A Kelowna mom finally has a date set for her liver transplant.
After believing she was “forgotten about” while on the waitlist, then a delay due to an incident with her donor, and “entering end-stage liver failure,” Lyndsay Richholt is finally undergoing her transplant on Apr. 10, according to a social media post.
“Words truly can’t express the relief my loved ones and I feel as I near the closing of this chapter,” her social media post reads. “I’m deeply grateful for everyone who has walked alongside me – who has prayed, sent love, and advocated on my behalf.”
Richholt was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis about 18 years ago and was told that she would one day need a transplant. At the time, it was explained to her that, given that she was only in her early 40s and that it isn’t self-inflicted liver disease from alcohol, she would “skyrocket” to the top of the priority waitlist.
After being referred to by a specialist to the Liver Transplant Team at Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, Richholt was told she would get a follow-up within three to four months. After eight months, she still hadn’t heard from them, Richholt told Black Press Media in November.
Throughout the last year, Kelowna-Centre Conservative MLA Krista Loewen has been advocating for Richholt and her situation and called on the NDP government for immediate reform within BC Transplant.
After months of trials and tribulations, she’s excited to finally have her surgery set.
“With a surgery date now set, I feel a renewed sense of hope,” she said. “The journey isn’t over though. This next month is about preparing – physically and emotionally – for a long road of healing. And I’m stepping into it with gratitude and trust.”