Connellsville woman no longer in need of liver transplant
The mother of a Connellsville woman hospitalized in Arizona last week after a hiking mishap is rejoicing, as her daughter no longer needs a liver transplant.
Rhonda Rowan said Wednesday that her daughter, Rebecca Rowan, remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Banner UMC in Tucson, with numerous metabolic issues that are slowly resolving on their own. While her liver function has improved, her kidneys are not functioning, so a kidney transplant is still a possibility.
“We want to be very careful about what we say because we don’t want to jinx anything, but with God’s amazing grace and an absolute miracle, her liver seems to be regenerating,” Rhonda said in a statement. “The liver transplant doctors are now telling us that, at this point, is off the table.”
Rhonda said Rebecca is starting to wake up and follow commands, such as squeezing family members’ fingers and nodding “yes” or “no.”
“We are hopeful that she can be taken off the ventilator within the next five days or so,” Rhonda said.
On July 12, Rebecca and her brother, Andrew, were hiking near Tucson when they ran out of water and accidentally wandered off the trail. They became confused due to heat exhaustion and dehydration. While Andrew was treated and has since recovered, Rebecca fell unconscious and was taken to Banner UMC. Doctors said she would need a double organ transplant to replace her damaged liver and kidneys.
Since Rebecca’s insurance lapsed earlier this year, the hospital couldn’t place her on an organ transplant list without either insurance or cash on hand. The family took to the internet, setting a $750,000 goal on the fundraising platform, GoFundMe, but, as of Wednesday, the situation had changed.
In addition to her liver regenerating, the family learned that Rebecca had been approved for insurance from a few “amazing people” who had come to Rebecca’s aid.
As of Wednesday afternoon, they had raised $104,420 in four days.
Rebecca’s aunt, Norma Miller of Connellsville, said because Rebecca will still have many medical expenses, a spaghetti dinner fundraiser is still planned for 4 p.m. Sunday, July 25, at Vanderbilt United Methodist Church, Route 201, Vanderbilt. Dinner is $7 and is available for dine-in or take-out.
Rhonda said, because of the latest developments, the family is going to drop the $750,000 goal on the GoFundMe page, and the money raised there will go toward future medical expenses for Rebecca; any remaining money will be used to set up a charity fund for someone else in a similar situation as Rebecca.
Rhonda thanked everyone for their time, effort, and generosity shown to her daughter in the past five days.
“Never have we seen people mobilize so quickly, so passionately and so lovingly for another human being, and it humbles us,” Rhonda said, adding her thanks for the doctors and nurses at Banner UMC. “We have never encountered a more wonderful, caring group of professionals in our lives.”
Rhonda added that the family’s next tentative goal is to transport Rebecca back to Pennsylvania, but the doctors said it may be a while before she is stable enough to be moved.
Checks for the charity account for Rebecca can be made payable to “Save Rebecca” and either dropped off at Somerset Trust Company, Crawford Avenue, Connellsville, or mailed to Norma Miller, 422 Hickory Square Road, Connellsville, Pa., 15425.