Help Hope Live for Nathan Miller

In 2016, at age 25, I was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease stage IV, specifically Glomerulonephritis. The treatment I received was a type of chemotherapy along with steroids. Fortunately, this stopped the progression of the kidney disease but unfortunately, the side effects had produced additional issues.The Cyclophosphamide had caused many side effects, most notably infertility and the prolonged Prednisone treatment eventually caused bone decay. After a few years of worsening pain with a limp and various doctors telling me that it was tendon or muscle related, a chance xray at a chiropractor happened to capture that the ball of my right hip had fractured and completely collapsed. A few months later I received a total hip replacement and I have been relatively pain free since. I am proud to say that I have paid off all of my medical debts from the last eight years. I am fortunate in that my fertility did return and I have two healthy sons with my wife. I also would like to think that this experience has given me the motivation to take chances I may not have otherwise. I have uprooted from New York to live in North Carolina, having tried many failed routes along the way, in pursuit of my own personally fulfilling odyssey. I can gladly say that I have found fulfillment in many facets of my life with persistance and with support from the people in my life.The medical treatment was not a cure, however. Since diagnosis, I have adjusted my diet by cutting out different salts. The best way to do this is to cook from scratch with no processed foods (canned/frozen/cured food), cutting out certain fruits and veggies and double checking all nutritional labels. Even still, I regularly experience muscle cramping and fatigue, especially if I exert myself too much. I cannot just drink a sports drink or eat a banana if I do start to cramp as I cannot process the potassium that most people normally can. I still work full time for now doing field work but I have to be careful not to overextend myself as I am used to.Continuous monitoring shows a steady decline in kidney function and I currently sit at about 17% function. This has allowed me to get onto the transplant waiting list with an estimated 4-6 yrs to wait but it is projected that I will need dialysis by about 5% before a kidney becomes available. The hospital literature has given estimates for post-operation anti-rejection medicines but I am uncertain of what the total cost will be for dialysis and the surgery. The Help Hope Live website estimates costs more than $400,000 before insurance.I have established an account with the charity Help Hope Live to try to get ahead of the financial burden that this will place on me and my family. I have been informed that GoFundMe is taxed as the same as income since it can be used on anything just the same as income. Working with this charity will allow almost all of the funding to go directly to my medical expenses. Helping raise donations will keep my children from losing out on all the life experiences they deserve if I never had these health issues in the first place. Having the kidney transplant means that I can be along side them every step of the way after the surgery and watch them succeed. Being healthy enough to support my wife means everything to me because she has sacrificed so much for me already.Family and friends of Nathan Miller are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with transplantation.Nathan has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.Thank you for your support!