Candice East Sheets Benefit Dinner June 21st

By DANIELLE REID

Patriot Publishing

Candice East Sheets has a lot of friends – some of them she has never met.  But on Saturday, June 21, she hopes to thank all of them for their generosity and love.

Sheets has had a lengthy battle with a health issue, beginning toward the end of 2022 when she was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver.  She was stunned by the diagnosis because she didn’t have the lifestyle that people associate with this disease.

“One day, three years ago, I was in severe pain and thought it was an ulcer.  I went to the ER and they told me I had cirrhosis of the liver.  Everyone automatically thinks its from bad health choices.  What I had was a rare genetic disorder caused by an enzyme produced in the liver,” she said.

Candice East Sheets

Cirrhosis of the liver is a condition where healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue, impairing liver function. This scarring is typically irreversible and can be caused by various factors, including chronic hepatitis, excessive alcohol consumption, and fatty liver disease.  Other less common causes include autoimmune hepatitis, biliary tract diseases, certain inherited conditions, and some medications.

Sheets kept the Cirrhosis health diagnosis to herself and her family.

“I had a relatively normal 2023, while trying desperately to slow the process, but things began to get worse at the start of 2024. I began to turn jaundice, put on lots of weight due to fluid, couldn’t walk without a walker, and had to have a hospital bed placed in my house,” Sheets recalled.

“By April of 2024, I was going for albumin and blood transfusions every other day at Lewis Gale  Hospital in Pulaski. Finally, in May, my body was starting to give out.  The rest of the year prior to my transplant was a battle to stay alive.  Luckily, an ER doctor at Lewis Gale Hospital in Pulaski had been a resident at VCU at one time and he made contact with someone at VCU,”stated Sheets.  Although she doesn’t remember his name, she credits him with saving her life with his diagnosis and referral.

Being raised in a military home instilled in her values of independence, self-sufficiency, and persistence.  However, those values also caused some conflicts when she realized she needed help doing daily things most people take for granted.  It also caused emotional distress when she realized she needed financial assistance to cover the myriad of expenses associated with travel to distant hospitals, hotel stays and meal expenses while away from home.

She also needed a caregiver to accompany her.  Because her husband, Jimmy Sheets, Jr. was working tirelessly to keep the bills paid, her father, John East Jr. – a 20-year retired veteran stepped in and became her main caregiver.

“Trying to cope with everything was very taxing mentally.  It was difficult to cope, and then when we couldn’t handle it financially, we tried a Go-Fund-Me.  I felt like a beggar,” confessed Sheets.

Sheets added that she felt alone, ashamed for being sick and having to ask for help.

“I felt ‘less than’ but knew we couldn’t do it without help.”

Sheets’ former classmate, Kristen Vaughan and her mother, Sherry Vaughan, heard about her dilemma and recently offered to host a fundraiser for her when they discovered things had gotten financially difficult.

The Vaughans put Sheets’ information on Facebook; and are hosting a benefit dinner and concert on Saturday, June 21, to support Sheets. The benefit event will be held at the Dublin Baptist Church on Hawkins Street. The Hot Dog Dinner runs from 4 to 6 p.m. and the Blue Ridge Vocal Connection will perform family-friendly songs from 6 to 7:30 p.m.  Over 20 local merchants have been instrumental in supporting the benefit and have donated door prizes.

Sheets gave much credit to Dublin Baptist Church for agreeing to host and hold Saturday’s event with the help of Blue Ridge Vocal Connection.

Door prize donors include:

Thai This Radford

Gem City Market Pulaski

Rock House Marina Dublin

Mom n Em’s Dublin

Martin’s Pharmacy Dublin/Pulaski

84 Lumber Pulaski

Family Corner Deli Pulaski

Emmanuel Bookstore Pulaski

Second and Fifth Wytheville

Home Depot Christiansburg

Lakewood Consulting Services Hiwassee

El Ranchero Dublin

Hayden Electric Pulaski

TA Produce Dublin

Cougar Express Pulaski

Poor Boys Produce Pulaski

Greg Ridpath Insurance Pulaski

Shelor Motor Mile Pulaski

Pulaski River Turtles

Kim’s Family Hair Care Pulaski

Initially, Sheets was denied a liver transplant and told she was too heavy, but after getting an appointment at VCU, her medical team realized she was full of fluid.  They drained off 100  pounds of it.  After that, Sheets said she went through grueling tests and was pretty much told her condition was so critical that she might not make it without a liver transplant.

Sheets did receive a donated liver, but for the past 11 months, her body has been in rejection.

“You think when you get a donated liver or organ that everything is okay now, but it might not be.

John Sheets Jr
JohnEast Jr.

“I had to swallow my own mortality at age 46.  I didn’t want others to go through this unprepared, so I started doing research,” said Sheets.  Since then, she has become an advocate on-line for other transplant patients, teaching them to take care of their body and helping others to take action to avoid fatty liver disease.  Sheets is also an advocate for organ donations.

“The way I can give back is by paying it forward.  Not with money but by educating people in support groups online or people with kids with a diagnosis of fatty liver.  I can help them with diet suggestions, etc.”

Interested people can contact Sheets on Tik Tok under @CandySheets.

One of the lessons Sheets says she learned is, “That its okay to ask for help when you need help.  I feel so much love and support from a community who may not know me but are willing to help.  I’m shocked and in awe of the support.  I can never put into words how much I appreciate the community coming together to help someone they don’t even know.  Pulaski County residents are amazing.”

The public is cordially invited to join them on Saturday, June 21 for an evening of food, music and community in support of Sheets.

For more information or to donate call: 540-320-3058