Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Meredith Roberts is out of the hospital after receiving a liver transplant recently. However, it will be some time before she returns to North Tonawanda.
"It's moving along," says Meredith, though she says the recovery process has been up and down. "I have a ton of lab and clinic appointments a week, and while they're monitoring my lab and making sure my rest of my organs are keeping up with my liver and everything's working together, they're gonna keep watching me when I go home as well. That's all it really is, appointments and making sure that my body's recovering well and taking care of itself."
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While she can't be home for Christmas, Meredith says Christmas is coming to her.
"I have a lot of family and friends coming over Christmas break, and we have a little tree over here in Ronald McDonald House to make it festive. And I made ornaments that are with my mom, and so it's all decorated, and we're ready for Christmas and the visitors that are going to come," Meredith noted.
Meredith's mom, Sara, says at times, it seems the transplant operation was the easiest part.
"She has clinic appointments multiple times a week, and lab draws, cardiology appointments, kidney appointments," said Sara with WBEN. "As hard as that was because her transplant is actually pristine, like her liver numbers are absolutely beautiful, with high steroids that they give a patient for liver transplant, anti rejection, she has very high blood pressure, but by putting her on blood pressure medication that puts a strain on her kidneys, the high blood pressure puts a strain on her heart."
She says that means they're not just following up with the liver doctors.
"Now we're following up with transplant and cardiology and renal. She has occupational therapy and physical therapy to regain muscle mass that she has lost in the time that she spent so much time in a hospital bed," Sara noted.
Sara says they're also taking time to try to do fun things, like decorating cookies with volunteers, or visiting therapy dogs, and doing homework.
Speaking of homework, Meredith says the teachers have all been great.
"They're very accommodating with me. I'm very unable to do homework for a while, so they're all working with me and telling me what I need to get done and patient with me, and it's very nice," Meredith said.
Sara says they've given their thanks to the donor's family via a written letter.
"Some families it's enough that we say thank you, and other families will want to meet her. So our step is done. We're just waiting to see if they respond, and whatever their choice is the right choice for them," Sara said.
They also thank the community, which has extended well beyond Western New York, for their support and their love and their prayers.
Meredith is expected to return home by mid-February.