A local London woman has been searching for a liver donor since the fall, and is still remaining hopeful.
After reaching out on Facebook explaining she was suffering from HHT, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, Jillian Di Bernardo hoped the social media plea would attract a few donors.
The plea went viral, leaving the University Hospital overwhelmed with emails and phone calls, people requesting to be tested as a match.
A few months later, Di Bernardo is still in hospital, hoping a match will be found soon.
Jillian’s mother, who also suffers from HHT, just recently received her liver transplant and is in recovery.
“She was actually here visiting me when they gave her the news that they had found a donor for her,” Jillian says, “she was very shocked.”
Currently, Jillian is resting up in hospital and trying to stay at her best possible health, so that when the time comes, she is ready for her transplant.
The amount of people who have come forward to donate is equal to the amount of people showing her support.
“The comfort and support of my family and friends being here for me,” Di Bernardo explains, “just knowing the doctors here are doing every thing they possibly can…is really reassuring.”
Di Bernardo feels the support helps her get through even her toughest day.
One of her main hopes from sharing her story on social media and with many news organizations, is to raise awareness for organ transplant within the city.
“With the amount of people that I had contacted about the program,” she explains, “at least many more are aware about liver donation and the process it takes, and how serious of a surgery it is.”
If anything, she wants others suffering from the same disease, or on an organ transplant list, to stay strong, because she knows just how difficult this process is.
