Family and friends of Leanna Baldridge are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with a Transplant. Leanna has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because donations are tax deductible for contributors and will only be used to cover medical and related expenses. Here is her story.
Hi, my name is Leanna Baldridge. I am a church-going wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a dog-mom. I live in a modest home with my husband, on a small wooded lot in northern Indiana. My family lives close, so I spend as much time as possible with my three grand-babies. I am only 55 years old and already in kidney failure.
I am a huge outdoor enthusiast. I enjoy making flower beds and planting baby trees on our property. I also enjoy fishing, camping, and hiking with my family. I have album upon album of nature photography that I have taken along my many hikes thru the woods. I am also an artist, and often bring nature inside thru drawing, painting, and pottery.
I can no longer do the things I love, because of my Kidney failure and required dialysis. Dialysis takes a huge chunk of my time each week. I am on a machine 4 hours a day, three times per week. All of my appointments, errands, and family gatherings, must be planned around my dialysis. This not only effects my immediate household, but also my entire family. Dialysis also makes you very weak and tired, so I feel ill many days out of the week. I am lucky if I get to see my grand-babies once a week.
I am currently waiting on a kidney transplant. I am excited about being on the transplant list, however, the list is long and there are many out of pocket expenses associated with transplants. Before the transplant there is a lot of testing and trips to various doctor’s offices. After the transplant there are even MORE Dr. visits and tests to be done. On top of all that, many of the anti-rejection drugs that I will require to live may have high co-pays.
Insurance companies will cover some, but not all cost of the tests and medication. Insurance does not usually include lodging when overnight stays are needed, mileage, or food while hours away from home for Dr. visits.
There are many other expenses not mentioned here. I am hoping that the transplant will allow me to return to my active life, and spend more time with my grand-babies.
We are planning on holding some fundraising events in the future, so keep an eye out on this site for more details. If you would like to help with any fundraising event you can contact my daughter Whitley, at [email protected]. If you would like to make a donation TODAY, just click on “GIVE” bottom on this site. Thank you very much for reading my story and considering a donation towards getting me back to the healthy and active life I love.
Thank you for your support!
Leanna
