Grace Apostolic Church of Clawson

Allow me to preface this post with some brief background about how we came to find out about Paul’s condition. His cousin, Denise Irwin, attends GAC and is a very precious young lady that has a sincere desire to see the hand of God move on behalf of her cousin Paul. Please pray for this young man’s condition and if you are able to help in anyway please contact Denise Irwin. This family desperately needs your prayer. Thank you so much for reading.  ~ Pastor Rodger

Paul’s Story in His Own Words

Hi, my name is Paul Dowdy, Jr. I am a 33 year-old man that has been through some extreme circumstances. Let me tell you a little about it, and see if maybe any of you can help, or know where I can get help. First of all, I once was a healthy vibrant young man and full of life. At the age of 28, I was diagnosed with a prostate infection. With that I experience a mild fever, and was taken to an upscale hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. There I was given an over dose of an antibiotic by the name of Levaquin for several days. They were giving me too much to many times a day. As a result of this my liver and kidneys were severely damaged and began to shut down.

I ended up in Gainesville, Florida at Shands Hospital to have a liver transplant. The liver transplant was a success and therefore the kidneys began to function better than they had in a long time. I did OK after the transplant for about a year then it all seemed to start over again. I started vomiting severely and the contents of my bowels would come up through my mouth. By this time I was back in Kentucky. My family then rushed me to another hospital in Lexington and when I arrived it seemed as if the “doctors” were baffled. They labeled me as a “Case of One”. They then put me back under the knife for an exploratory surgery. During that time they found that my lower intestine was dying, and removed four feet of it. After that I never got any better…just worst. Again, they decided they needed to remove another eighteen inches of my intestines. Not long after these surgeries, they performed yet another surgery to remove scar tissue caused by the previous surgeries. In all I have had thirteen surgeries in five years to attempt to repair what was damaged from the first go-around.

In five and half years of going through this, I have been in a hospital for more than three of those five and a half years. I have not improved. In fact I have gotten worse. I can no longer do anything for myself. My mom and stepdad have to care for me. I am bed-fast and cannot move at all from my waist down. I am suffering from severe malnutrition, jaundice, and I am swelled so badly beyond recognition, that many people that knew me in the past no longer recognize me. I have so much swelling in my abdomen that I feel I am going to burst from the pressure.

The doctors now tell me there is nothing else they can do, and have sent me home to die! I found out that in order for me to live, I have to have a “complete lower intestinal transplant.” My family found a hospital in Pittsburg, PA that can do the surgery. However, I am currently living on a monthly check from Medicare Disability, and I do not have enough medical insurance to cover all the cost of the surgery. They say that I draw just a little bit more than is allowed to qualify for Medicaid or SSI. The transplant coordinators in Pittsburg told me and my family that they will do the surgery but I have to come up with 20% of the cost for the surgery. My part alone for the surgery is an estimated $250,000 dollars.

My family has searched and searched for a way to be able to deal with this problem and have arrived at a dead end. If there is anyone that knows about a program, or any other way of support that could help, would you please contact me on how to get in touch with such help?

I sincerely thank you ~ Paul Dowdy, Jr.