Hopkins High School will have a fund-raiser for Jayde VanZalen and her family during the girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball games Friday evening against Wyoming Godwin Heights.
The Student Council, NHS and friends of the VanZalen family are putting together the event on behalf of VanZalen, a 2013 Hopkins High School graduate who is battling serious health issues related to her liver.
She was first diagnosed at age 12 with a rare form of liver disease as well as Crohn’s disease, a condition that inflames the digestive tract and intestines. The disease has caused chronic lifelong complications.
Jayde spent five and a half years on the liver transplant list, waiting for a proper organ donor to become available. She received a new liver in the summer of 2014, but since then she has experienced a new series of obstacles.
Within 15 months after the procedure, Jayde has undergone nine acute liver injections, until a recent biopsy revealed that Jayde’s body had chronically rejected her new liver. In order to keep fighting, Jayde will need to receive another liver transplant.
During this time, the process of receiving another transplant has become more difficult for Jayde because has she has turned 21, causing her to be transferred from pediatrics to the adult transplant list, extending the probable wait time to receive a new donor.
There also are many requirements that must be met in order to be considered for an organ transplant, some of which include a permanent place of residence. Jayde’s mother, Shannon, has been her sole supporter growing up, but due to constant trips to the University of Michigan for consultations and other complications, Jayde’s mother has been unable to maintain a full-time job.
As a result, the family members have lost their home and are unable to meet all the necessities needed to be on the transplant list.
The Student Council and National Honor Society, instead of accepting regular punch cards, passes or the $5 admission fee, are asking for a donation for the VanZalen family. All donations made in this game will go toward helping to provide Jayde with the basic necessities he needs in order to be considered for a new transplant.
Friday night’s game features the No. 1 boys’ Class B basketball team in the state.
A fund-raising event spokesperson said, “We are also asking that all those who come to the game where blue and white to show that all Vikings stand together. These are obstacles no one must face alone. Jayde has been facing these obstacles in order to fight for her life. Let us stand together as a community of fellow Vikings and show the VanZalen family that there is hope even in the darkest of places.”