My name is Donna Tanner. Please allow me a moment of your time to share my story with you. At this stage in my life, I find myself at a crucial crossroad. In 1968, I contracted auto-immune hepatitis, a liver disease where your body attacks healthy liver tissue. My doctors had no idea why this happened to me and gave me 2 weeks to live. I was 23 years old at the time. I was fortunate to meet the requirements to take clinical trial medications for a while. I survived but, ultimately, it turned into cirrhosis and today I am in end-stage liver failure. I need a lifesaving liver transplant however the cost can be overwhelming.
I was born in Canada then moved to Orlando, FL in 1956 when I was 11-years-old. My husband Bobby and I met when he was 16 and I was 15. Seven years later, we married though I was in the throes of my illness. He is the love of my life, my best friend, and my caregiver who has been by my side all these years. Throughout my life, I have worked as a nurturer and caregiver; I am a mother; and the proud grandmother of Violet. I have never been a drinker nor did I ever smoke, yet here I am so sick at a time when I have so much for which to live.
My husband and I have only one source of income between us, our social security and we are facing very high expenses even with insurance. There is travel to and from the hospital in Jacksonville from our home in Orlando. Our hotel will cost about $179/night and I am required to stay near the hospital for 3-4 months while I recover from surgery. After the transplant and for the rest of my life, I need to take anti-rejection medications that cost approximately $18,000 yearly. I have been told to anticipate around $40,000 of out-of-pocket expenses. This is a challenge Bobby and I cannot face alone. You can make the difference.
To help with the financial burden of uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign has been established in my honor with Help Hope Live, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to help patients and families in need for more than 30 years. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law and are held by Help Hope Live in the Southeast Transplant Fund. Donations are allocated by Help Hope Live based on financial need for medical expenses. Please, consider making a tax-deductible contribution today.
For credit card donations, please click the Donate Now button.
I’m in the battle of my life and I need financial, spiritual and emotional support from everyone possible. I desperately want to see my granddaughter grow up to be a successful and caring young woman and to spend time with my family making amazing memories together. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Any help is greatly appreciated. May God please you and your family.
Donna Tanner
(407-857-3713)
