Outskirts Press, INC.

Nearly 120,000 people in the United States currently are on a list to receive a life-giving organ transplant. Everyone is not lucky enough to obtain a transplant in time. IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH is the story of one man’s journey to find the means to get a transplant, if he could manage to live long enough. Jim and Marilyn O’Leary and their two sons were living a good American life. After growing up in the Midwest, Jim and Marilyn made their home in New Mexico in the high desert country they grew to love. They started out their work lives as teachers. Jim then moved on to become a realtor, and Marilyn became a water lawyer. When Jim was in his fifties, he began to feel tired and depressed. After months of deteriorating health and numerous doctor visits, he was diagnosed with what was then known as non-A non-B hepatitis and what is now known as hepatitis C. He ultimately was told that he needed a liver transplant. But his insurance wouldn’t pay for it. Their lives went from taking vacations such as bike trips to Italy, rafting through the Grand Canyon, and camping with family and friends, to months of slogging through a medical system that refused to pay for a quarter of a million dollar surgery. The two seemingly insurmountable questions that had to be resolved were whether Jim could receive a liver before he was dead from hepatitis C and if so, whether he could somehow get the surgery without the insurance to pay for it. IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH, Loving, Learning, and Living with Serious Illness, is the story of how Jim and Marilyn faced these terrible challenges with the help of friends, family, and a determination to never give up. How Jim received his transplant and how he coped with a myriad of illnesses resulting from years of anti-rejection medication, including cancer and heart disease, is what this book is about. Jim and Marilyn tell this story in their own words, taking the reader on the journey from despair to hope, and providing useful information for others dealing with significant illness. This book includes how to form a “brain trust” to help them through the paperwork and decision-making they couldn’t do on their own; how to make the best use of family caregivers so that they feel rewarded for their work; how to promote better communication; the importance of pets; and how to keep exercising even when you are sick. The book tells about the changes they went through on this journey. As a young boy Jim experienced the early deaths of both parents. He went from being a funny kid who could make his friends laugh to being a quiet man who took his responsibilities very seriously. During his illnesses he became a man who appreciated the present moment and was grateful for every day. He once again learned to laugh and joke with friends. He became known as a great listener and advisor. Marilyn took on the role of caregiver and manager. She learned how to work their way through the medical system. The most important thing she learned was that she and Jim weren’t alone; that in fact they were surrounded by loving family and caring friends.