Darrell's Transplant Journey

Update: 4/15/22 12:00am
Darrell had a great relaxing day. Feeling good!! Hung out with Chris and let me get out & about for a couple of hours. A beautiful day & so thankful for my husband to be here with me & all that he does. He was feeling so good Dinner 🍽 was made by ChefboyarDarrell 🤣 Tomorrow Mike will be back to take over care & Chris & I will be going home 🏡 I can’t wait to see all my babies & family. 13 days away from them & home feels like forever.

Melissa

Update:4/14/22 9:45
Very full day today. Lab & clinic visit this morning hoping to be discharged to home, but they decided to keep him through the weekend & do one more appointment Monday. They want to be sure they have good, accurate numbers since some of his meds were tweaked while in the hospital. Not what we were hoping for but we are ok with it if it keeps him safe & healthy!
Sooo when the patient asks to go eat Mexican & take him to the beach for a photo that’s what we do. It was beautiful even for only the few minutes we were there. Got some advice from his surgeon to hopefully help sleep!!!!
So very grateful to have a husband that drops everything, drives 3 hours, and is here with me so mom could get home. And for my amazing daughter for making the 3 hour drive here, picking up mom & riding 3 hours right back. Also for his boss who always says family first! Family is everything & we have an amazing one!!!!!!
Love my shirt 🙏🏻🙌🏻
Melissa

Update:4/13/22 6:00pm
Darrell has been discharged from the hospital & we are back at the house in Charleston. Still no answers as to what happened. Every test had great results & showed no signs of anything out of the ordinary. He has a follow up lab/clinic appointment first thing tomorrow. If everything looks good we will be heading HOME 🏡
It’s been quite the roller coaster the past week & we could all use some wonderful, uninterrupted sleep in our own beds. He has been quite the stubborn patient lately so praying we can get him settled & into a new routine that works better!

Melissa

Update:4/12/22 10:00pm
Darrell remains in the hospital while they continue to look for anything that could be causing the changes he is experiencing. So far all tests & labs are looking great. Doctors are discussing adjusting medications. As you can imagine his daily regimen is filled with many different meds & strict diet. He’s being a bit stubborn & needs some much needed sleep. He loves to hear from friends & family but I would ask to maybe give him a bit before calling. Trying desperately to keep him calm, cooperative, & rested.

Thank you as always for your support!!!
Melissa

Prayers please!!!

Update: 4/11/22 11:45pm
Pictures are from yesterday which was a wonderful day for us all!! Mom & I cooked a big breakfast for everyone, reminisced & laughed a lot, Mike & Maryion took Darrell to the market & out for lunch. We figured he would be worn out but nope. We ate dinner & had a nice mile long stroll, tv for a bit then off to bed. Unfortunately things took a very strange turn overnight.

We got up early for his morning lab draw & clinic visit (expecting to get the all clear to go back home to Augusta). We noticed his behavior was completely off & it continued to decline as we made it to his appointments. Once in the clinic where he sees his excellent transplant team, they immediately called everyone in to evaluate him. As of now all labs & tests have been normal. He has been admitted at least overnight to try & get a diagnosis. He is very agitated, upset, & does not remember what happened today but he seemed a bit better before we left. Praying he gets some much needed good sleep & will update tomorrow. As always prayers are needed & very much appreciated!

Melissa

Update: 4/9/22 9:30pm
Sorry for delayed updates, we’ve been busier than usual the past couple of days. A little hiccup with his kidneys calling for a very lengthy dialysis trip. This combined with some unkind side effects of meds, lack of sleep, & a good bit of pain has left him feeling weak & drained. We are trying to stay on top of his pain management, diet, activity, etc. Normally he handles most everything himself & we are just his roomies 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣. He had very welcomed visitors from his brother Mike & fiancé. They took him out for dinner & now he is ready to rest. Praying for a much better day tomorrow & from here on out!!! If you know Darrell you know he likes to go go go & do it all. He’s having to learn to take it easy. Prayers for strength, potassium levels to come down, & patience while his body heals 🙏🏻

Beautiful views from the clinic & some behind the scenes check up pics. It’s not always sunshine & roses but he is here for it, grateful, & determined!!
Melissa

Update: 4/05/22 9:15pm
While we sit here waiting for this massive storm ☔️ to pass, I’ll take a few minutes to tell you about our day.
We started with breakfast on the front deck, the fresh air & light breeze felt amazing. Before we could clear the dishes Darrell was waiting for mom & me to go on our morning walk. Since we brought his tennis shoes 👟 yesterday he’s been raring to go. We had a nice stroll last night as well. We walked a mile & enjoyed seeing some beautiful Charleston houses & landscaping which he asked me to share with you. We had a little downtime 💤, lunch 🥗, lots of laughs, dinner, & watching some tv 📺 together. All in all a great relaxing 😌 day! He continues to improve daily & working to strengthen his body again. He is doing amazing!!! Thank you for praying & following him during this journey!!
Melissa

We are off!!

Prayer requests:
*Traveling mercies for mom & I as we go down for the week to give Amanda MUCH needed time at home & with the kiddos.
*Prayers for a cooperative, healthy patient!!
*Amanda to have a wonderful/relaxing week with kids & safe travels home & back.

4/4/22-
Darrell was admitted to the hospital yesterday with abdominal pain. They have determined it to be benign in nature and we are awaiting discharge. He will need to continue taking the stronger pain medicine they gave him and not try to wean himself as he has been. In his mind, he could run a marathon because he feels so much better but in reality he still has much physical healing to do. Those that know Darrell are aware that patience is not one of his strongest qualities!

Thank you again for your love and support!

Amanda

God is so good!!!

Good morning from beautiful Charleston, SC! Enjoying a high protein breakfast on the porch. Darrell has had a couple of really good days. Labs and clinic visits went very well. No additional dialysis needed so far. He is getting into the routine of taking about 14 medicines plus insulin at different times throughout the day. This med regime is not for the faint of heart! Thanks to a few tweaks and additions, he is finally able to get some much needed sleep. A Home Health nurse comes and sees him every day and feels as though he will likely be able to return to Augusta sooner than anticipated because he is doing so well. Praise God!

Please keep the prayers coming! We feel them!

Amanda

Good morning from beautiful Charleston, SC! Enjoying a high protein breakfast on the porch. Darrell has had a couple of really good days. Labs and clinic visits went very well. No additional dialysis needed so far. He is getting into the routine of taking about 14 medicines plus insulin at different times throughout the day. This med regime is not for the faint of heart! Thanks to a few tweaks and additions, he is finally able to get some much needed sleep. A Home Health nurse comes and sees him every day and feels as though he will likely be able to return to Augusta sooner than anticipated because he is doing so well. Praise God!

Please keep the prayers coming! We feel them!

Amanda

Mom, the kids & I Absolutely loved being able to see this handsome fellow & the progress he has made in such a short time. The kids made him pictures & cards & mom & I had lots of laughs with him & got to walk the hall with him. Lots of smiles & good spirits 🙌 He is rocking & rolling!!
Love,
Aunt Beverly, Melissa, Delaney, Levi ♥️

3/27/22, 1600-

Walk around the halls ✅
Ditched the hospital gown ✅
Ate broth and a popsicle ✅
Accidentally pulled out an IV ✅

It’s been a great Sunday! Praising God for all of his grace and goodness!! Thank you for all of the prayers that have been sent up on Darrell’s behalf. He has felt them all and is so thankful!

Kidneys continue to be an issue but the team is still very confident that this is just a small bump in the road and assure us that it is not uncommon for them to need a little help getting back on track.

Darrell enjoyed visits from his aunt and cousins this weekend, who are all thrilled with his progress. We anticipate lots of post-op education in the coming days in preparation for discharge from the hospital, hopefully later this week.

Thanks, as always, for following and keeping Darrell in your thoughts and prayers!

Much love,
Amanda

If anyone would like to send a card to Darrell here is the best temporary address. Will update when this changes.

Courtyard by Marriott
Attention: Amanda Bell
35 Lockwood Dr. Charleston, SC 29401

So glad we can be here!!!

3/26/22 9:30pm

Progress 👏 Progress 👏 Progress 👏 NG tube removed, Picc line removed, minimal pain, sitting up for a few hours a day, incision healing well, raring to go & work on getting stronger but taking it nice & easy and listening to the doctors. They did decide to give those kidneys a kick with dialysis. He wasn’t thrilled but did pretty good 😬 Forgot to take a picture but mom & I will be back up there in the morning. He is in good spirits & laughing a lot 💙 Will update again in the morning. Keep those prayers coming!!! He feels them 🙏🏻

Melissa

Looking good 👍 😊 💙 Love him!

Prayers for a safe trip as mom & I (Beverly & Melissa) travel to Charleston to see Darrell & take the kiddos to see their mom as she cares for him.

Come on kidneys. Man is he looking good 😍😍

3/25/22, 0900-

Looking great this morning, as you can see! Liver is functioning beautifully! Now for the not so good news- his kidneys are a different story. They’re feelings are still hurt and his numbers continue to trending in an unfavorable direction. The plan is to exchange one of his lines for a dialysis catheter this morning in the event they decide to dialyze over the weekend.

Please pray for his kidneys to rebound so that dialysis is not needed or if it is that it is only a temporary measure. Thank you everyone!

Much Love,
Amanda

3/25/22, 0900-

Looking great this morning, as you can see! Liver is functioning beautifully! Now for the not so good news- his kidneys are a different story. They’re feelings are still hurt and his numbers continue to trending in an unfavorable direction. The plan is to exchange one of his lines for a dialysis catheter this morning in the event they decide to dialyze over the weekend.

Please pray for his kidneys to rebound so that dialysis is not needed or if it is that it is only a temporary measure. Thank you everyone!

Much Love,
Amanda

3/24/22, 10:30pm-

Liver seems to be working beautifully! Numbers are trending in the right direction. All of the vessels/ducts are open and flowing as they should, per ultrasound. Now for his kidneys to get with the program! Again, not that uncommon for them to take a bit to perk up after transplant. Darrell’s kidneys seem to be extra sensitive and like to hold a grudge! I could run with that but why kick a man while he’s down, right?!! Seriously though, there are no plans to do anything like dialysis at this point. I receive immediate notifications whenever new labs post to his chart so I can keep a close eye on those, as well. Makes me feel so much better to be able to see those myself!

Thank you everyone for the kind words and prayers! Please keep them coming.

Much Love,
Amanda- Darrell’s cousin, personal nurse, Uber, one filling your feed with Facebook updates, etc etc!

**Update- 11:09**

Darrell is off the ventilator!! He is awake, extremely alert and oh so grateful!! His color is great and he is more lucid than he has been in months! They are watching his kidney function closely. They aren’t too happy with the low bp that he’s had for a while now. Hopefully they’ll start to bounce back. Darrell is ready to walk the halls he says!

Thank you everyone for the prayers and love! We know there has been an army of prayer warriors lifting him up! PRAISE GOD!

https://gofund.me/034868a7

Darrell's Transplant Journey, organized by Amanda Bell Hi, my name is Amanda Bell, and I am fundraising for my cousin, Darrell Todd. He is a 57-ye… Amanda Bell needs your support for Darrell's Transplant Journey

🙏🏻

Sorry for the lack of updates. I (Amanda) have been 9 rounds with a stomach bug today.

Darrell is doing ok. They are weaning him off of his sedation and will try to remove the breathing tube this evening. He is on 2 medications to keep his bp up but they’ve been able to back off on that some, as well. His liver numbers are elevated but sometimes that happens post-op. I’ll get another update tonight and will post if anything changes.

God is so good!!!

**Update- 4:15am**

Surgery is complete. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!! Transplant surgeon said this was a very complicated case but Darrell did well. He is still on the ventilator for precautionary reasons but hope to remove the breathing tube later this morning. Darrell is at increased risk for developing complications due to new vessel and duct connections that had to be made to the liver. The surgeon was very pleased with flow in and out of the liver at the conclusion. He says now it is a balancing act to keep his blood thin enough that he doesn’t make clots within the veins but not too thin that there are bleeding issues. They are obviously monitoring him closely in ICU.

Thank you to everyone that is following. Please keep lifting and covering Darrell in prayer! Specific prayer needs are that he will remain stable, coag balance will be achieved and maintained, all of the new connections would remain free of leaks, his liver and kidney would remain perfused, and that healing would not only begin but exceed all expectations!

**Update- 10:22pm**

Surgery began around 8:30pm. The team is working to remove Darrell’s diseased liver. His vital signs are stable and things are going well. Next update in approximately 2 hours.

**Update- 7:37pm**

Darrell just went back to the OR! He is in good spirits. Thank you to everyone who has and is continuing to pray for him! Please keep them coming. They will be calling to give updates every 2 hours so I will post as I receive. The first hour or two will be spent getting him sedated and lines placed.

**Update- 6:21pm**
Made it down to the holding area. Hopefully it won’t be too long now.

Update- 1:38pm

Darrell’s INR (clotting) is very, very elevated presently because of the blood thinner that he takes. They are giving him meds to reverse it. If these don't work, they'll have to give him a platelet infusion. They have to fix him first before they can move forward with the organ. This can be fixed, it just causes delays. Please pray that his INR comes down soon. They will recheck it in 1 hour.

** 3-22-22, A GREAT DAY FOR A LIVER!!**
We received the call about 4:30 this morning stating that the transplant surgeon had accepted a liver offer for Darrell. We have made it to MUSC and he is undergoing pre-op and treatment. They have to make sure that he is still healthy and stable to undergo surgery. Once this work-up is complete and he is cleared to proceed, the donor hospital will begin the procurement process. The staff has told us not to anticipate any updates on organ status until at least 2pm. I will update as news is received.

Please, please pray for Darrell, the donor’s family and the entire process, as well as everyone involved in his care. Darrell is calm and is only mildly anxious at this time with the surgery. We ask that God would continue to provide comfort and peace that only comes through Him.

Darrell's Transplant Journey, organized by Amanda Bell Hi, my name is Amanda Bell, and I am fundraising for my cousin, Darrell Todd. He is a 57-ye… Amanda Bell needs your support for Darrell's Transplant Journey