Abby Connolly
It’s hard to imagine being in your 20s, a time that many people call “the best years of your life,” and fighting for your life, spending so much time in a hospital.
That’s something Erika Farrell, a brave 26-year-old Connecticut woman, is going through as she waits for a liver transplant.
Erika is a NICU nurse from Wolcott, Connecticut. Though she’s passionate about taking care of patients in the hospital, she’s been a patient herself and has dealt with several severe medical issues since she was a teenager.
When she was 16 years old, Erika was diagnosed with Chron’s Disease. Unfortunately, her complications did not stop there, and she faced more upsetting news and diagnoses. In 2014, Erika found out she had Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), a rare autoimmune liver disease.
As time progressed, Erika discovered she was part of a unique group of patients who have what is known as “overlap syndrome,” as after getting diagnosed with PSC and Chron’s Disease, she developed Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Autoimmune Hepatitis.
This has complicated Erika’s case, and her issues are considered harder to treat. In the last decade, Erika has been hospitalized around 46 times and has undergone over 35 procedures to manage her PSC.
Additionally, Erika’s gone into septic shock five times, had sepsis 12 times, and has undergone more blood tests and tried more medications than most people can imagine. The Yale New Haven Hospital has become a second home to her.
Now, Erika is living in liver failure with stage four cirrhosis. However, her doctors believe she could have a second chance at life if she receives a liver transplant. Without one, she won’t be able to find any kind of cure or relief, and things could get much worse.
Recently, Erika made posts on social media and websites like DONOR, sharing her story and asking someone to help her and donate their liver to save her life. Amazingly, her story went viral, and hundreds of people have begun applying to potentially donate their livers and help her.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
