We are proud to be Celebrating 5 years of Supporting the IRTxU Community!

With spring upon us, we have a busy month here at IRTxU. Here are some key dates and observances this month.

April is Donate Life Month and IBS Awareness Month. Look for posts and information all April long.

IRTxU Events:

Wednesday, April 8th, 4pm PST, 7pm EST - Donate Life Month Webinar: How I Got My Guts.

Wednesday, April 15th, 4pm PST, 7pm EST

Caregiver Virtual Support Group.

Thursday, April 23rd, Transplant Unwrapped Birthday (2020) 6 Year Anniversary!

Wednesday, April 29th, 4pm PST, 7pm EST

Virtual General Support Group

#DonateLifeMonth Key Dates:

Friday, April 10th - Blue and Green Day

April 19th-25th - Pediatric Transplant Week

Community Perspectives:
We asked members of our Caregivers Support Group this question:

What do you think your medical team would be surprised to learn about what it takes to be a Caregiver?

You have to be a manager, organizer and lifter of so many supplies! PN boxes are super heavy, you have to find room in the refrigerator, you must have space in a closet or corner in a room and you must keep track of inventory to know when you need to restock before you run out!

Besides the obvious medical supplies and medication that we must keep track of, we have huge amounts of soap, gloves, paper towels, toilet paper and cleaning supplies to keep on hand.

The amount of garbage we produce is crazy!

How much stress going through this puts on even the healthiest of relationships. While you are working on helping your loved one heal you are also working on managing the full range of emotions that happen every single day. There is no break for myself or my loved one.

I have to plan my life around so many timetables. What time does medication need to be given, when does PN have to be hooked up, what time are appointments, when is the delivery happening? This is in addition to all of the rest of my daily life responsibilities.

The amount of organizing and packing it takes just to go to an appointment is huge! Don't even get me started on how much packing it takes to take a small trip!

The tasks that seem so simple are actually critical to survival and take up a lot more time than most people think. Taking care of a central line, for example, can take an hour or more! Making sure that the surfaces in my home are clean and sterile is a multiple times a day task!

Caregiving is on your brain 24 hours a day. You may not always be doing something but you are thinking, what needs to be done next? Do I have time to finish something else before I have to do something for my loved one?

There is a huge emotional toll on me. I see the pain and trauma my loved one goes through and it hurts. I feel guilty over so many things, devastated that this is happening to my loved one, scared about so many things. I worry that I may make a bad decision and hurt my patient. It is lonely and worrisome.

How much a smile, compassion or kindness means from the team in an email, call or clinic visit. I understand how busy you all are but I need a moment of connection and understanding from you.

I worry about what will happen to my loved one if something happens to me?

I never sleep through the night, nor does my loved one!

Going through bills and being on the phone with insurance companies can feel like a full time job itself!

Learn
For Adult patients and caregivers.

Learn
For Pediatric patients and their caregivers.

Support and Events
Find a listing of the support programs we offer.

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Donate
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Our Impact

Webinars
We regularly hold expert led webinars for the benefit and education of our community.
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Advisory Board
Our Medical Advisory Board has 20 members from 11 intestinal rehabilitation and transplantation centers across the world.

Members
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"Intestinal Rehab & Transplant Unwrapped and educational programs are a vital resource to the community for intestine transplant and short bowel syndrome. It is so important that patients have educational resources and ways of networking with others and be able to gain a greater understanding of their disease process, a greater understanding of the expectation of what transplant would bring, and a greater resource and ability to reach the larger community around them." ~Dr. Syed-Mohammed Jafri, Henry Ford Health Systems~ and Member of Intestinal Rehab & Transplant Unwrapped Medical Advisory Board.

We are proud to be Celebrating 5 years of Supporting the IRTxU Community!

Community Perspectives: We asked members of our Caregivers Support Group this question:

Learn For Adult patients and caregivers.

Learn For Pediatric patients and their caregivers.

Support and Events Find a listing of the support programs we offer.

Download Sign-up for many helpful downloads and resources.

Donate Help us continue to fulfill our mission.