LONG-TERM HOUSING
Dear Friend of Shands,
I remember the despair and stunned sensation when I heard a doctor at a prominent Florida medical center tell me these words in 2003.
"You don't have much longer to live. You should get your business in order." My wife Pat said, "That we are going to need to get a second opinion."
Getting a second opinion from the University of Florida physicians at Shands at UF saved my life. I learned I had a condition called hemochromatosis, which is marked by iron build up in the liver. For five years prior to that diagnosis, I had been misdiagnosed with leukemia. At Shands, I learned that I was going to need a liver transplant. It is now 2010 and I am alive, healthy and happy. I have the medical staff at Shands and UF physicians to thank for it. However, my journey was not easy, and it left an indelible mark on me that I want to share with you.
I recall the moment when Pat and I walked through the doors at Shands, everything was different. Everyone was so helpful and so nice to us. The attitude around us was just different than any place we had been to before – we felt reassuring optimism from everyone in the building. At a time in my life marked by confusion because of this condition's propensity to sometimes exhibit stroke-like symptoms and memory loss, Pat and I finally felt like we had found help and hope.
I lived in Tallahassee from 1980-2003 managing my funeral home business. I am also an eight-year veteran of the Florida Legislature and former chair of the Senate's Health and Rehabilitative Services Committee. Following my diagnosis at Shands, Pat and I decided to move to Gainesville. Shands was one of the main reasons we moved.
In 2004, I took part in an experimental transplant surgery called a tandem transplant. It had never been done in Florida. I was set to receive a younger man's ailing liver that my doctor said had 25-30 good years left. And the younger man was going to receive a completely healthy liver. At my age, 25-30 years sounded great. I agreed to take part in the surgery. Thirty days later I successfully received my new liver.
I remember when I was in the hospital, there was a former liver patient who would come in to talk to me and other current patients. That was always a big help to me. I remember thinking that if ever I get through this, I would find a way to help patients. It may sound odd to you, but through my experience I feel blessed to have had liver disease. I feel like I now have a mission. I want to educate people about transplantation. I want to help. I have visited with many people awaiting transplants since moving to Gainesville but would like to do more.
I have volunteered to chair the Shands at UF Long-Term Housing Campaign. As a Shands transplant patient, I know firsthand the challenges faced by those who travel from outside the region to seek the expert and state-of-the-art care at Shands. The strain of extended travel and staying away from home is emotionally, physically and financially taxing. In a time faced by medical and financial uncertainty, many patients and their loved ones often find they don't have the means to pay for lodging. Shands HealthCare provides more than $75,000 in long-term housing assistance for more than 3,000 patients each year.
The goal of this campaign will be to raise $240,000 to fund long-term housing needs for patients through June 30, 2014. I hope you join me on this mission to help those who come to Shands in need of life-saving medical care. Together we can make a difference in the lives of so many.
Sincerely,
Jon C. Thomas
