It's time to make a Difference!!! IMPORTANT

[catalinaskiracer]

Dear Hot Boaters, as many of you know and have seen my
postings about my cousin, Mike McGookin and for those
of you that don't he suffering from Primary Sclerosing
Cholangitis or "PSC" a rare liver disease. Diagnosed
in 1995 and since 2003 he has been on the transplant
list through Kaiser here in California, The process
has been slow and tedious! Through research they found
a great hospital in Utah,
LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT
8th Ave and C Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84143
Mike McGookin's web site for update - www.caringbridge.com/visit/mikemcgookin
By moving there it put him very high on the donor list
and he has actually had his transplant! The insurance problem still exsits though.
Kaiser after 2 appeals have denied to pay for the
care and transplant surgery in Utah even though it
will happend faster there then in California. This
means they will have to pay for everything! This is
were you all come in! With the help of Rick & Jennifer
Lemmon from the Long Beach Boat & Ski Club we are
asking for donations of products or services which
will be raffled off at the 58th running of the Long
Beach to Catalina ski race during the ceremonies, all
proceeds will go to my cousin and family to help him
and his family with expenses. Rick Lemmone has
graciously said any one donating product or service can
hang 1 banner up at the race. Any one wishing to
donate any type pf product or service can contact
myself at mrgery7@yahoo.com or gsinnott@insyncla.com
or Luvlmon@aol.com for information on were to send
donations and more information.
Anyone wanting to just make a cash donation can do so at any Bank of America make it to the Mike McGookin Transplant Fund acct. #08676-41991
TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006 03:52 PM, CDT
Hello!
Mike has continued to do very well. He has become more "alive" each day! He has had a little more pain in the last day or so, but we're thinking it's gas from eating or his abdomen expanding from eating. He hasn't been too sleepy either which surprises us. A lot of the doctors have been by to see him today and are so impressed at his quick recovery. He has really grown to love the doctors and vice versa. No one has given us a time frame as to when Mike will be discharged but we are thinking by the end of the week. We would like to have him at home for Easter. We will just have to wait to see, we don't want to push it too much because that wouldn't be good for Mike.
Mike is really touched by all of your congratulations and heartfelt notes on the guestbook. He can't wait to see each of you in person. We love you!
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2006 01:40 PM, CDT
Hi There!
Mike has continued to recover amazingly well. He has had the entire hospital staff come by to check in on him & see if the talk in the hall is true, that he is doing so good! We went for a walk outside today to get him some fresh air and he loved it. After being in the hospital for 2 1/2 weeks he loved the sun on his face. It is very nice here, it's suppose to be 75 degrees today. The trees are all turning green and there are flowers blooming everywhere. It is beautiful.
They are saying he may go home on Friday or Saturday. He is getting stronger & stonger. Because he is taking such a high dose of immunosuppresants so he doesn't reject his new liver, he is very suscepatable to germs and illnesses. The doctors have told us that Mike should wait for 6-8 weeks to pass before he has any visitors at home. They will eventually bring the dosage of immunosuppresants down and he won't be as susceptable to germs then. We know this may sound like a lomg time before you can come to visit but we doon't want to jeaopardize Mike's health now. We have waited far too long for him to be healthy again.
Thank you for all your love. We are so blessed to have an amazing support group. I know you have made such a difference in Mike's willingness to fight. We love you with all our hearts.

[boater012]

I lived in utah for four years and the that hospital is run by the lds church! go talk to the hospital admistrator and ask them what they can do for your brother as far as the payment goes! the church was good about just picking up the tab for people that didnt have insurance! They have programs in place for exactly this type of thing! my.02 worth ans yes WAS mormon at the time so im sure that the church will do something for you!!!
p.s. im sorr to hear about what your brother is going through!

[Silver]

God Bless! Thinking of how I can help.................? :idea:

[pixilatedpussy]

Thoughts & Prayers!!!! I will be making a donation when I go to the bank for our shop next!!!! :p

[catalinaskiracer]

Thanks to all that have replied and donated! Please don't hesitate to contact me for any info or if you want to to donate anything to the raffle we will hold at the Catalina race. This is a very good cause! He's a an increadable guy!
Gery

[life's a river]

Hey Gery, shirts are on there way with Carl. Good luck this weekend (WIN WIN WIN) and try to avoid the rain drops. I hope the storm doesn't hit you guys too bad. Im in for Catalina as well. Just let me know what you need. If you need some help making a banner with fund raising info on it just let me know.
The prayers continue for Mike.
PK

[catalinaskiracer]

Paul, Thank you so much for the supporrt! I will do my best this weekend! Any help on Catalina weekend will be GREATLY appriciated! If you want to hang one of your banners at Catalina and include Mike on it I have the OK to do that! Any thing you can do to help the cause! Wish you were going this weekend we need to get you back into it. Maybe you can be navigator this with us if your game. Let me know, I would be honored! Take care if you any one who wants to donate to the raffel or just donate don't hesitate to call or e-mail!
Thanks again! this all means allot to my cousin! He is totally stocked!
Gery S.

[life's a river]

Paul, Thank you so much for the supporrt! I will do my best this weekend! Any help on Catalina weekend will be GREATLY appriciated! If you want to hang one of your banners at Catalina and include Mike on it I have the OK to do that! Any thing you can do to help the cause! Wish you were going this weekend we need to get you back into it. Maybe you can be navigator this with us if your game. Let me know, I would be honored! Take care if you any one who wants to donate to the raffel or just donate don't hesitate to call or e-mail!
Thanks again! this all means allot to my cousin! He is totally stocked!
Gery S.
Way to go Man! 1st place in both races. Awesome!
Are you talking about navigating for Catalina?
PK

[HavaTan]

Call my previous employer. The best "Insurance Bad Faith" lawyers in the country!!!
Shernoff, Bidart & Darras.
They are in Claremont, CA. They are known around the country and the world for sueing POS insurance companies who don't like to pay for treatments that you've been paying them to take care of.
Ask for Paul (he is the head of "intake") Tell him in his voicemail (you probably won't get him directly the 1st time) that I referred you (Michael Luther). I promise, if something can be done for him, they are the best to do it.
909.621.4935

[pixilatedpussy]

Hope all is well. Please Pm me if there is any more I can do to help. :p

[NorCal Gameshow]

I Have no Idea what you are going through... it looks like you have a lot of friends and family around you :cool: i'm headed to B'ofA' to drop some $ 's ...I'd like it to go towards a dinner out for you and you're family ....
enjoy the company of the ones you love...
i'm sorry if I didn't catch it ...is there a blood donor account we can donate to?...

[NorCal Gameshow]

it was amazingly easy to donate...

[catalinaskiracer]

To all! My cousin, family and I want to thank all that have responded and donated! He and is his family are truely touched as am I! A Quick update on Mike he has moved to number 1 on the donor list so now it's just a waiting until they find a suitable donor. We are all just waiting for the call. To Nor Cal to answer your question,yes there is a blood bank yopu can donate to as well I will get that info together and post it. Again I just want to thank all of you and hopefully maybe meeting you all one day so I can thankyou in person! Everyone take care and if there are any questions or I can help you all with anything please don't hesitate to e-mail me here or my regular e-mail from above.
Gery S.

[SHAKEN Not Stirred]

Great news Gery !!!! :)
Let Mike know that we're praying for him..... :)
See you at Elsinore.....
Later,
CJG
:rollside:

[catalinaskiracer]

Hey all, praying Mike is close to getting a liver! For those that haven't been to his web site here is the latest...wish it were better but I know in my heart I will be posting a better one soon...
Well we had a very rough evening. Mike was doing well during the day on Tuesday until they found a small amount of blood in his stool and thought they better do an EGD. They went in with the scope to be sure there was no bleeding in his esophagus. Everything looked good. The doctor was happy to see this. Then he decided they had better do a colonoscopy to be sure there was no bleeding there. It was off & on until this evening, then they decided to go ahead with it. They started just after 5pm and within 10 minutes the doctor didn't like what was happening. Mike was swelling up in his abdomen very quickly almost like a balloon. He thought he had put a tiny tear in the colon wall because is in such a fragile state. This would allow the air to escape into the abdomen and cause the swelling. Now they needed to take him into surgery to repair the tear. When the surgeon, Dr. Belnap, the transplant surgeon, went in he could not find a tear. Mike's colon was so weak, that as the air was put into him for the scope, the muscles were not able to hold the colon in its normal state. He is so weak in every way including his internal muscles. This air in his weak intestines made the intestines blow up like a balloon. They were happy to see that there wasn't a tear because this would have allowed infection in the abdomen. This of course is last thing he can have right now because they won't transplant while there is infection. He came out of the OR rather quickly and has been sedated. He will be sedated for the next day or so. This will not stop the transplant from taking place, in which we are so grateful. So if the liver comes in tonight or tomorrow they will transplant. This has been a very emotional, scary and hard time for us. We are so thankful to the Lord that this was not as bad as they thought and that it will not stop the transplant. Even though things are hard right now, very hard, we know it could be worse and we are counting our blessings. I truly know with all of my heart that the Lord is here with us watching over Mike and His healing hand is upon Mike. The liver will come for him and all will go well. This is certainly not what we had hoped for, but we will endure this storm with the Lord's amazing love. He has given us strength that I never thought we had and I am eternally grateful to Him. Please continue to pray that the donor becomes available very, very soon. We can feel your love, thank you. We love you and are so grateful to you. I will post again soon.
Read Journal
Thank you from myself and my cousin and family!

[pixilatedpussy]

Please keep us updated! Prayers continued!

[catalinaskiracer]

Mike had a good night and all of his labs have come back very good. Dr. Vanderwerf, the other transplant surgeon, came in just a little while ago, and told us everything looked great and it's the perfect time for transplant. He said he thinks this weekend! I was over joyed to hear him say this because he knows more about potential donors than anyone, besides the rest of the transplant team. I don't want to think more into this, but he sounded so sure, I just can't help to feel this way. When a patient becomes a donor it takes time to place the organs where they need to go and during this time the doctors are aware of what's going on and when things will come. This is why I feel this is it.
My parents will be here in a couple of hours, Mike's sister, Lisa is here and Mike's parents have been here for a couple days now. We are all here together and I feel this is the time it is suppose to happen.
I am so grateful to all of you for everything you have done. I know with your prayers this is going to come to pass. I feel so very blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. I am eternally grateful to the Lord for his love and blessings that are upon us. Our love goes out to all of you.

[RiverToysJas]

Awesome News Gery!!!! `Keep us posted. We're praying for Mike and the whole family!
Con made a deposit into Mike's account from a couple of us OP6'ers, it wasn't much in the scope of the bills he's looking at, I wish we could have given more but I know every little bit helps.
RTJas :D

[catalinaskiracer]

Here the latest...unfortunatlly it's not what we wanted. Mike will stay in the hospital until a liver comes. He is hanging in there! My quote of the day, "waiting sucks!" He is an increadable person and you will all see that when you meet him!
From his web site & His wife...
Well, we are still waiting. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post this. Every time I have signed in it has not pulled up the page or it would kick me off. There really isn't anything new to tell you. We are still hopeful that the donor will be here any minute. Every time the doctor walks through the door we're hopeful. It's torture.
They are still doing dialysis to help the kidneys. With all the fluids they have been giving him he got very bloated. With the dialysis they are able to pull fluid off of him. They have taken approx 20 liters off in the last 2 days. That is about 45 pounds. You can't imagine how bloated he was. He is very thin now, too thin. His vitals are stable, his heart rate is strong and he is still sedated. He is a fighter. He just needs a liver.
Please continue to pray for him. More than anything we need your prayers. We know the Lord is hearing them and will continue to bless us. The perfect liver just hasn't come yet. I know with all of my being that Michael will get his new liver, I just want it to be now. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for your love.

[catalinaskiracer]

I just got off the phone with Lisa, Mike's sister, I wish i had something better to tell but I don't my heart hurts! Mike is back in surgery and not fo r what we all hoped, they are closing him up tonight from his surgery last Tuesday. Unfortunately they found signs of infection. They are treating him with very strong antibiotics but as long as there is infection present he is off the list. I will keep you all updated as I find out things. Again Thank you all for your love and support!
Gery S.

[Jen]

He is in our prayers.
Jen

[pixilatedpussy]

I just got off the phone with Lisa, Mike's sister, I wish i had something better to tell but I don't my heart hurts! Mike is back in surgery and not fo r what we all hoped, they are closing him up tonight from his surgery last Tuesday. Unfortunately they found signs of infection. They are treating him with very strong antibiotics but as long as there is infection present he is off the list. I will keep you all updated as I find out things. Again Thank you all for your love and support!
Gery S.
Oh Gery I am so sorry hun. Prayers continued! He is strong, he will pull thru! :rollside:

[SHAKEN Not Stirred]

Hang in there Gery....
We're all praying for him.....
CJG
:)

[catalinaskiracer]

All, I just again got off the phone with Lisa, Mike's sister and he is back on the list and still number 1! He came through surgery fine! So that was all good news! So we're back praying for that liver to show up! That's all I have for now but I will keep you all updated as I hear things. Hopefully my next update will be that Mike is in surgery getting his transplant! Thanks again to all for all the prayers and support!
Gery S.

[catalinaskiracer]

Mike is finally awake after 5 days of being sedated. He is a little confused, but doing really well. He is an amazing man. He has such determination to fight this and not let it get the best of him. His vitals are great and his spirits are good. He was disappointed that he did not get the liver yet. It was hard to tell him that. We know it will be any day. He is still #1 on the list for the "O" patients and ready to get it.
They took him off the 24 hour dialysis and now they are doing it 3 hours everyday. This will help him when his kidneys are not working as good but still give them a chance to do their job and get stronger.
He is not able to have anything by mouth yet and that is killing him. You can only imagine how dry his mouth must be after not eating or drinking for a week. He is begging for a Mtn. Dew Slirppee One of his favorites.
It has been wonderful to see him coming back to his old self, as best as he can. He is driving the nurses crazy but of course he has them wrapped around his little finger. They all love him and give into him too easy. That's just the kind of guy Mike is...everyone loves him. I know you all know that.
We continue to pray that Mike will stay strong and healthy until the liver comes and that time will come quickly. Mike has enjoyed me reading the entries in the guestbook that he missed over the last few days, thank you for your sweet words. We love you and are so grateful we have your love and support to strengthen us.
We all wait and pray for that liver...Thanks again to all for all your thoughts and prayers! From Mike, his entire family and me!

[Hardly Satisfied]

Gery, I am so sorry to hear about your cousin. Mike and his family will be in our prayers. Gery, you will also be in our prayers as you can tell how much this is hurting you. Mike must be a wonderful person and is obviously very loved by everyone who knows him. I know we will be able to meet him someday and my family will look forward to that. Hardly satisfied's better half.

[catalinaskiracer]

Hardly satisfied's better half, thank youfor the thoughts and prayers! Your right he is a very special man! Hopefully one day I will be just like him! He means the world to me. He and his family! Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers! I hope we can all eat tacos together one day! He love's tacos & barritos. Del Taco in Lenwood just outside of Barstow! One of his favorites! I'm taking him there when he is well enough to travel!
Gery S.

[catalinaskiracer]

WE GOT THE CALL!!!!!!!!!!
The call to let us know the liver is for Mike has finally come!!! Last night around 6:30pm the coordinator called Mike's room and we both listened as they told us they had a potential "O" liver that would be Mike's if it was healthy enough when it is harvested. We were so happy. The Lord answered our prayers like we knew He would. The transplant team harvested the liver at Univ. of Utah at 6:00am and called us just before 7:00am to let us know it was perfect!!! Mike was finally excited, really excited! He smiled bigger than I have seen in months. The look on his face was wonderful. He raised his arms in the air and celebrated! He even did a little "happy dance". We went down to surgery with him and gave our final kisses at 7:25am. He will be in surgery for many hours. They say anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. I know he will be so strong during this surgery and will fight like he has the past 2 weeks. I am amazed at his strength through all of this. He is an amazing man! I will update through out the day as I get an update from the surgeons. It will be continued at the bottom of this update so scroll down for new info at the bottom.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you have done to help us get to this day. Your prayers have been heard, I have no doubt and the Lord loves each of us. We feel of His love constantly. We love you.
We talked to the nurse a couple of times this morning....I couldn't get the site to update....sorry. She called at 9:15am & said all of lines were in & they were just starting surgery. She called again at 11:05am and said everything was going very well. He had to receive some blood, which is normal. They are still getting his liver out and the donor liver had just arrived. Please continue to pray that all will go well today. I'll update again soon!
We just talked to the nurse and she said everything looks great! The old liver is out and the new liver is in. All of the vessels are hooked up and once that is done Mike is in the clear. The surgeon took a break and then went back in to hook up the biliary vessels. They said it will take another hour and a half to finish up! We are thrilled! We know the Lord was there with Mike watching over him during this time and we are eternally grateful for his magnificent love. We love you all!
5:15pm - He's done!!!! He's doing great!!! The surgeon just came in and said the new liver is working perfectly!! He did say it was a difficult surgery but Mike pulled through with amazing strength. He said his liver was in very bad shape and the recovery will be slow. I think Mike will surprise them! He will go back to the ICU and will be there for a couple of days. We have so much to be grateful for and we know Heavenly Father has blessed us with a miracle. We love you!!!!
All we are still running the raffel at Catalina all info on the original posting!!
Thanks to all who kept Mike in your thoughts and prayers!! It payed off!!

[RiverToysJas]

RIGHT-ON!!!! Awesome news Gery!!!!
Now the new liver is in, how long until he's back to normal? (I don't know how these things work)
RTJas :D

[Totally IncapASSitated]

Great news....I wish Mike the best for a speedy recovery and to be back on his feet soon!!!!

[Rexone]

That's great news Gery.

[catalinaskiracer]

Mike, thank you! I can't tell you how great today was! Also a big THANKS for the lifesariver.com T-Shirts in your store to continue to help raise money for Mike's fund. I don't know if you ever meet him but regaurdless when he comes home I am going to bring him over! He is an INCREADABLE PERSON! I don't think I could have went through what he did. Again I can't express my gratitude for all the help!
Thanks again!
Gery S.

[pixilatedpussy]

SUPER NEWS!!!!! :p :p

[Holland]

Excellent.... I am very glad to hear that he pulled thru!!!!! My families thoughts and prayers are with them still.
The Hollands...

[OGShocker]

Update please!!!

[catalinaskiracer]

THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2006 01:40 PM, CDT
Hi There!
Mike has continued to recover amazingly well. He has had the entire hospital staff come by to check in on him & see if the talk in the hall is true, that he is doing so good! We went for a walk outside today to get him some fresh air and he loved it. After being in the hospital for 2 1/2 weeks he loved the sun on his face. It is very nice here, it's suppose to be 75 degrees today. The trees are all turning green and there are flowers blooming everywhere. It is beautiful.
They are saying he may go home on Friday or Saturday. He is getting stronger & stronger Because he is taking such a high dose of immunosuppresants so he doesn't reject his new liver, he is very susceptible to germs and illnesses. The doctors have told us that Mike should wait for 6-8 weeks to pass before he has any visitors at home. They will eventually bring the dosage of immunosuppresants down and he won't be as susceptible to germs then. We know this may sound like a long time before you can come to visit but we don't want to jeopardize Mike's health now. We have waited far too long for him to be healthy again.
Thank you for all your love. We are so blessed to have an amazing support group. I know you have made such a difference in Mike's willingness to fight. We love you with all our hearts.
FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2006 10:22 PM, CDT
Mike is home!!!
The doctors said Mike needed to go home and get some rest because they don't leave him alone in the hospital! Little do the doctors know, he has three little doctors of his own wanting to be with him every second. Then there's his two nieces that are also happy to see him! He is feeling so good and as we speak he is downing a Mtn. Dew slurpee! Happy as can be!
Mike is still feeling really good and it is so much fun to have him home! He is so talkative and a part of our lives again. He is planning all kinds of things with the kids. They are so excited to have him home and back to his normal fun, crazy self. We are loving it! They are reminiscing about all the fun times we have had.
We wish we could be with you too. I know how anxious you must be to see the new Mike! We miss all of you and are send our love.
I have added a couple new photos so if you would like to view them click on "See All Photos" under the picture of Mike