One Month Update

Maddie is doing Fantastic. She is back at school catching up on school work and feeling better everyday. Tom had one of his weekly check ups at Henry Ford today and is doing Great! All 78 staples were removed today and he is feeling good. He has been walking with his brothers and is regaining his strength.  The power of prayer is working. The family is so grateful to be blessed with the best family & friends and truly appreciates everything.They hope people will register to be a donor, the Gift of life is amazing!  

Maddie The Angel

Maddie has had her 2 week follow up and they are amazed by her strength and courage. All the doctors agree she is an Angel. Maddie has now volunteered to work with the Transplant Living Community at Henry Ford to talk to perspective donors and individuals recovering from giving the gift of life.  

No Cancer!

Tom had his first follow up appointment this week and was given great news! He was told that the pathology report done on his liver showed that no cancer was found. This is a huge relief for Tom and his family!

Faith Over Fear ~ Goyette Strong!

Two Weeks Post Surgery

Maddie went back to CMU today for her classes this week. She will be back at Henry Ford Thursday for her 2 week follow up. She is doing better everyday.  God is good. Tom had his first outing today to watch Nick and Tommy play hockey. He was excited to see his boys in action & Nick scored to help the Cardinals win! He heads back to Henry Ford Monday and Thursday for check ups. The family is very  appreciative  for the continued love and support as they have a long road ahead.

Faith Over Fear ~ Goyette Strong!

Tom and Madeline are Home!

Both Tom and Madeline are now recovering from the comfort of their own home. Tom would like you all to know how thankful he is for every thing you've done to help his family. He is very grateful for all of the love, support, help, and prayers you have given them. They still have a long road of recovery but they and we will remain Goyette Strong!

The family will still need help through the recovery process. Tom will have many doctors appointments he will need someone to drive to and from and the family will still need help with other tasks around the house. Please contact Joe Parks if you're interested in helping.

Again, thank you for all of your prayers and support. It's been amazing to see how strong this family is. Let's remain Goyette Strong!

A Thank You From Tom

Yesterday Tom shared this beautiful note on his personal facebook:

"On Monday Oct 6th I received the most amazing gift from a most amazing individual. My daughter bravely donated half of her healthy liver to save my life. She is scheduled to go home tomorrow to continue her recovery. I am doing better than expected and should be going home later this week. Thanks to all for the continued help and prayers. It is hard to believe it is real and it is humbling to have such an outpouring of love and support. I struggle with how to express thanks for the precious gift of life. As a parent, you feel that it should be you saving your baby girl's life not the other way around.Madeline Goyette you are my hero! All of my Love, Dad"

Recovery Day 3

Tom was able to move to the same floor as Madeline today! Maddie walked down to his room and sat with him for a while. They are both experiencing pain and are very tired but their doctors are very pleased with how the recovery is progressing. Goyette strong!

First Visit

Yesterday Tom and Madeline were able to visit each other for the first time since the surgery. You might want to grab a Kleenex before you look at these photos!

                    

Recovery - Day 1

At 10:30 this morning Tom's surgeon explained that he is happy about how Tom's new liver is functioning and thinks that Tom's recovery is going well. Madeline is also doing well and will be able to eat a regular diet today. Visitation will be limited for both Tom and Madeline. If you are interested in visiting either Tom or Maddie, please call Joe Parks at 810-247-7055 before you head to Detroit so  he can tell you if/when they will be able to see you.

Out of Surgery

God is so good. We are happy to report that both Tom and Madeline are out of surgery and recovering. There is still a long road ahead and prayers are still so needed and appreciated. Look for more updates in the next coming days about how recovery is progressing.

Faith Over Fear - Goyette STONG!

Important Vaccination Information for Visitors

Below is important information from Henry Ford about vaccines that transplant patients can not come in contact with post surgery. This includes coming into contact with visitors who receive these vaccinations. If you are planning on visiting Tom and Madeline after surgery please read the below information very carefully.

After receiving a transplant, patients are at greater risk for infections.  Certain vaccines, called inactivated vaccines, are safe after transplant.  Vaccines that are inactivated and CAN be given to transplant patients include:

• Intramuscular influenza vaccine (Afluria, Fluarix, Flulaval, and Fluzone)
• Pneumococcal/pneumonia vaccine (Prevnar and Pneumovax)
• Hepatitis A vaccine (Havrix and Vaqta)
• Hepatitis B vaccine (Engerix-B and Recombivax HB)
• Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis/Tdap vaccine (Adacel and Boostrix)
• Meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY)
• Human Papillomavirus vaccine (Gardasil and Cervarix)

Other vaccinations, called live vaccines or live-attenuated vaccines, are not safe and generally should not be received.  Additionally, it is recommended for transplant patients to avoid those who receive these live vaccines for 7 to 14 days after receiving it. Vaccines that are live and should NOT be given to transplant patients include:

• Intranasal influenza vaccine (Flumist)
• Shingles/Herpes Zoster vaccine (Zostavax)
• Chickenpox/Varicella vaccine (Varivax)
• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine (MMR II and Proquad)
• Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine (BCG)
• Smallpox vaccine (Dryvax)
• Anthrax vaccine (Biothrax)
• Yellow Fever vaccine (YF Vax)

If there are any questions regarding whether a vaccine is safe to receive, please call your Henry Ford Transplant coordinator, Neimi Beltran, at 313-916-1826 before getting it!

Meal Train

Cyndi Wildfong, the Meal Team Captain, has set up an account on www.mealtrain.com for the Goyette Family. This online tool will allow others to sign up to contribute meals to the Goyette Family while keeping everything organized. It is very simple and easy to use. Please see the below link for more information on how to sign up and provide a meal. If you have any questions please direct them to Cyndi Wildfong at cwildfong8@charter.net.

To access The Goyette Family Meal Train please go to this website https://mealtrain.com/weo97 and create an account.

Monday Rosary Club

Tom's brother, Tim Goyette, organizes a group of friends and family members to say the Rosary on Monday nights at St. John's Catholic Church in Davison. The group took a break during the summer but is starting back up this fall. The first rosary of the fall will be said on September 15, 2014 at 6:30PM. Before they say the Rosary each Monday they ask if there are any special intentions that you would like the group to pray for. Each week the group will be praying for Tom and Madeline as one of their special intentions. All are welcome whether you can attend just one Monday night Rosary or can come back every Monday. Plan on a Rosary to be said every Monday at 6:30PM at St. John's Catholc Church but please email Tim Goyette at tgoyette@goyettemechanical.com to be added to the Monday Rosary Club email list so you can be notified in the case that a Rosary is cancelled, rescheduled, etc.

St John's Catholic Church Address - 404 Dayton Street, Davison, MI 48423
Enter through the doors off of Dayton Street and meet in the chapel for the Rosary

For more information about why people pray the Rosary and how to pray the Rosary please see this link http://www.theholyrosary.org/

Powers Catholic Homecoming Mass

Flint Powers Catholic High School will be holding an "All School Mass" on September 26, 2014 at 9:00 AM in the gym. Powers is a Catholic high school that celebrates it's faith throughout the school year with with "All School Masses" where they invite students, parents, alumni, and the community into the school for mass. The September 26th mass will celebrate the Powers homecoming and will be said in honor of all Powers Alumni. Tom is a graduate of Powers and a special intention will be said for him and Madeline. All are invited and encouraged to attend.

Powers Address - 1505 W. Court Street, Flint, MI 48503

How You Can Help

Thank you to everyone who has offered to help Tom and Cathy's family as they all prepare for and recover from Tom and Maddie's October 6, 2014 surgery. As you can imagine, the family will need a lot of support in order to ensure that all things run as smoothly as possible. Fortunately, they have an amazing support network including friends and family who are willing to help take care of their dog, transport Cathy and the boys to and from the hospital, help with general house maintenance, prepare meals etc. Under the guidance and advice from the Henry Ford Hospital, Tom and Cathy's support network has organized to make sure certain tasks are taken care of. At the recent Goyette/Stewart family meeting friends and family volunteered to be "team captains". Each team captain is in charge of making sure that their task is taken care of by either doing it themselves or assigning a member of their team to complete it. Please see the below list of team captains and contact them if you have questions or would like to be a part of their team. Additionally, a funding website has been created by the Funding Team to help each team purchase necessary supplies. If you would like to contribute please visit this website http://www.gofundme.com/dodphc.

Joe Parks, CEO - (810) 247-7055

Kris Thiel, Vice CEO - KTHIEL@YECI.US

Cherie' Parks, Assistant to the CEO's and Cleaning Services Captain - CPARKS@GOYETTEMECHANICAL.COM

Laurie Thiel, Transportation Team Captain - LTHIEL@CHARTERMI.NET

Jodi Hendrickson, Grocery Team Captain - JODIE@JODIELOANS.COM

Cindy Wildfong, Meal Team Captain - CWILDFONG8@CHARTER.NET

Debi Raymond, Laundry Team Captain - DEBI@ROCKSTARHOMES.COM

Jeff Hill, Home Maintenance Captain - THILL511@CHARTER.NET

Gina Staudacher, Funding Team Captain - GINA.STAUDACHER@COMCAST.NET OR GMS@H2LAW.COM

Rachel Goyette, Social Media Co-Captain - GOYETTE3@MSU.EDU
AnneRenee Stoltman, Social Media Co-Captain - PARKS.ANNERENEE@GMAIL.com

Paul Goyette, Legal Captain - PAUL@GOYETTELAW.COM

Tim Goyette, Prayer Captain - TGOYETTE@GOYETTEMECHANICAL.COM

Marie Chuchvara, Stanley(the dog) Team Captain and Goyette Communications Team Captain - GRAPEJUICE9@YAHOO.COM

Cherie' Reynolds, Stewart Communications Team Captain - CAREYNOL@SVSU.EDU

Curt Wildfrong, Tom/Cathy Friends Communication Team Captain - CWILDFONG7@CHARTER.NET

Libby Goyette, Madeline's friends Communicator - GOYETTEO@MSU.EDU
Sadie Staudacher, Madeline's friends Communicator - SADIELADIE980@AOL.COM
Katy Thiel, Madeline's friends Communicator - THIELKA3@MSU.EDU
Max Ellis, Madeline's friends Communicator - ELLIS3MM@CMICH.EDU
Peyton Thiel, Madeline's friends Communicator - PTHOCKEY3@YAHOO.com

Health Update

August 27, 2014

This morning Tom traveled to Henry Ford's hospital in Bloomfield Hills for a CT Scan. While at the hospital Tom informed the doctors that he was having pain and not feeling well. He compared the pain to what he felt a year ago when he began feeling sick and ended up having a stint put in his bile duct. 

Tom was advised to travel to the Henry Ford hospital in Detroit to be further monitored. Since then all of Tom's tests have come back with favorable results and he seems to be in good condition. 

If you have any questions please contact Joe Parks at 810-247-7055.

As always, prayers are very appreciated. Faith over fear!

**UPDATE** Tom was released at 7:00pm on August 28, 2014 from Henry Ford Hospital and is in stable condition. Thanks for your prayers!

October 5, 2014 Mass for Tom and Maddie

August 20, 2014

On October 5, 2014 a Catholic Mass will be said for Tom & Maddie. Mass will be held at St. John the Evangelist in Davison, MI at 10:00AM. After Mass in the chapel, Maddie & Tom will receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick before heading to Henry Ford Hospital to prep for surgery. Everyone is invited regardless of religious affiliation.


For more information about the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick please see this discription on the Diocese of Lansing website.


St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church is located at 404 Dayton St, Davison, MI 48423.

Goyette/Stewart Family Meeting

August 19, 2014

Monday August 18 was a productive and emotional day for the Goyette/Stewart family. Extended family and friends gathered around Tom, Cathy, Madeline, Nick, and Tommy, to discuss how they could be of help to their family in the coming months and weeks to follow. The reason for this important family meeting? Tom and Cathy’s family is preparing to take on the biggest challenge they have ever faced. Their brave daughter, Madeline, will donate up to 65% of her liver to her father, Tom, to save his life. After 9 other members of their friends and family were rejected as potential matches for Tom, Madeline’s liver was found to be a perfect match and she was officially given the green light to proceed on August 12. Madeline is 19 years old, and is going into her Sophomore year at Central Michigan University. The surgery is set to take place on October 6, 2014 at Henry Ford Hospital. Anyone and everyone is invited to Henry Ford on October 6 to wait with the family during the surgeries. We have a big family, and Tom and Cathy have LOTS of friends, so we want to show as much support as possible.

Madeline will be the youngest liver donor yet at Henry Ford Hospital. Madeline’s surgery is expected to take approximately 7 to 8 hours, while Tom’s surgery is going to be about double that, lasting about 15 hours. Madeline will be in the hospital recovering for about 5 days, and then she will receive home care for 2 or 3 weeks before returning to school. Tom is expected to stay in the hospital for 3-6 weeks, but he will need much more time to recover at home. Tom is expected to be back to work at Goyette Mechanical in February. Extended family and friends are going to contribute in daily tasks such as driving the boys to the hospital, cooking meals, cleaning, mowing the lawn, etc. because Cathy has much more important things to worry about during that time. If you are committed to help the family in any way at all, there is a poster board in which you can sign your name as well as the task you are willing to help with. The poster board is currently at Genora Halligan’s house (Tom’s mother) in Grand Blanc. Also, Tom’s sister, Gina is setting up an online account through Tom and Cathy’s bank in which people can donate money to help with necessities such as gas and groceries. More details on that to follow.

To avoid flooding Cathy’s phone with the same types of questions, Henry Ford suggested that the family elect a “CEO” who will take charge of answering questions, as well as delegate tasks to people who are willing to help. Joe Parks is Tom’s brother-in-law and he is the official “CEO”. Therefore if you have any questions about the surgeries or if you’d like to know how you can help, please contact Joe Parks at (810) 247-7055. 

For now, our family is staying strong and relying on faith to push us through this difficult time. If you are far away and would love to help, the power of prayer cannot be overstated. Tom and Cathy are wonderful people who deserve every ounce of the help and care they are receiving. Tom and Cathy's nieces, Rachel Goyette and AnneRenee Stoltman will continue to update this blog and Facebook page as new information surfaces. 

Link to Facebook Page -  https://www.facebook.com/GoyetteStrong

Faith Over Fear, Goyette Strong

About PSC

PSC (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis) is a chronic disease of the bile ducts. Over time it slowly damages, inflames, and obstructs the bile ducts both inside and outside of the liver. Once the bile ducts are inflamed the flow of bile, a fluid that helps the body get rid of toxins, is restricted and can lead to various complications such as cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure, and ultimately liver cancer. The causes of PSC are unknown but may be linked to other inflammatory diseases. While researchers and doctors are searching for treatments for PSC, currently, the only cure for PSC is a liver transplant. It is imperative that those with PSC receive a liver transplant before cancer occurs. Once the patient is diagnosed with liver cancer they are ineligible for a liver donation.

Since Tom was diagnosed with PSC in September of 2014 he has been keeping himself healthy and active. He is currently on the national cadaver liver donor registry. However, the chance of a cadaver liver becoming available in the near future is very low. By the time Tom would be high enough on the donor registry list to be a candidate for the next cadaver liver, he will likely be very ill and possibly hospitalized. Also, due to his condition of PSC, Tom is at a high risk of developing liver cancer. If cancer develops Tom will be taken off of the national cadaver donor registry list, and would need to begin treatment for liver cancer.

Our hope is that through prayer, outreach, and this blog we will inspire someone to become a live partial liver donor. If you or someone you know would consider becoming a live partial liver donor please contact Neimi Beltran/Henry Ford Donor Transplant Coordinator 313-916-1826, or nbeltra1@hfhs.org. All inquiries are confidential and all medical costs for the potential donor are covered by Tom’s health insurance. Below is the recommended criteria for a live donor (taken from the Henry Ford Website):
The Ideal Living-Donor Candidate is:

• Between the ages of 18 and 55 
• A friend or a family member such as a spouse, parent, sibling, child, nephew or niece 
• About the same body size or larger than the recipient 
• Please note: Tom is 6’ currently 190 lbs. 
• The same or compatible blood type as the recipient 
• Please note: Tom’s blood type is O+, blood type O- is also compatible for Tom 
• In excellent medical and psychological health 
• Highly motivated

If you don't meet all the above criteria we still encourage you to consider becoming a donor.

**UPDATE** We have found a liver donor. Please read later posts for more information.

Meet Tom Goyette

Tom Goyette was born and raised in Davison, Michigan. He is number eight out of nine children and the baby boy. He grew up in a very loving and close knit family. Tom met the love of his life, Cathy, while in high school. If you don't know Tom and Cathy, it's hard to explain how perfect their relationship is. They balance out each other's personalities perfectly and are always making themselves and others laugh through their stories and jokes. Their relationship is a great example of the kind of love that everyone hopes for. The best example of their love is their three beautiful children. Their oldest, Madeline, just completed her first year of college at Central Michigan University. Like her parents, she always has a smile on her face. Their son Nick is 15 years old. He not only is an excellent athlete, playing both hockey and lacrosse, but he is also as sweet as can be. Their baby boy, Tommy, will be a freshman in high school in September and is also quite the athlete. He travels around the state and country with his hockey team/family. 

Tom works for the family company, Goyette Mechanical, in Flint, Michigan as a Project Manager. He has worked there for nearly 20 years and is lucky enough to work alongside 5 siblings and a number of cousins, friends, nieces, and nephews. 

Tom was diagnosed with primary schlerosing cholangitis (PSC) in September of 2013. PSC is a chronic disease that slowly damages the bile ducts both inside and outside of the liver. PSC can cause many complications in the liver, including liver cancer. The only cure for PSC is for a liver donation. It is Tom and Cathy's hope that through prayers and communicating with as many people as possible they might be able to find a live partial liver donor for Tom. 

**UPDATE** We have found a liver donor. Please see later posts for more information.