Acknowledging the hard work and dedication of the nursing staff, was extremely important to me, and I think many times, the jobs they do, and the sacrifices they make, often goes unnoticed. Even in my weakened physical and emotional condition, I made it a point to learn and remember as many of their names as possible...from the cleaning crew, like Millie, and the nurses aides, like Michael and Gary, who were always around to literally pick me up, when I didn't have the strength or coordination, to get up myself, on up to a top staff member like Dorothy, who always was there with a smile and to offer encouragement. I would never have made it through, without all their help, & I wanted them to know that...and I plan to continuously let them know in the days and years that follow.
Now I wanted, and needed, to do more. While I still wasn't that mobile several months after being released from the hospital, I decided to volunteer at the Long Island Liver Life Walk at Eisenhower Park in 2010. If I couldn't walk to raise money, I'd at least help out in any way I could. It was one of the best things I ever did, as I got the opportunity to meet lots of new people, and to hear the war stories of others that had gone through what I went through. What amazed me, though, was that every story was different...there were so many different ways for people's livers to fail...from genetics, to being overweight...from alcohol & drug abuse, to infections.
The stigma attached to livers failing...that someone must be an alcoholic...couldn't be further from the truth and, in fact, these days, poor diets and being overweight, in addition to prescription drugs, are morey likely to cause livers to fail, than alcohol. People desperately need to be made aware of this, so others don't have to go through, what I went through...and, yet, in my case, I was amazingly lucky. For some reason, and I'm still uncertain as to why, I had little or no time on a waiting list. After turning as yellow as Bart Simpson, I found myself approximately two weeks later, getting a transplant. I've heard all the horror stories of thousands of people on transplant lists for years, unable to get the organs they so desperately need. In fact, there was a man in ICU with me, that was on the list for a liver for 13 years, & he still hadn't gotten one yet so, why was I so fortunate? I may never know. Maybe it was just dumb luck...being in the right place, at the right time, or maybe it was in part to tell my story, to help get the message out about this terribly disabling and life-threatening disease, so that others may avoid these complications in the future.
I just know I had to do more...I signed up this year to participate & walk in the Long Island Liver Life Walk on Sunday, May 22 in Eisenhower Park to help raise money for the American Liver Foundation. For more information, go to...
http://go.liverfoundation.org/site/TR/LiverLifeWalk2011/LiverLifeWalk?pg=entry&fr_id=2510
If you'd like to donate on my behalf, click the donate to a walker tab at the top, and search for my name, Mitchell Bilus, & your tax-free donation will go directly to the foundation, and go to support a worthy and deserving cause. And don't forget to come out and say hi...
To do more myself, and to put my money where my mouth is, I also began donating some of my Ebay auction proceeds to the American Liver Foundation. My auctions of movie/tv/celebrity memorabilia, can be found at...
http://shop.ebay.com/celebritytransparencies/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1
There is still lots more for me to do, much more for me to accomplish, and many, many more people for me to thank, but, now, it was time for me to do something for myself...TO BE CONTINUED...
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