Dear Family and Friends,
As some of you may already know, in 2010, I was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Since then it has become more and more difficult for me to breathe. Doctors put me on oxygen 24 hours a day, seven days a week but simple daily tasks continued to be a challenge for me to complete without becoming exhausted and out of breath. Then the unthinkable happened. I was in and out of the hospital for a period of three months but the last time I was admitted, I was put on life support for two weeks. The seriousness of my illness was not lost on me. I went to a rehab center, weighing in at a mere 102 lbs. Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic determined I need a lung transplant to survive.
This is why I am writing this letter. Organ transplantation is lifesaving, but very expensive. There are some things that my insurance company will not cover that I will need to pay out-of-pocket such as travel to and from the center, relocation for me and my caregiver and immunosuppressant medications, which I will have to take for the rest of my life. That is why the Cleveland Clinic’s transplant department recommended fundraising.

Keith has chosen to fundraise with HelpHOPELive in part because HelpHOPELive assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for donors. Donors can be sure that funds donated will be used only to pay or reimburse medically-related expenses. For more information, please contact HelpHOPELive at 800.642.8399.

Your financial gifts will be greatly appreciated and will help me make it through this difficult time.
With sincere gratitude,
Keith Barnett
(419-732-8864)