“Marvelous Wonders”

EP.30: In this powerful episode, JAYKERS and DOUG sit down with CASSI to share her incredible survival story. Diagnosed with the rare and life-threatening Abernethy’s syndrome as a child, she defied the odds through a life-saving liver transplant. CASSI opens up about waiting for a donor, growing up post-transplant, and building a life she was never promised. More than a medical journey, this episode explores faith, family, resilience, and purpose.

Transcript

Tempo: 120.0

SPEAKER_05 0:00

So I think we need to pause a minute before we get to the end of the episode. Start the very beginning of the episode by introducing uh my question, which is that Jake isn't Jakers, but the name Jake is going to be very important. What does the name Jake mean to you?

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Um, well, it's kind of crazy. Uh it's an inside joke, crazy though. So one of my first best friends, his name was Jake. Um, and we spent nearly all of early childhood together. And at some point, I'll talk about a jet uh tour or a jet trip that did not actually happen, but he got to do a jet tour with me. And then um there's a point where I uh also have a best friend who's named Jake at camp, and then not serious at all, but my uh first on-screen crush, his name was Jake from Sweet Home Alabama, which continues to be my favorite movie to this day. And then also it just keeps going. Um when I was young, my uh grandmother gave me the itty bitty twins. And if you know anything about American Girl Dolls, there is a boy twin and a girl twin, and my boy twin's name was Jake. Um, yep, and then I I am 31 years old now with a one-year-old son named Jake.

SPEAKER_05 1:22

Sorry.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

So Jake, Jake means a lot to me, and I was going to politely decline the invite to come on um until Doug said that it was for a podcaster named Jake. Jake's and I uh have always taken that name just comes up in a profound way, and I just see it as a sign from God telling me to take the step forward. So that's what brought us here today.

SPEAKER_03 1:51

Oh, that is special. Thank you. I've never started an episode like this. This is awesome. I feel appreciated, or my name, at least.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

It's a good name.

SPEAKER_03 2:03

Welcome to Unfit for Radio with Jakers. Yes, I am him. On this one, we're revisiting the spirit of episode 13 miracles and taking things in a similar direction. But don't worry, I'm not doing this alone. Co-hosting with me is a very familiar UFR personality you've heard across many episodes. The one and only Mr. Doug himself. Doug E, welcome back. You already know, man. You already know. We we love it when you're here.

SPEAKER_05 2:32

Jake, I'm so glad to be here. I'm gonna make you proud today. Oh man, you already do. Let's go. So, hey, Cassie. The first time that I met you is you were about seven years old, and um, here we are, 25 years later. I'm so excited to have you here today. I think we've been talking about doing this for six months, and we're finally here. I'm so excited you're here.

SPEAKER_01 2:57

Yep, it was at church. Um, you're my first grade teacher.

SPEAKER_05 3:01

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Crazy. Yeah, yeah. Thank you for having me. Wow. This is 25 years is a long time. Um, but we made it.

SPEAKER_05 3:08

Um so tell us about yourself. Everybody wants to know who you are and and why you're here.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

I mean, I'm just gonna keep that short and sweet because the story I have is long. So um, I just want to say what sums me up is I I love Jesus. Um, I love my husband and I love my kids, my dog. I love my country. I love my country. My husband, my kids, my dog, my country, and I love my coffee.

SPEAKER_05 3:34

Except lately.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

Um, yeah, well, that's another story for another time. But um the important thing is in that order, you gotta have that coffee. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 3:47

So, what kind of dog do you have?

SPEAKER_01 3:49

I have a rescue named Lexi, and we have no idea what she is.

SPEAKER_03 3:53

Wow. Okay. How long you had her?

SPEAKER_01 3:56

Going on eight years.

SPEAKER_03 3:59

The kids like her?

SPEAKER_01 4:00

Yeah, she's good with kids. Awesome. Cool.

SPEAKER_05 4:02

We're all three dog people.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Yeah, doggies. I love my dogs.

SPEAKER_05 4:06

I love my dogs. I think that's a good order to be in, by the way. I I was I was looking at that, listening to that order. I'm like, yeah, that makes sense to me.

SPEAKER_02 4:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 4:13

All right, I gotta tell you guys, this uh this this is gonna be a touching episode for me, and I hope the audience appreciates it appreciates it as well. So I'm gonna take a big deep breath and I'm gonna say, let's go as well. Um, so Cassie, you were young, as we talked about. You learned that you needed to have a life-saving procedure. Um tell us all about that.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

Yeah, they are actually some of my fondest memories, actually. You don't hear that much, but um, there's a lot to it. When I was born, we'll just start at the very beginning, uh, my oxygen levels were severely low. And I had an aunt who was uh angry because she came to see and hold her new niece. And they took me out of the room before anyone could hold me. And my my mom and my dad were freaking out, and um yeah, it was just kind of scary. I mean, I've had two kids, and if my kid was rushed out of the room for low oxygen levels, I think I would also freak out.

SPEAKER_02 5:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Um, I had to ask my mom a couple questions this week, and she clarified that what had happened in that situation was that a nurse or someone on the medical team, don't really know who, but someone decided that the uh test was run, run wrong, run either ran wrong or um filed wrong. And something was incorrect about it. So they were um able to let me go home. That is not what happened.

SPEAKER_05 5:47

So you shouldn't have gone home.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

I should not have gone home. No.

SPEAKER_05 5:50

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

Um, but that was not caught. Yeah. So fast forward and I'm like, hmm, probably five starting, starting doing um sports, you know. I think kids start around the age of three doing soccer and stuff. And I was at um, I was doing soccer with my church league, and um I wasn't I couldn't keep up with all the other kids. Um I I don't think my parents noticed right away, but I know other parents noticed and said something. And then at my five-year appointment, they the my pediatrician was like, Yeah, something's definitely wrong.

SPEAKER_03 6:30

And um, my file um was sent pretty much worldwide, which is kind of insane because it was that rare, they like needed the input from all the doctors.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

So they didn't know what was going on at this point. So they're still looking for a diagnosis and um tests were being run, and um what I ended up having, I think they discovered at my six-month appointment, and after my file had been sent around the world, my own pediatrician again figured out that I had what's called Abernathy syndrome. And I again for this last week, I looked this up. Um and there's types now, which is insane because I used to have to explain to doctors that I didn't have basically what Abernathy syndrome is, is one of the types is you don't have a portal vein at all.

SPEAKER_04 7:24

Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 7:24

And if you know anything about the vascular system, that's the tree trunk of your vascular system and it connects right up to your liver.

SPEAKER_02 7:30

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 7:31

Um, and I didn't have that. And I have throughout my life I've had to express that to doctors and actually educate them.

SPEAKER_05 7:40

Um So you're like six years old, seven years old, even younger than that, right? Five, six, seven when this is all going on?

SPEAKER_01 7:48

Um, yeah. Well, not the explaining part, but that's later. I guess that's later in time. That's the rest of your life, right?

SPEAKER_00 7:56

That's the rest of my life, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:58

Yeah, my case being sent worldwide. And then, like I was saying at my six-year checkup, they found my diagnosis. And throughout my various doc uh various doctor's appointments that uh I was going through, I would have doctors who would walk in and like look at me and look at my charts. And I think they were reading my like diagnosis and not my vitals, including my birth date. And um, I know this because they were, they would like we my parents would later learn they were looking for someone under the age of two and not a five, six, seven-year-old, which I I think I was like six and a half at this point. And um again, I'm six and a half, so I don't know what's going on. But my my parents told me that um basically your body should not be able to survive with this diagnosis without a portal vein for more than two years. Like that is the fact that it can survive to two years is crazy, but more than two years is just absolutely unheard of.

SPEAKER_03 8:55

So the doctors are walking in and just confused because they're not expecting you to be that old with that condition.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Exactly, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:02

And so how did how did uh I think you told me how how did the doctors kind of react?

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Like, did they have to I think they I remember mom and mom being just like, yeah, they just walk in, look at you, look at your chart, look at you, and then like walk out, like super just like let me double check them and make sure I'm in the same right room.

SPEAKER_05 9:23

So Cassie, your name is now on a donor list with thousands of other names, but you and your family still live your lives, you still do things that families do. You um are gonna go on a vacation, the family goes to California to Legoland. Describe what happened on that unforgettable trip.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

Yeah, so this is um November 2001. I had just turned seven in October, and we were visiting family in California, where I had at the time, I think an aunt and uncle and a handful of cousins. And we were visiting them and we were out there for my brother's birthday. Um, he turned, I don't know, I don't know what how what his birthday was early November.

SPEAKER_05 10:07

She's forgotten her brother's birthday. Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

Uh and uh we were, I think we were actively at Legoland when my parents received the call that they had been waiting at this point for somewhere between six and eight months.

SPEAKER_04 10:27

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 10:28

Um which is doesn't sound long, but when you're a parent. When you're a parent and you've already been told that your daughter shouldn't be alive past age of two.

SPEAKER_03 10:40

Oh, every minute.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

You're she just turned seven, like every she probably can't freaking out every day. Like every day is a a day.

SPEAKER_03 10:47

Every phone call, every day.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

Every phone call for sure. Um yeah, my parents were really, really, really good at continuing life normally, and that's what we were doing.

SPEAKER_03 10:55

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

Um, so yeah, we were at Legoland and they received that call, and um it was crazy because we were supposed to um we had made friends with firefighters down the street from my uh my childhood home, and they were gonna drive us to the airport. There was a jet laid out for me to be jetted to LA to um get there as fast as I could because at the time um the town I lived in did not have a transplant for liver. I think they had heart, but not liver. And so I had to go to UCLA.

SPEAKER_05 11:31

Oh wow. Um so you're the expectation is hey, this is gonna happen where I live. It's not gonna happen in California. And yeah, it does.

SPEAKER_01 11:40

Yeah, the call. Yeah. And yeah, it happens in California. The call got the um that there was a liver available. And so they were able to say, hey, you know, take your time, you're already here. Um, so my parents did. They they were able to probably I would hope rest in the Lord a little bit um in that time period. They um, because that's the opportunity they were given. It just, yeah, crazy. I think I received my tran first transplant that day. Um, and I like to say that I don't believe it failed. They the doctors didn't use that terminology. They never said this failed um like like most because it was such an exploratory surgery, it just didn't work, basically. Um, so they put me on, I think a form of dialysis. I could be way wrong on that. And they gave me five days. The important part is they gave me five days to live on machines. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 12:42

And I'm assuming that means we need another donor to come along.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Exactly. Oh, wow. So now we have a five day time limit and we need another organ. Um my and it only took so sad and so amazing. It only took three days for that organ to arrive. Um, and the second liver became available. And that's wow, and yeah, that that date was um November 8th.

SPEAKER_05 13:13

November 8th is my birthday. Oh wow. It is what a connection. Yes, it is. So I I uh to to I guess go to the question of faith, because uh that to me is very important here. I looked up the definition the definition of the word faith, and faith is defined as something that you put complete trust in, whether it's something or it's someone. How how did your faith, and I guess the faith of your family as well, how did that play a role um during this very difficult time?

SPEAKER_01 13:47

Well, I was asleep. Um I I mean I I had the faith of the child. That's I was in the blessing of being a child. So That's awesome. Like like Jesus says, you know, have faith like a child, and I was able to sit in that easy, easy day for me. Um, but my parents probably not as easy of a day for them.

SPEAKER_02 14:09

No.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

Um I do know and believe that they they at that point in their life had nothing but faith to fall back on. They also luckily had an amazing support system. Our church was super, super supportive. Our family was super, super supportive. Doug, I'm pretty sure you came out to UCLA.

SPEAKER_05 14:30

I didn't, but I I will tell you that I I didn't come out, but I did um It was a different hospital visit. I did come to visit you at Phoenix Children's. Oh and I one of the things I'll always remember is I got to come to your house afterwards as well, and we did a Bible study together.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

Okay, that makes sense. I like I said, I was a child. I don't really remember a lot of this, but yeah, that makes sense. I definitely remember having you there at a hospital.

SPEAKER_05 14:53

In fact, one of the things that I'll never forget is is your dad is in the room with uh with me and you, and um you they come in, the nurses come in, and they they're they're coming in to draw blood. They're here to you're like a pincushion, right? They're just poking you all the time. You remember that part?

SPEAKER_01 15:11

Uh I do. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_05 15:13

And um and you looked at him, at your dad, and you and you gave him this look like, do I have to do this again? Will you make them go away? Because I don't want to get stuck yet again for some another reason. And I just remember the faith of a child, like you described, like, I'm gonna put this trust in my parents, and they're going to I have faith in my parents. I have faith that God will provide a way. And that um anyway, so I do remember your parents obviously very str very faithful, very strong in their faith.

SPEAKER_01 15:43

Yeah. Yeah, my dad, I mean, both my parents were incredible advocates, but I definitely I'm sure my mom got angry a couple of times with several doctors. But my dad, I remember he was an amazing advocate for me. And I he only sticks out a little bit more than my mom in this memory because I remember when he would take my medicine before me at different times and taste test it because they were trying to figure out how to get me to take the meds I would have to be on for the rest of my life. And, you know, they tried the pill first because that's a little bit better and I couldn't do it. I I, you know, you had to learn how to swallow pills. But um, so I did like a liquid form first, but there was a specific one where if it it couldn't be liquid and if it dissolved quickly on your tongue, I think I threw up after because it was so bad. And I remember my dad being like, it can't be that bad. And he bit straight into it and threw up. And I was like, Oh wow, yeah, it is it is that bad. So my dad definitely was an amazing advocate for me in that physical form.

SPEAKER_03 16:48

That is awesome. That's really cool. Good job, dad.

SPEAKER_01 16:51

Definitely a way to self-sacrifice the tongue. Um, yeah, my parents gave it all to God um during that time for sure. I remember um them saying that in that three-day time period, they just rededicated me. Not not obviously my life, because that that's my choice, but as them as parents being like, God, this is your child, you know, and yeah.

SPEAKER_05 17:17

That's I what I love, Jake, is it's it's it's three days, right? Yeah, and um to me it it's just that that reminder that um the God will provide renewal, there'll be something good can happen in and you have five days and God doesn't need five days, He He's gonna do it in three days because that's how He rolls.

SPEAKER_03 17:38

Yeah, that's that's awesome. It reminds me of the three days, you know, three days later He rose again.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. I I don't think I thought of that until I was adult, but it is crazy the just the symbolism that God I slips into our lives. Yeah, I was lucky enough to grow up in a Christian home, obviously, um and taught that God died and rose again. And I truly believe that he played a huge role in my life in my transplant.

SPEAKER_05 18:08

So I guess just to make it clear to everybody, so did God save your life?

SPEAKER_01 18:12

Oh, yeah. 100%. 100% absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 18:16

So the the more challenging question might be then for what purpose, Cassie? Why did he save your life? Ooh, this is a good question.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

Yeah, I don't like this question.

SPEAKER_05 18:28

Um Well, it would be tougher to answer when you were eight, right? So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

And I I think I was that child, and I'm not trying to like hoist myself up a lot, but I think I was told it a couple times. Maybe that's why I started believing it. Is that that old soul comment, I got that a couple times. But I feel like when you're faced with life or death at an early age, you can sometimes like create that within you, whatever that looks like, and and just understand that death is closer than we think.

SPEAKER_03 19:02

Oh yeah, you've had to live through a lot of other things that other eight-year-olds didn't have to go through. So your maturity with those things, I'm sure, is at an advanced level than you know, other eight-year-olds.

SPEAKER_01 19:13

Yeah. It felt like that. But yeah, back to what you're saying. Yeah, I I don't know if I'll never I don't know if I'll ever know the extent of why, but I'm starting to believe it's just what it says in you know, Genesis, you know, uh, where it says be fruitful and multiply. I just think that my stewardship is towards my children and creating little disciples and sharing Jesus with little souls.

SPEAKER_05 19:47

I I perhaps even doing a podcast and talking about it.

SPEAKER_01 19:53

Perhaps, perhaps. Perhaps doing things you don't like to do. Yeah. No, I carried that with me in a way that scared me a lot. And I think I in the last two years probably have been like, nope, I've gotta I've gotta figure this out. I gotta grow up a little bit. So here we are.

SPEAKER_05 20:10

Oh wow. Well, the whole world gets to hear about this one, so um, so let's transition to teenage life. Um, teenage years. It's been a few years since you were transplanted. Um, what is your life like now as a teenager? I imagine you remember this way more than you did when you were eight years old.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

Yeah, it's funny. Um a little bit. A little bit, but not a lot. I will I will say the memory part, I think, and I think there's studies out now that um my memory is not as good because of my medicine.

SPEAKER_04 20:48

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 20:48

But I cannot confirm nor deny that, but I like to I like to lean into that sometimes.

SPEAKER_03 20:54

You like that excuse.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

I do. Um my husband gives me a really hard time about um remembering things, and yeah, I've I think I've pulled up that. Look, this is legit. But um, yeah, teenagers, ooh. I mean, I was like any teenage, any normal teenager to an extent because teenagers are crazy. Um, I liked, I liked boys, I liked to be silly. I um started wearing makeup around that time, I think. Um I definitely had my fair share of insecurities. Um one thing that was different was uh obviously, like I've touched on, is taking medicine and going on trips um for specifically I I was heavily involved in my church, if you haven't noticed, but um I would do mission trips and camp trips. And then later I even did like um I was a counselor and then even an intern where I put on camp. But in those early days, I did not like being pulled aside or having to go to the nurses' station. Every morning, every evening to take meds. And there was a couple times, specifically on mission trips, because the nurse kind of just floated around on the mission trip, where I had to start being like in charge of that. And I wasn't like a private area to go take meds. And I remember getting like questions and looked at, and I did not like that. But I don't like attention in general. So and that's never that's something about that's never changed.

SPEAKER_03 22:27

You're just trying to be normal.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:30

Whatever that may might be.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_05 22:33

So sports, you did sports in high school, I miss.

SPEAKER_01 22:36

I did do sports in high school. Um, yeah. I did, I think I was, was I just a two-sport athlete? I did volleyball and track and field. Um, I did not run. I never became a good runner. I think that I liked it.

SPEAKER_05 22:54

So you didn't have to do sprints and stuff when you were playing volleyball?

SPEAKER_01 22:57

Um, no, yeah, I did, I did, I did short, like, yeah, sprints. That was okay. Um, I like, I love volleyball and I love football. Those are my two favorite sports to probably watch and play. Um, but I did not do long distance running. I tried that for a hot minute. I was like, this is not for me. Yeah, I did sports. It was that was pretty normal. That was a normal part of my life. I was lucky enough to be able to do that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:23

So have you ever had the chance to connect with the donor's family? Or would you want to if you had that chance?

SPEAKER_01 23:29

So uh no, uh, we uh we had that chance, I think, early on, and my mom, amazing as she is, let me dictate that. Yeah, like decide when I think she's made for me to be a little bit older and understand more um of what maybe from even their perspective they had gone through. Um yeah, they pulled their information at some point, and so we never got to learn about them. Though what we did find out in the very beginning of that was that um my liver came from a two-year-old boy named Jake.

SPEAKER_03 24:14

Wow. No way. That is that's a that's a special, obviously a very special spar part of the story.

SPEAKER_02 24:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:25

If the family just, you know, out of the ordinary, if the family were listening or just so happened to be, like if if there was a family listening that, you know, donated, what what would you want them to um think, you know, from your perspective or side of things? Like, you know, would you have anything to say to somebody that's on the opposite end?

SPEAKER_01 24:46

Yeah, absolutely. I've thought about this a lot recently because, like I mentioned earlier, I have a son named Jake. And even though I've always wanted to name my son Jake, it just was the cherry on top, knowing that their son was named Jake and saved my life. Um I think I even posted about on social media in probably November around the around November 8th, the my um anniversary. I think it was 25 years.

unknown 25:20

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 25:21

Which is just insane. But um, I would I would definitely I want them to know how much love truly, and I'm not I'm not trying to be light about that, has grown from their loss. Wow, their un sacrifice that they did not, you know, decide on plan. And I know tore their family apart.

SPEAKER_04 25:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:50

I know it did that, but it brought mine together and it created mine, and I just can't I can't thank them enough, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 26:00

That's understandable.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

Yeah. I don't know exactly how to do it. Even how to, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:07

Yeah, no, that's that's really good.

SPEAKER_05 26:09

Okay, so you mentioned that there were obviously some doctor visits in your teen years and you're taking medications now. Um and I guess one of the concerns should be every little thing, a common cold, um, sickness at at school, or if you well, you wouldn't have been going to school at this point in time, or at least in your high school days. Um I I want you to tell us the story as best you can remember it about a trip to the beach and dad.

SPEAKER_01 26:41

Yeah, it wasn't just the beach. It was a lot of things. So it was the backyard, it was the sand pit. Yeah, my dad um was, like I said, he he was a great advocate, very protective, crazy, crazy protective during that time. Um, wanted me because I'm immunosuppressed. That's what my medications do. They suppress my immune system. Insisted I wear gloves to the beach.

SPEAKER_05 27:08

Because that's cool. Really?

SPEAKER_01 27:10

Yeah, like um, probably like not like little rubber gloves you like the doctors wear, because those would rip. Probably like, yeah, elbow length, um gloves. Yeah. I'm like, I'm not doing that, actually. Like I refused. I was like, no, no, no, no, no. And that's I mean, that's how I look at life now is um no bumpers for you, no floaties for you. Yeah, my life's I've been given a second chance to live. I'm gonna live. If that means taking a sacrifice to enjoy things more here and there, like I'm not gonna be stupid about it, but I'm gonna maybe have a drink with my friends when I want to. Like, I'm gonna live. Yeah. I'm gonna get pregnant, I'm gonna have babies, I'm gonna live.

SPEAKER_03 27:57

You're gonna be a mom, you're gonna do all the exciting things that life has to offer.

SPEAKER_01 28:01

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 28:02

You're you're a liver, one who lives.

SPEAKER_01 28:05

Exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 28:07

Speaking of liver, um, how long for us people that just don't get this, how long is your liver going to function? And do you have any idea, perception, explanation, doctor's information? What do you know about that?

SPEAKER_01 28:23

I know nothing.

SPEAKER_05 28:25

So you just don't even think about it? Or what? Day by day.

SPEAKER_01 28:29

I don't think about it. It's not an issue. I I I get worried because health flares come up here and there. Um and I definitely am prone to a couple of crazy. I think I'm like, what is the bone, the bone disease, osteoporosis?

SPEAKER_02 28:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:47

Yeah, I think I'm prone to that um because of the medication I take. So there's a couple of things like that that I'm like worried about because they're they're starting, not starting to phase, but like I know they're a threat. The length of my liver is not a known threat, if that makes sense. Like no one said, Oh, it's gonna expire on this day, or it's gonna expire in this X amount of years.

SPEAKER_05 29:13

So I just don't worry about that. Rather than put it in a box and say God can only work in this 10-year um lifespan, you're just saying I'm gonna live perfectly summed up.

SPEAKER_01 29:25

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 29:26

Wow. So Cassie, was your medical condition something that is genetic? Do you know um how it how it came to be?

SPEAKER_01 29:37

Um technically, it's a genetic mutation. So I believe the answer is yes. However, it's not something I can pass on to my children. Um it's rare occurrences. Yeah, it's just it's just not, yeah, it's not something that's genetically passed down gen through the generations, which is incredible. Um so weird. I actually just Googled that um Abernathy syndrome for this podcast, and uh there's type one and type two now. So I think it's becoming more common. It used to be considered a dog disease.

SPEAKER_04 30:16

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01 30:16

Which is weird, yeah. Um, I at one point was told I was the third recorded case. I don't know if that's nation or worldwide, no clue. But I doubt that's true now. I'm sure there's more case. Yeah, I'm sure there's, which is very sad. But now they have a now they have a plan for it. Yeah. That was the blueprint, probably.

SPEAKER_03 30:40

That's fascinating.

SPEAKER_01 30:42

Yeah, it really is. It's really actually super cool. I want to do more more of a deep dive on that.

SPEAKER_05 30:46

One of the things I always remember, Jake, was like watching her in these teenage years, you would never know the story. It just would never connect to anybody unless right, because you just that's just not the way you're gonna be.

SPEAKER_01 31:02

Never.

SPEAKER_05 31:03

So so speaking of growing up now, let's let's let's transition, I guess, maybe to you as an adult now, right? You're you're in your your married phase. So you got married, and you have children.

SPEAKER_01 31:16

I do.

SPEAKER_05 31:17

Can you uh tell the audience a little bit about that crew you have now?

SPEAKER_01 31:22

Yeah, I love my family so much. They're everything I live for. Um except for Jesus. Love Jesus.

SPEAKER_05 31:29

Um He was first on your list.

SPEAKER_01 31:31

Yeah, exactly. Um yeah, married my husband in 2018, we moved to North Carolina, then we moved to Hawaii, now we're in Idaho. We move every three years. If you don't know why, it's because he's in the military now, you know.

SPEAKER_05 31:47

Um how long have you been married?

SPEAKER_01 31:49

Uh going on eight years? Seven and a half? Yeah. It'll be eight in June.

SPEAKER_03 31:56

Congratulations. That's all. Is he a pretty good guy?

SPEAKER_01 31:59

Oh, I think so.

SPEAKER_03 32:00

She's still married to him. I mean Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:06

Um, like I said, love my husband, so I think he's great. Um, and then I have three kids. Um, I have Ariel, who we haven't heard about yet, but she is um, I'm loving her from heaven's side. I don't know how to say that.

SPEAKER_05 32:21

So is she your is she a miscarriage?

SPEAKER_01 32:25

Ariel was a stillbirth. And if you ask the doctors, they would say miscarriage. Okay. Don't believe everything they say, friends.

SPEAKER_05 32:35

Correct us then.

SPEAKER_01 32:37

Um yeah, I was backdated for that pregnancy. Uh, I was I was pregnant for a total of 20 weeks. So when I called with some concerns, they said, okay, go into L D and LND turned that I that's the whole thing. I got really it's bad. It's a whole bad story. But yeah, basically, she's she was a stillbirth. I'm sorry, I'm laughing. Um, I can laugh now. I love her. She's she's with Jesus. Um, but yeah, just if you I want to just say, if you had infertility issues, find your vocabulary for yourself. Don't listen to the doctors.

SPEAKER_03 33:18

And laughter is medicine, so it's okay.

SPEAKER_01 33:20

Exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 33:21

Everybody gets through their own pain differently.

SPEAKER_01 33:23

That's couldn't be truer.

SPEAKER_05 33:25

So Ariel's in heaven, and then there's Jake. And how old is Jake?

SPEAKER_01 33:29

Jake is one, 13 months.

SPEAKER_05 33:32

And your daughter?

SPEAKER_01 33:34

Rin is two and a half.

SPEAKER_05 33:36

Two and a half. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 33:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 33:39

And the love of your life is what I I gather.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

Yep.

SPEAKER_05 33:43

That's awesome. Got any cool stories about the kids?

SPEAKER_01 33:46

Yeah, let's start back at Ariel. Um, okay, so after our stillbirth seat, I almost just said miscarriage myself. Um after our stillbirth, it's still, it's, you know, it's like 2001, it's five years out um from her, and I still get caught up in a couple of things, which is totally normal. Um we were told one of the things with my transplant is we were told that we could not have kids.

SPEAKER_04 34:20

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 34:21

Slash, if I had a kid, I could only have one because it would be too hard on my body.

SPEAKER_02 34:26

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 34:27

So fast forward, we're five years married and pregnant for the first time. This is Ariel's pregnancy. And I'm like, I've got this. Well, then she was a stillbirth, and at 20 weeks, and um everyone's like, yeah, no, you can't do this. And I'm like, um, no, actually, I can, just not this time.

SPEAKER_04 34:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:55

Um, and I can I can sit here and say that now confidently. I would be lying, though, if I didn't sit in that car and think some terrible thoughts at first. Um, something I like to share about this part of my story is that uh I was put on antidepressants pretty quickly because I it was an option that was just given to me, and I didn't know how to cope with um a loss that close, which is ironic now that I look at it, seeing that someone else had to lose their baby for my life.

SPEAKER_03 35:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:33

And it was just grounding, I think, in a lot of ways. Um and that's why another reason I had you can't you can't judge people. I don't I don't judge like that family for anything they've done. Cause I heard I okay, so we did hear that they separated was part of what I was saying by their family was torn apart by the um by the loss of their son.

SPEAKER_02 35:59

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 35:59

So like, you know, you you don't know people's story, guys.

SPEAKER_02 36:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:02

Um but moving forward, I knew that I had seen God work in my life before, obviously, with keeping me so crazy. See, the little tie the little ties are just insane. Keeping me alive past the age of two. Like I got to live past the age of two with a serious condition that I shouldn't have lived from.

SPEAKER_02 36:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:23

And so knowing that, seeing that, believing that God was on my side, and also having just a feeling of I don't have better words to describe it than God telling me that I would have kids, I would have a family. So just pushing on with that mentality. Um I just told my friends who were like, You you need to, you know, stop, you need to get on birth control, you need to do all these things, or don't do these things. I was like, nah, I'm not, I'm not waiting around. Um and so Dave and I just we just we actually moved, that was during our moving from North Carolina to Hawaii. And Hawaii, if you haven't been, I used to think it was overhyped, but it's not. It's paradise, it's not overhyped at all. It is the land of paradise, and a lot of people believe that it has healing properties.

SPEAKER_04 37:26

And oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 37:29

I got to have my two babies in Hawaii, so I can't disagree.

SPEAKER_05 37:33

Oh, wow. So Jake comes from Hawaii in a way.

SPEAKER_01 37:38

Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 37:40

Aloha, Jake.

SPEAKER_01 37:41

Rin and Jake are both Hawaiian babies, and I can look at people now and say, see, I told you so. Um, no, yeah, I I wanted, I wanted God to move mountains in my life again. And that was something I sat in and prayed for and wrestled with and said, I know you're gonna do this, do this, do this, do this, let's do this. And he did. And now we've had two kids. We want four.

unknown 38:10

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 38:10

Oh, don't know if we'll do four though.

SPEAKER_04 38:13

Lord willing.

SPEAKER_01 38:14

But exactly, and that's what my husband says. He says, you know, we'll just we'll just wait on God.

SPEAKER_03 38:22

So congratulations on your family. And sorry for your loss getting there. Um there was something that I found a little fascinating about your story. The fact that the the family with Jake who donated his organs to you, that the fact that they, you know, didn't have a good foundation, they end up splitting and whatnot, they still made a good decision in the meantime, because not many people in those situations think of donating and helping others while they're going through their tragedy. And the fact that, you know, even if they didn't make good decisions afterwards and you know, it ripped their family apart, there was still some really good things that came out and God was leading through that. That that's really cool.

SPEAKER_01 39:11

A hundred percent. And I actually have I didn't know how to put it in earlier, but I actually have my own story on that. It's not my story, it's my mom's story, but um yeah, God finds a way, I think, is what happens in those moments. Is he he is the ultimate planner and he wins in the end, he he's the conqueror, right? So I think he finds a way. And for my mom, it was when my aunt passed away from cancer, and she um she, as in my mom, was out in California helping my uncle sift through a couple things and take care of the kids, probably, probably doing loads of laundry. Well, if you don't know, uh cancer obviously spreads through your body, so only certain parts of your body can be donated.

SPEAKER_04 40:08

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01 40:09

Um, and her body was pretty much enveloped by cancer, which is horrible. Um, but her eyes are your eyes are like a different part of your system. No way. So her eyes were untouched and donatable.

SPEAKER_03 40:24

No way, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 40:26

And my mom wasn't out there much to help my uncle, but uh she was out there when he received a call about my aunt's eyes, and she picked up the phone and said, Hey, you know, here's here's a phone call for you. And they they uh asked my uncle if they could have my aunt's eyes, and he's looking my mom in her eyes, knowing that my life was just saved a couple years ago because someone said yes. And so he told her later, I would have said no if anyone else would have answered that phone.

SPEAKER_03 41:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:08

But I felt like I could not say no because I was looking at you who just had a daughter live because of that.

SPEAKER_03 41:15

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 41:16

Because someone's sacrificed. So I wonder, you know, I don't know what those phone calls look like, who makes those calls. Um, but I wonder if they received a call like that and they just couldn't say no.

SPEAKER_03 41:27

So a big advocate for donating.

SPEAKER_01 41:29

Yeah, to an extent.

SPEAKER_03 41:32

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_05 41:33

Yeah, there's there's probably um many organizations, many people that helped your family along the way. As I think about um all those years, probably still to this day, there are people that help you. But if you could maybe describe or tell the audience like what um what organizations have provided support for your family during this time and and even now?

SPEAKER_01 41:58

Yeah, absolutely. Um so there's a couple. There's Friends for Free, and they are an organization that does like golf tournaments to raise money. Um, so you can look them up. I think it's for how you would spell for four in golf.

SPEAKER_05 42:14

F-O-R-E.

SPEAKER_01 42:15

Yes, yes. Uh-huh. Friends for free. Yep. And then um there's Hope Kids, and they have different chapters. Um, they do different events for kids with medically uh medical issues, all sorts of medical issues. So they just make it so that those kids can be part of everyday life. Like we we got to do different, um, I think we went to roll castles and coasters one time. That's what it was. We went to castles and coasters with like some football team that was in town, and every family got a football player to go hang out with for that day. And so they do these wacky, crazy, fun events, and then they get tickets to go to like the Diamondbacks game or whatever. Um, and then there is uh I don't want to forget Coda. Um Coda is Children's Organ Transplant Association, and if you look them up, you can search up specific names and find a family, and I think do the tax credit thing.

SPEAKER_05 43:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 43:27

I don't know exactly how that works, but basically you don't your tax credits. Oh wow so so I have a little I have a little file so that anything that my insurance doesn't cover, like gas ticket to my appointments or even an emergency plane ticket to go to my doctor.

SPEAKER_03 43:44

Um your specialists and stuff.

SPEAKER_01 43:47

Yeah, exactly. Um anything my insurance doesn't pick up, I can dip into that fund with receipts and get paid for, get uh reimbursed for. So like my meds, my insurance doesn't cover all of my Meds. My meds are pretty expensive. I think I refill them about every three months. They're like fifty to eighty dollars. Um, I can submit for those. I don't think I do right now. Um, I think I save it for gas money because that's pretty that can get up there.

SPEAKER_02 44:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 44:14

Um, and then uh make a wish did a trip for us, and I don't know how to donate for to them, but you can volunteer with them and do different events with them.

SPEAKER_03 44:23

Make a wish is very, very cool.

SPEAKER_01 44:25

Oh, very yeah, very big.

SPEAKER_03 44:26

So can you explain a little bit of what make a wish did for you?

SPEAKER_01 44:29

Yeah, um, yeah, I got to do my wish. Oh gosh. I don't know if I made it when I was eight. I think I made my wish when I was eight, and then we waited a year. My parents were smart and decided that we should wait until I was at least nine to do it so I would like enjoy it and remember it more.

SPEAKER_05 44:47

Yeah. But I wasn't that crazy. People take their kids to Disneyland when they're like five years old and they never remember the trip.

SPEAKER_00 44:54

Well, I mean, I would really like to do that as well.

SPEAKER_03 44:57

Um I took my one-year-old on a cruise for his birthday, so yeah, I'm in the same boat. Right. He's never gonna remember that.

SPEAKER_00 45:04

Yeah, and like it's for it's for me, really.

SPEAKER_01 45:07

No, um, it's free under three at Disney. No. Um, my daughter's about to turn three this summer, and I'm like, okay, we need to get there before she turns three. No, but yeah, I was already past the age of three, obviously, like we've discussed many times. Um, yeah, and I wished for a Disney cruise.

SPEAKER_03 45:25

That's really cool.

SPEAKER_01 45:26

How was it? Um, you know.

SPEAKER_03 45:29

Tell me you remember it.

SPEAKER_01 45:30

Remember things. I remember, as our brain often does, I remember some of the disappointing things, which is very unfortunate. No, I it was good. I remember it being a really, really fun time with my family. And I remember make a wish going above and beyond. And I I think that my favorite part of the trip ended up not being the cruise. It ended up being the fact that they pulled out the limo for us, and then they took us to Disney World. That's one in Disney World's one in Orlando, right?

SPEAKER_00 45:59

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 45:59

Yeah. They took us to Disney World either before or after the cruise while we were still in Florida. Like they just did it all.

SPEAKER_05 46:06

They went above and beyond.

SPEAKER_01 46:07

Yeah, make a wish is really, really good at doing that.

SPEAKER_05 46:09

So the limo showed up at your house to pick you up, and you just yeah. What a great way to get that started. Yeah. Make a wish. Make a wish. All right. Well, one of the one of the little sidebar trails that I'll go down here is that uh I create this list on my phone. It's on my phone um to remind me of things. And so not to freak you out, Cassie, but you're on my list of when I call them heroes. I know you're not gonna like that term, but no, I I did nothing.

SPEAKER_01 46:42

It was all gone.

SPEAKER_05 46:43

I understand, but you do some things, and so one of the things that that I remember, and I look at that list and it reminds me is that um the of the courage and and I guess the confidence. Um, and I don't know if you would describe those about yourself. It doesn't matter, it's my list, and and you're on my list, but I hope the people that hear this episode recognize that God can do crazy things um outside of just um the family, um the um the transplant, the survival, your family. It it's like this um series of circles that just goes out from the lake and affects so many people's lives. The ripple effect. Yeah, exactly. So does that freak you out?

SPEAKER_01 47:35

A little bit, but it's okay. Like you said, it's your list.

SPEAKER_05 47:41

Do you have a do you have a hero's list, Jake, at all? Have you ever thought about that?

SPEAKER_03 47:46

Um well God, so besides besides talking to Cassie, God's done a lot of amazing things in my life. And you we spoke on that in episode 13. And so um just thinking about um the ways that he's impacted other people's lives, it's it's amazing. I get so wrapped up in just what he does in my own stories and stuff like that that I don't often think of or consider, you know, sharing my God. Like I don't think that he's doing things for other people because I'm sometimes just in my own world. Yeah. And the fact that Cassie shared her story, and God's just he's not only good to me, he's good to, you know, everybody. He's he's he's an amazing God, and he comes a lot of times so unexpectedly in different ways, and he's always, you know, he's always looking after us and taking care of us. I think that that's really amazing. I think that, you know.

SPEAKER_05 48:39

In the ways we don't understand and we can't figure out, but yeah, here we are trying to talk about it right now.

SPEAKER_03 48:44

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 48:46

All right. There's a bunch of people out there listening that um maybe you could give them some advice, or maybe I should have asked you a question today before we wrap up that um I should have. Is there anything else you want to tell the audience?

SPEAKER_01 49:00

I mean, I wouldn't touch into maybe a little bit of what Jacob said. Don't trust your doctors, but don't trust your doctors.

SPEAKER_05 49:07

I honestly it's funny you say that because I was I wanted to like point you in that direction because I know we had that conversation, but I don't know. I was gonna say your biggest piece of advice is don't trust the doctors.

SPEAKER_01 49:18

As I'm like, as I'm like, my my doctors saved my life. Don't trust them.

SPEAKER_05 49:23

Right. Well, maybe it is that um because I remember you had complete trust in your doctors at UCLA.

SPEAKER_01 49:30

UCLA was a different place 25 years ago, probably.

SPEAKER_05 49:33

Yeah, maybe not today.

SPEAKER_01 49:35

Maybe not today, yeah. I think my doctors, my top doctors still work there, but I'm uh absolutely 100% sure I'm sure my nurses don't. And I had incredible nurses.

SPEAKER_05 49:52

Alrighty, Cassie, it's time for this signature question. We love to ask this question of everybody that comes in. And so if you had one question to gas God, what would that question be?

SPEAKER_01 50:04

It would either be why can't I control my tears, or how can I control my tears?

SPEAKER_05 50:11

Oh, when you get emotional about something? Or moment. Take 30 seconds-ish to plug whatever you want, or shout-outs to your family, or projects, wisdom, whatever it is that you want the world to hear, but they may not be ready to hear it unless it comes from you.

SPEAKER_01 50:32

There's so many things. Shout out Phoenix, where I grew up. Whoop, whoop. Um, my parents are being incredible. Um, I love my husband, obviously. And God, I love Jesus. Um gets me through life. Um, I want to shout out Kenny Chesney. I want a farm and a yard full of kids. Um yeah, that's what I want in life.

SPEAKER_05 51:00

Well, folks, that's a wrap on episode 30, Marvelous Wonders. A huge thank you to our special guest, Miss Cassie. Cassie, thank you again for sharing your incredible story with us. We truly appreciate you being here.

SPEAKER_03 51:13

Thank you for having me. And don't go nowhere, because next week we got another exciting episode coming your way titled Unverified Events. Ray will be back at the mic sharing some of his wildest and most entertaining adventures. Trust us, you won't want to miss this one. Stephanie will even be here. Stay tuned, it's gonna be hilarious.

SPEAKER_05 51:34

Unfit for Radio is an independent, self-funded podcast powered by us and people like you, our listeners. If you believe in what we're building and want to help keep the mics on, then head over to unfitforradio.puzzsprout.com. Every contribution and subscription matters to help our radio community grow stronger together.

SPEAKER_03 51:55

We truly appreciate the support. Thank you. Hey y'all, if you've been enjoying the program and want to dig a little deeper, we've got you covered. You can find us worldwide on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, and beyond. I like the beyond part. Just search for Unfit for Radio, hosted by Jagers. And hey, if you're enjoying the show, take about 10 seconds and drop us a quick five-star review on Apple Podcasts. A lot of listeners have done it already, and it really helps the people discover the show. We really appreciate it more than you ever know.

SPEAKER_05 52:28

You can always send in your questions, comments, and suggestions. Or if you're interested in being a guest, please email us at unfitforadio show at gmail.com or send us a text at 602-767-3390. And we might even read it on the next episode. Remember the show on Instagram, UnfitforRadio. The credits for this episode belong to executive producers Jakers and Doug. Contributor Cassie. Recorded by Jakers Mastered and UFR music by Ronald L. Jones on the Instagram at Ronnie Cash Life.

SPEAKER_03 53:10

Cassie, would you come back and join us in the future?

SPEAKER_01 53:14

I would. Let's talk about some more stuff.

SPEAKER_05 53:19

That sounds like a really good episode.

SPEAKER_03 53:21

We're gonna work on it.

SPEAKER_05 53:23

The title will be called More Stuff. Stuff. More stuff. Remember, if you can't find the good, then be the good. Until next time. Peeps.

SPEAKER_03 53:34

Aloha. Aloha from Hawaii. I like that.