Nick is 26 years old and prior to becoming sick, Nick was healthy and active. He was working at a truss building facility and enjoyed sports like team roping and golf. He is very smart and easy going. Nick is my youngest child. He and his siblings lost their father in an auto accident when they were young, Nick was only 7.

In August 2021 our world was suddenly shaken, we had no warning. It was like a dream. I remember the symptoms started on a Sunday. Nick began to feel some discomfort that he compared to being constipated so I gave him over the counter stool softeners. On Monday he was still the same, I took him into the local clinic only to get more laxatives.  We went home with the hope that the laxatives would kick in soon. He spent Monday & Tuesday with the same symptoms. He stopped eating and was in a lot of pain. By Wednesday morning he started complaining of shortness of breath, so we went back to the clinic. Because his symptoms now included shortness of breath, we took Covid-19 tests and they told us to go home and wait for results. By Friday morning he did not look good at all, he told me he threw up. I rushed him to Flagstaff Medical Center emergency room. Within a couple of hours, they were able to find out what was wrong. Nick had a hernia in his lungs and an intestine had gotten stuck in there that caused an obstruction. They rushed him into surgery. Thereafter, Nick went through several surgeries, because of the length of time that went by the doctors were not able to repair his intestines and part of his bowel. Nick dealt with aspiration into the lungs, pneumonia, and dialysis. Eventually he was intubated.

Finally, in November of 2021 Nick made it out of STICU (Surgical Trauma ICU), it was a huge milestone for him. He was finally stable, but the road ahead was still long. Nick had a wound vac and his stomach lining was slowly healing due to numerous surgeries. He was on total parenteral nutrition (TPN), fluids and antibiotics through a PICC line. He also had pain management treatments. Slowly, he began to work with physical therapist & occupational therapist for walking and basic daily activities. He began eating solids again while using an ostomy bag. Nick spent over 180 days in the hospital.

In April of 2022 Nick was accepted to Georgetown University Transplant Center in Washington, D.C. for an evaluation for a transplant. While he was there, Nick went through plastic surgery to repair his stomach lining. He qualified for a small bowel transplant and so the necessary pre-surgeries were done. I brought my son home in May of 2022 and Nick began the road to regain physical, mental and emotional strength to prepare for the transplant. Today, Nick is thriving. Although he’s still on TPN, fluids, and requires weekly PICC line exchange along with lab draws, he continues to improve. The transplant center is on the last leg of getting him on the list for a transplant. We as a family are making necessary arrangements and plans to make the trip back to Washington, D.C. for a transplant to get him whole again.

This journey has been rough and there were some very dark times. Our extended family was a huge support, they prayed, prayed and prayed. They stood with me and my other 2 children. This experience was especially hard for me because I work at the same hospital Nick was at. I remember leaving at the end of my shift to go sit with him and would leave in tears feeling so helpless. All I could do was pray. Being mom & dad to my children for all these years, there is a bond like no other, because we survived together. Together you beat the odds. Today I look at my son Nick and I am amazed at his progress. I see him smile and it brings me tears knowing that this wonderful human being I brought into this world and hung on to is not giving up hope. At one point I was presented with putting him on comfort care, but I refused. I had hope and faith in the Almighty God. 

We need your help to make this trip for the transplant possible. We thank you in advance and I know that God will bless you in return.  This is our story and our journey. We have so many people to thank, too many to mention.

 Thank you. God Bless!

Vernice R. Wagner, Nick’s mother

 

The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA also works with individuals of any age with a single-gene disorder such as Polycystic Kidney Disease, Cystic Fibrosis or Sickle Cell Disease. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy families. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free of charge and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.