Arizona woman with weeks to live heads to Mexico for liver transplant

Globe woman with weeks to live heads to Mexico for liver transplant

A Globe woman is heading to Mexico to receive a more affordable liver transplant surgery after not being able to afford one in America. The community rallied behind her to help raise money.

GLOBE, Ariz. - Lilly Machado is in a race against time. She is heading to Mexico in hopes of receiving a liver transplant, an operation she wasn't able to get while in Arizona due to the operation's high price tag.

As of Sept. 29, doctors say Machado has two weeks to live, and that's why she is looking elsewhere for help.

Machado faced $500k price tag for liver transplant

When Machado was diagnosed, she was told she needed $500,000 for a liver transplant and aftercare. The community, rallying together, raised more than $140,000 – but that wasn't enough to help her in the states.

She's heading to Mexico where she's told treatment will be much more affordable. "It's heartwrenching that, you know, Arizona couldn't help her," Andrea Harrison said.

Sarah Gomez agrees.

"It's heartbreaking that she needs to cross the border to get what she needs, it's not something we can offer her here," Gomez said.

Globe community steps up to support Lilly

As she faces non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis, she has support from the Globe community, as dozens of cars made their way from the Cobre Valley Medical Center on Sept. 29, cheering Machado on.

Harrison, who has been Machado's friend for over 10 years, says, "She's just a precious person to me and I want to help her and my heart breaks for her."

Machado, friends say, has been a fixture in the Globe community for years and it's their hope that she will continue to be a shining light for years to come.

"She has impacted our community greatly just by all her acts of kindness. She has become a good friend of mine and we're here to fight with Lilly," Harrison said.