COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) - Vickie Jordan lived an active lifestyle. She participated in local races, cycling and enjoyed playing with her two dogs. Following a heartbreaking diagnosis, however, Jordan now gets tired from folding her laundry.
COVID-19 has had indirect impacts across our healthcare system, including organ donation. Organ donations decreased dramatically during the first wave of the pandemic. And now Jordan, who was diagnosed in 2020 with a malfunctioning liver, is hoping someone out there can be her perfect match.
“I was scared,” Jordan said. “There are times where I’m still scared just because I don’t know when I’m going to receive a donor and because so much of my life has been put on hold.”
Jordan became ill in August, struggling with her vision, experiencing confusion and elevated ammonia levels. She eventually had to be hospitalized and discovered that she needed a liver transplant in the midst of this pandemic.
Jordan said one of the greatest challenges with her diagnosis has been being alone in the hospital during COVID-19 restrictions.
“Waking up at the hospital with my husband not there, and not being able to be there and not knowing why... it was very scary.”
She is a certified hand therapist and has worked at Hughston Clinic for 16 years. Her high-demand job is all she’s ever known, but she had to resign because she didn’t have enough energy to make it through a day.
Jordan, a native Columbusite and a graduate of Shaw High School, is now relying on friends and family for support. With her involvement in the Columbus community, prayer groups and AKA sorority, she now has a support system praying for a match. For Jordan, finding a liver donor could be a matter of life and death.
“I’m looking for a liver donor… however, if I am not a match for you, maybe you could be a match for someone else,” Jordan said. “There are still others out there who could also use assistance. There are a lot of people who put their names on the registry for donation as they do on their driver’s license. If that is something you have done, please take it under consideration.”
Jordan is 5’2 and has an A+ blood type. Jordan’s family has set up an email for anyone interested in being a donor or anyone looking to send support at Liver4Vickie@gmail.com.
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