Something About Mary
(Teri Gray's Story)
by Margaret Trujillo

My mom is a 47 year old, married, mother of four daughters.  I am one of her grown twin daughters.  My twin sister Catherine has a three year old daughter Cruz whom my mom adores.  Mary is also the mother of my sisters Annie and Jessie.  Annie is 10 years old, and was born severely handicapped with Encephalacele.  She cannot speak nor walk, yet she is known to all as "our little angel" and brings joy and smiles to everyone she meets!  Mary's daughter Jessie is a very bright nine year old who loves to swim.  My mom has been married for 12 years to a wonderful, hardworking man, Gary Gray.  Gary is a devoted father who has been lovingly taking on the chores my mom has been unable to perform since her illness.  He has discovered he is a wonderful cook!  Before her illness, mom was a school bus driver for the handicapped.  I often tease her and draw parallels between her and the bus driver on "South Park"!  Hee!Hee!  Mary's interests include stained glass making, dollhouse building, and shopping.  She makes incredible fudge and chocolate cake! 

In January 1999, Mary was rushed to the emergency room.  She had a blinding migraine headache that had been plaguing her for months.  She quickly became jaundiced and swollen.  The doctors performed many tests and gave us devastating news-end stage liver disease due to Hepatitis C!  Without a transplant my mom would die!  Mary was put on medications that brought her symptoms under control.  In August 1999, Mary was put on the waiting list for organ transplantation at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.  The wait will be a long one because there are not enough donors available.  One person every two hours dies while awaiting transplantation.  I have made a vow not to let my mom be one of them!! This is why your help is important!  My mom, family, and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Personal web site of liver transplant Candidate Mary Gray (Teri):  http://home.pacbell.net/kjanmt/