Lincolnite Recovers from Severe Liver Damage at Independence Center

The day after Easter in 2023, Jenny Quicke found herself in the emergency room. Doctors had just told her that if she had kept drinking for just three more days, she would have died. She was severely dehydrated and anemic, and suffering from catastrophic liver damage.

Alcohol was never a part of her life growing up. Born in Gary, Nebraska, she grew up in a Catholic family with three brothers. She was a high achiever in school who competed in multiple sports.

After graduating high school in 2003, she went to Western Nebraska Community College and played volleyball on scholarship. A few months after turning 21, she decided to move in with two of her brothers in Lincoln and attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Her newfound adulthood and Lincoln nightlife became a dangerous combination. Looking back now, 20 years later, Jenny calls that first year of legal drinking “addicting.” She started going out to bars a few days a week to socialize while at UNL.

It was only the beginning.

A Steady Fall

Over time, Jenny’s drinking steadily increased. She started working at a local bar and grill as a bartender. After quickly working her way to a management position, she dropped out of school to focus on her job.

With her nights spent around people drinking and having a good time, it was hard for her to resist joining in.

She would stick around work after her shift and grab a few drinks. Often, she would wake up hungover.

“I just thought I was young, so it was fine.”

Jenny was soon tested by tragedy. She suffered a miscarriage, and her relationship with her partner at the time ended. She was still steady at work and in her social life, but behind doors her drinking increased.

“In front of everybody else, I was smiling. I was a bartender, so patrons would ask me how my day was, and I would say I was doing great.”

But deep down, she was far from OK.

Hitting the Bottom

The COVID-19 pandemic only made her drinking worse. She was already drinking every day, but during the pandemic she would drink before, during and after work. It was easier to get away with this during a period of reduced contact with friends and family.

Looking back, she calls herself a functional alcoholic. She had become dependent on alcohol – drinking around a bottle of hard alcohol a day – but was still able to juggle day-to-day responsibilities and relationships.

But eventually, she didn’t have an appetite. She could barely swallow food, so she was constantly drinking on an empty stomach. There were days where she would throw up one shot of alcohol and then take another until it stayed down.

“I knew my health was not in a good place, but at that point, I also thought that alcohol was the only way I could feel better,” she said.

Easter weekend of 2023, her parents came to town, but Jenny was too weak to make it to Easter dinner. When her parents came by to check on her, they could tell she was sick and wanted her to seek medical attention. But it wasn’t until they walked outside that they knew she was in serious trouble.

“I stepped into the sunlight, and my mom goes ‘Oh my gosh – you’re yellow. You’re completely yellow.’ They took me right to the emergency room.”

Recovery

MELD scores estimate the severity of a patient’s liver disease and the likelihood of survival over the next three months. The range of scores is from six to 40; the higher the number, the more urgent the need for a transplant. When she was hospitalized, her score was a 31.

Jenny had reached rock bottom and was open to whatever was necessary to get better. In the emergency room, at this turning point in her life, she met Dave Dermann.

Dave is an intervention nurse at the Bryan Independence Center, which has provided alcohol and drug treatment services since 1971. He visits patients at hospitals around Lincoln to help sort through treatment options for substance use. The Independence Center offers various levels of care, including short-term residential, partial care and intensive outpatient services.

When Dave meets with patients, all his recommendations are voluntary on the patient’s part. If somebody doesn’t want to receive treatment, he will leave his card and periodically check in on them.

“What I’ve found is that when you honor those choices, more often than not that person will eventually call you,” Dave said. “Now they know that somebody cares.”

Jenny didn’t need much convincing to use the resources at the Independence Center. After almost a week in the ICU, she was admitted into short-term residential care on April 24.

Jenny said her first few days were rough. She still felt very sick and was nervous about the entire experience. Inpatient care at the center is rigorous, with eight to 10 hours of programming a day.

“Even on a good day, it’s pretty exhausting,” Dave said.

But the programming soon captured her attention.

“I got into the classes and my ears popped open,” she said. “I had realized that I wasn’t just fighting alcoholism; I was fighting for other aspects of my life. I’m the kind of person that, if I’m going to do something, I want to be the best.”

She took detailed notes during each class and found herself staying up late every night researching her disease. She had a strong sense that the Independence Center was where she was meant to be.

Jenny said she also benefitted from the structure of the center.  She established routines for herself and ate three good meals a day. Everybody at the Independence Center has a roommate to encourage accountability.

Jenny said the busy schedule helped take her mind off her addiction.

“The crazy thing is that I wasn’t thinking about wanting to drink, but I was sitting there talking about alcohol.”

Like many Independence Center patients, Jenny slowly moved from the most intensive care to the least. She “graduated” from the Independence Center last July, but her recovery will be constant. She’s currently on Step 11 of the 12-Step Addiction Recovery Program and attends a women’s recovery group every weekend.

Jenny said her experience at the center helped her re-discover her true self.

“I didn’t have to hide who I was anymore,” she said. “I didn’t have to put that fake smile on – I have a real smile now.”

Renewal

In November 2023, Jenny underwent a pre-evaluation for a liver transplant. At the time, it was believed her liver was still too damaged to function long-term. The test results came as a shock to her.

“It was three days of testing, and after everything, they tell me ‘Oh wow, you’re looking good.’”

Her MELD score had dropped all the way to an eight. Her commitment to recovery, bolstered by her time at the Independence Center, had saved her life.

Dave believes Jenny’s desire to get better is a major reason for her success. A patient’s mindset, starting at their first meeting with an intervention nurse, has a large impact on their recovery. 

“We empower people that initially say no and tell them that it’s their decision,” Dave said. “It’s your story. It’s not our story, but we’re here and available to help you.”

One teaching from the center that she has especially held onto is the idea of creating a mental toolbox. She was told the journey she is on is not a luxury cruise – it can be a bumpy voyage.

With support and determination, she has developed the right tools to stay above water.

“The Independence Center is the best thing I’ve ever done, and in a lot of ways, it saved my life.”

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