September 3, 2026
It’s been almost a month since my last post/update. We (my donor and I) were finally green lighted for living donor liver transplant and have also received a date for that surgery. It will happen on October 6th. I have to be in Rochester, NY to start clinic interviews (I think that’s what it’s called), a PET scan, and an exploratory procedure prior to the transplant surgery starting September 29th. It has definitely been a long time coming and I am extremely excited. Please keep me and my donor in prayer as we continue this journey and for all things coming, including the transplant surgery.
August 5, 2026
Wow, it has been almost a month since I posted an update. All is going well, my transplant surgeon mentioned they are close and aiming for October 2026 to schedule the surgery. I also heard from the donor and was told they completed all the last minute scans requested and are just waiting for results and word from the donor team. Otherwise, I am staying strong and just loving each day as the Lord blesses me.
July 10, 2026
It has been over a month since I’ve written something here. Mostly because I forgot. Since my last little blog, some things have happened. Today I had my two month CT scans to check on things. Praying for great results. Another thing I learned is that I have a partially approved donor (I think thatʻs the terminology) who just needs to complete a sleep study and has a few pounds to lose and he should get fully approved to be a living liver donor for me. I still have lots to do as well…lose some weight, keep the tumors shrinking or it disappear completely, keep my CEA under 80. Of course these things I cannot do, so I am trusting in Jesus for this to happen. Yes, I am on chemotherapy, but ultimately itʻs the Lord who is healing me and I have faith in that. So, just a little more waiting to do and please pray with me that the time comes very soon.
June 17, 2026
I just found out my medical insurer, Cigna, may no longer work with the UC Health System like UCSF and UC Davis, the two medical centers I go to for chemotherapy and primary care. Because of this I raised my donation amount hoping for assistance since the cost of care will now be out of pocket. I probably will pay more than the amount I am requesting, but it will be a start. Please pray Cigna and UC works out a new contract so that I don’t have to worry about high out of pocket costs.
June 15, 2026
Taking it one day at a time while trusting in Jesus for a living liver donor. All thanks to Him side effects are very little to none (especially being on such a strong regimen). I thank everyone who is praying for me because prayers still work and Jesus still does miracles.
June 11, 2026
While I wait for word that a living donor has been found, I got word from the surgeon’s nurse that the donor team hopes to find a donor by the end of July 2026. This excites me tremendously. Because I am the recipient, I don’t know much information on the donor side of things, so any any word I receive from the nurses that is positive, makes me excited. I am trusting in God through all of this because it is only by Him things are moving in a great direction.
June 4, 2026
Felt a little sick today but after resting I feel much better. Finally a week of no appointments and driving for six hours (roundtrip). Preparing myself by hydrating and eating healthy calories because I have infusion next week Monday. Not looking forward to it, but with the strength God gives me, I know I can get through it all.
June 1, 2026
Not much happening. Just getting through each day by keeping myself busy with work (yes, I still am working. Jesus, has blessed me with the ability to work while going through this journey). Waiting to hear back from URMC, hopefully soon, that a donor is identified. Until, I will wait upon the Lord and be patient in this waiting.
May 29, 2026
Completed a re-do of a stress test yesterday and got the results that there are no issues with my heart. However, the anesthesiologist at URMC is still the one who will clear me for the transplant surgery. I am waiting to hear back about those results.
I also heard back from my donor coordinator who says they are currently completing donor evaluations and are hoping to have a donor soon and want to ensure it is done safely because this is a huge surgery and undertaking for both the recipient and the donor.
May 28, 2025
A few things have happened the past week. First thing is that my colonoscopy results came back with great results. Second, my CEA (measures colon cancer proteins in the blood) has drop yet another three points and is now at 7.1 from a 10 three weeks ago. Lastly, I needed to re-do a stress test as part of the transplant process and was able to complete that today. From what the nurses told me, all went well. Those results will be viewed by the anesthesiologist at University of Rochester in New York to approve I am healthy for such a long surgery. For now, that is all!
May 23, 2026
This is my first blog, so I want to go over my journey coming to this day. My journey started in April 2024. I had a colonoscopy done because of bleeding and a mass was found in the sigmoid area of my colon. Before this moment, I have begged my primary care provider (PCP) for a test because of the bleeding for one and a half to two years and was told I was overweight, needed more fiber, or it was IBS. After some pain in the abdomen, I finally said to my PCP that I was done with the assumptions and to refer me to get a colonoscopy. Because of the mass found, a surgery was done to remove that mass on June 11, 2024. The mass was removed with clear margins, however, 2 of 12 lymph nodes came back as cancerous and I was placed at stage 3 and would need chemotherapy. I decided to return to Hawaiʻi (where I am from) to be with my family during chemotherapy treatment. I did 4 round of chemotherapy and at the end of those rounds had scans done and was told I was cancer free. At that moment, I was told I would need to do follow-up scans every 5 months and a colonoscopy to monitor.
Now it’s time for a follow-up scan and colonoscopy in May 2025. The colonoscopy came back clear; no cancer or polyps. However, the scans showed that the cancer metastasized to my liver. After speaking with my oncologist, they missed the lesions in the liver back when I did my final scan in 2024. So, now at stage 4, I was told I would be on chemotherapy for life. For me, that wasn’t a great answer and researching other treatments or options started. That is when I landed on liver transplant.
Liver transplant. There are requirements for the recipient. The liver can only be localized in the liver and no where else in the body, I need to respond to the chemotherapy (cancer is shrinking or stable with no more growth), and my CEA (a measurement of colon cancer proteins in the blood) levels need to remain under 80. Because I have been meeting these requirements, I was approved for a living liver donor transplant.
While looking for a liver transplant surgeon, I found a liver surgeon who was known as the best in the Los Angeles area and decided to get a second opinion from him. The reason behind this was because my CEA levels started to rise and my current oncologist had no other options for me. This liver surgeon specializes in colon cancer metastasis to the liver and simply told me to leave my current oncologist, move back to California and look in an oncologist he recommended at UCSF. I did this immediately and within two weeks of meeting that liver surgeon, I now at UCSF with a new oncologist and doing chemotherapy with an added stronger chemo medication. After one treatment with the new medication, my CEA levels started to drop.
For liver transplant, I chose the best transplant surgeon (in my opinion after massive research) at URMC in Rochester, NY. Because I continue to meet the requirements to get a liver transplant, I was told I now need to do evaluations that included consultations, scans, and blood work. I got that scheduled and flew to Rochester to complete these evaluations. After these evaluations, I was approved by the transplant board for a living liver donor transplant. The last test to complete is a stress test the anesthesiologist requested because of my size and weight which will be completed next week.
So far this is my journey. There has been ups and downs, but thanks to Jesus Christ I have had more ups during this journey. Now, I am waiting for a donor and I continue to trust in God for this. Because of HIPAA laws, as a recipient I have no insight to the donor process unless the donor shares information with me directly. So, I continue to be patient because I know the Lord will provide!