Fundraisers set for woman recovering from liver transplant

Friends and family of Dianna Longknife Main, 61, a member of the Assiniboine, or Nakoda, Tribe of Fort Belknap Indian Reservation have set up some fundraisers to help cover costs while she recovers from a liver transplant.

Lorraine Pester, her cousin, said Main had been waiting for a transplant for non-alcohol related liver disease at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and then was transferred to the list at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix.

With her overall condition quickly deteriorating, she received a transplant in Phoenix in about three weeks, about a month-a-and-a-half ago, Pester said, and has been under observation and care there since.

Pester said the transplant went well and the liver is responding well, but her body is fighting the transplant and doctors want her to remain there under observation for a year, at this point.

"She is recovering well but requires constant monitoring and adjustments to her many medications to avoid rejection and infection as well as to protect her other organs," Pester said.

Her husband, William "Snuffy" Main, and other family members are staying with her in Phoenix, with family members rotating down to Phoenix to help her husband with her care.

Her family is also helping maintain their home while they are in Phoenix.

Main's family and friends have been holding fundraisers to help defray the costs while she recovers.

One of those is set for Thursday at Havre's Pizza Hut. When people paying for a dine-in or carry-out purchase say they are donating to Dianna Longknife Main, the restaurant will put 20% of the purchase price to the fundraising account.

An account also has been set up at Bear Paw Credit Union, the Dianna Longknife Main Benefit Account, where people can make contributions to help with the expenses.