Timothy “Reid” Gray was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC) in June of 2014, just a few months after marrying Abby. At the time, the prognosis was that some day Reid might need a liver transplant. And some day he might develop cancer, as his odds were significantly increased with both diseases.
Today he is listed for a liver transplant in Houston as well as Indianapolis, and his doctor strongly believes he has cholangiocarcinoma, a very serious and deadly cancer in the bile ducts of the liver. Tests have all been negative for cancer, but they know this particular cancer is very hard to detect and his doctor still believes it is present. Those “maybe’s” have turned into “definitely’s”, and he and his wife, family, and friends are fighting to get Reid the life saving transplant he needs.
Due to his disease being in the bile ducts of his liver, Reid’s MELD (Model for End-Liver Disease) score is very low and he is not high on the transplant list. If they were to wait for a new liver, it is likely the potential cancer would spread and make him ineligible for transplant or force him to wait longer as he undergoes chemo and radiation.
How Can I Help?
Reid has recently been listed with a living donor program, in Cleveland, but have been told by his doctors that a living donor is not the best option for Reid due to the nature of his disease. They have already tested two potential donor, who were not complete matches, and now they are working on getting a third potential donor to Cleveland to be tested. As you can imagine, the process is very time consuming and costly. This has forced them to make a very tough request of family and friends. The ideal situation for Reid would be to have a deceased donor transplant (more explained here), and it would likely need to be a directed donor. If you know of anyone suffering through the unfortunate situation of having to say goodbye to a loved one, specifically in the Houston or Indianapolis area, they can make a direct liver donation to Reid. The details are below, and we appreciate your helping us spread the word. Our heart breaks for any family that would be making this tough decision. We hope that by being able to save someone else’s life, it makes a super difficult situation just a tiny bit easier.
If faced with this situation:
- Ask to speak to the “Life Gift” representative at the hospital.
- Let them know you’d like to make a “direct liver donation” to Timothy Reid Gray, DOB: 3-10-86
- In Houston, their transplant center is Houston Methodist
- In Indianapolis, their transplant center is IU Hospital
- Donor must be type A or type O blood, as Reid is type A
- Reid is 6’8″ and 215 pounds, but the transplant team will make the evaluation based on size and determine whether it may be a match
We can’t say enough how much we appreciate you visiting this site, and taking the time to share our story. We are hopeful that a miracle will come our way, and appreciate your help in making that happen. If you are interested in more ways of helping, you can check out our “How can I help?” page.