Rita Cicala is a dear friend who is very ill. After years of struggling with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), a kidney transplant is her only hope of long term survival. Rita is one of the kindest people you’ll ever meet. She’s a wonderful friend and mother, and puts a smile on everyone’s face. She really needs our help because the cost of a transplant can be overwhelming.
Rita grew up in Norristown, PA and graduated from Bishop Kenrick High School. She went on to study Elementary Education at Penn State where she met her beloved husband Mike. They went on to have two wonderful children and were able to do so much together, including traveling to Europe. She has very much enjoyed being a mom.
Unbeknownst to her, she had PKD and did not find out about the disease until she was 41. She had a kidney stone and when they were doing diagnostic tests, they discovered the disease. Rita’s two children have a 50/50 chance of having the condition as well, but fortunately so far have no symptoms. Mike wanted to donate a kidney to her, but he is unable because he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Even with insurance, Rita is facing very high expenses including the surgery, post-transplant medications, co-pays, lab fees, travel expenses to and from the hospital, as well as her donor’s medical expenses. All of this presents a challenge she and Mike cannot meet alone.
To help offset these expenses, a fundraising campaign in Rita’s honor has been established with Help Hope Live, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law, are held by Help Hope Live in the Mid-Atlantic Kidney Transplant Fund, and are administered by Help Hope Live for transplant-related expenses only. To make a donation, click Donate Now.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and desire to help.
Sincerely,
Laura Randazzo, family friend
[email protected] / 410-960-1350
