Hi, my name is Pauline Talty.

I am 35 years of age and suffer from a life-threatening condition known as Short Bowel Syndrome, caused through Radiation damage from my Cancer battle as a child from the age of 2-4 years. I have spent the last four years of my life predominantly in hospital, undergoing numerous and complex bowel resections/surgeries, now to the point that I have less then 70cm of dysfunctional bowel left and I am now in-operable.
 
At present I am in Royal North Shore Hospital, where I have been undergoing life-saving artificial feeding through my heart, as I am unable to eat or digest food at all, due to my bowel failure. Unfortunately I can't survive on the artificial feeding (which is called Total Parental Nutrition) as it is destroying my liver, as well as the aggressive adhesions that keep re-occurring from each prior surgery, that keep strangling my bowel.

So, currently my only option for survival is a Small Bowel Transplant, which is only available to me in the United States, as they don't perform this type of transplant here in Australia. It is rare that anyone is approved or undertakes a bowel transplant, as many people are either too old when their bowel fails and/or they become too systemically unwell to qualify for transplant as it’s a complex and physically arduous surgery to undertake.
 
The Australian Government is currently assessing my case for some funding assistance; however even with Government funding there will be a shortfall of approximately $200,000. 
 
I have a long history of defying the odds medically and surviving this far - but now I have another huge hurdle to jump in order to stay alive. Once I have the transplant I will be able to live a quality life and return to my former career as a Business Strategist; which has always been my passion. 
 
I write this letter with the hope of gaining some public donations in order to make this transplant possible. I only wish to have a fulfilling, quality and long future to look forward to, as believe I still have allot to offer to both the community and business world's alike.

Should any of the funds not be used for my transplant (for any reason), then they will be held in trust with ‘Transplants Australia’ to assist other people in similar circumstances to myself.

Kindest regards,
 
Pauline Talty

(m) 0405 154 837

(e) pauline.2.b@hotmail.com