect match for Mitch <3

Mitch adds:

“This is a very emotional time for me.  I never meant to let it get to this. I realize that asking for a piece of your beautiful flesh-soul is a lot, but asking for you to go out of your way, especially incurring expenses is unacceptable in my view. For this reason your expenses such travel, accommodations, and time off will be covered by me. You all deserve the real Mitch back…! Here’s a photo of my family. I’m so lucky to have them in my life, I love you so much 😊. God bless you all.”

I want to express my sincere gratitude for having read until the end.  If you would like to help in other ways, have any questions, or want to speak to Mitch or see him, please feel free to reach to the immediate family and we’ll make arrangements.

“Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.” – Hippocrates

Mitch, Carolyn, and baby Hudson.