Yulonda Beatty
HelpHOPELive Southeast Kidney Transplant Fund

Yulonda “Joy” Beatty is a courageous young woman who has battled with Systemic Lupus for 25 years. Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which attacks various parts of the body, including the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and brain. Yulonda’s kidneys are now under attack, causing chronic renal failure. Yulonda has faced many medical problems and hospitalizations, and now a kidney transplant is her only chance of survival. In spite of her illness, Yulonda has shown incredible strength and tenacity. Yulonda has her BA from Hampton University and her MBA from Howard University. Her determination and will to live is incredibly admirable, thus, there is Joy in her Journey!

Yulonda has been on the kidney transplant list at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GAfor over 3 years and is in need of a kidney donor. Because of the extraordinary expense for this procedure, funding for her operation is extremely expensive. Even with insurance, there will be a significant uninsured medical costs including travel to and from the hospital, lodging, payments for hospital and clinic visits as well as immunosuppressant medications that Yulonda will need to take for the rest of her life. These are just a few of the many uninsured expenses Yulonda is facing. Yulonda’s disability has hindered her ability to work and maintain a steady income — a financial challenge that she cannot meet alone.