Tyler Kirkman is pretty well known in Clarke County for all the assistance he has given through volunteering with the local fire departments.
“I’ve been a first responder around here since about 2010,” declared Tyler Kirkman. “I’ve always tried to help my community. I’ve pretty much tried to catch every call I possibly could. I try to treat every patient like I would want my daughter or my grandmother to be treated. My favorite part of the fire department was the hazardous material cleanups, which we don’t have many of those around here.”
With all the assistance he has given others over the years, now he is in need of aid as well. This past year, he began suffering from an illness and went to a doctor to find out what was going on with him. He had been losing weight and retaining fluid in his abdomen and lower legs and was nauseated.
“I was sick, but I thought it was just the stomach bug,” explained Tyler. “I came to Quitman to try and get some medicines to help me, and she referred me to the G.I. doctor.”
His official diagnosis after that visit isn’t anything someone wants to hear: decompensated liver cirrhosis. His liver is no longer able to repair itself like it normally would, and his body can no longer compensate for it. There is no treatment for it, and his only hope would be to have a liver transplant.
He now has to make weekly trips to have fluid drained by paracentesis, or the fluid would drown him internally as it reaches his lungs. Each week, about 10-12 liters of fluid is drained off his abdomen.
He is working with doctors discussing a procedure that could help prolong his life a little longer.
“I had a teleconference with the UAB transplant team to do a procedure where they would put a shunt into my liver that decompresses it a little more, I believe, and it should buy me some more time and help with some of the symptoms,” expressed Tyler.
He has recently had to undergo a surgery to fix another issue he has recently been battling.
“I was hospitalized twice a couple weeks ago due to a grapefruit sized hernia that had ruptured and got into my intestines,” informed Tyler. “They had to go in and cut that out and rework all of that. My daughter has been my biggest blessing. She waits on me hand and foot on my sick days.”
He has always been a hard worker, but with his diagnosis, he is no longer able to work and has had to quit his job.
“I worked for the Village of Pachuta for several years and got hurt down there and wouldn’t be able to go back full time with them, so I went to work for Pat Harrison Waterway. It was truly a blessing to me,” declared Tyler. “I worked with them for several months until my ammonia levels would get too high and there were days I couldn’t work. The type of job I had there was one where you can’t really just take a day off just because you’re sick. You had to work.”
He is overwhelmed with the amount of love and support that the community has given him since the diagnosis.
“The community has really outpoured support through this situation,” proclaimed Tyler. “I’ve had to quit my job. I’ve always tried to reach out and give to the community, and I’m just glad that they’re turning around and doing the same for me.”
One of the things the community is doing to help show support is donating money through gofundme to help cover some of the costs he and his family are facing for treatments since he no longer has insurance right now. To donate, just go to https://gofund.me/c900a870.
Tyler loves his community and his family and is still doing what he can to help in the community when he has the strength and is feeling well enough to do so.
