My name is Latosha Moody, a 44-year-old proud mother of four boys and grandmother of one grandson. On February 18, 2014, I was diagnosed with stage-4 kidney failure. Testing showed my kidney function was at only 1% for each kidney! Now, I am in end-stage renal disease and my doctors at Oklahoma University have told me I need a kidney transplant to survive.
I am from a small town in McLain, MS and came to live in Lawton, OK in 2010. I spent many years working hard to complete my college education and graduated in 2012! I looked forward to beginning on the career path I had chosen and started as a substitute teacher within the Lawton Public School system while continuing to work as a tax professional for Jackson Hewitt. My life was finally on track. It was around that time I was thrown a curve ball when I became so sick that I had to put my career goals on hold again. My weeks now consist of 3 days (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) of dialysis treatment that last 3 ½ hours a day. Tuesdays and Thursdays are filled with doctors’ appointments with my cardiologist, nephrologist, gastroenterologist, orthodontist, oncologist, and my primary doctor. It is vital that I stay clear of any infections to continue to qualify for a kidney transplant.
My only income is my disability since I can no longer work due to my illness. Kidney transplants are lifesaving but extremely expensive. I was informed that once I get my new kidney, there will be medical costs that my insurance will not cover so I must pay out-of-pocket. Those costs will include co-pays, insurance premiums, anti-rejection medication, travel expenses to and from the hospital and relocation. This is where I need the help and support of family and friends to help with this financial challenge I cannot face alone.
To help with the financial burden of these uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in my 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 South-Central Kidney Transplant Fund, and are administered by Help Hope Live for transplant-related expenses only. Please consider a contribution.
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I have my four sons, a grandson and a very recent daughter-in-law. I desperately want to be here to spend time with them, watch my grandson grow and to ultimately pursue my teaching career. I am asking for your support in any way you can. Your help can make the difference. Thank you and God bless you.
Gratefully,
Latosha Moody and family
lm905516@cameron.edu
