We are writing to you as friends of Yvette Moreno. As all of you know, she has been on a difficult and costly struggle since being hospitalized with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) while in Spain during the summer of 2009 on a family visit. Although she had suffered severe migraines as the toxins in her body increased for two years, it was originally believed the migraines were the result of stress relating to her fiancé, Jared’s, sudden death in 2007.
Yvette was initially hospitalized for a month, followed by dialysis and surgery. She was finally discharged in mid-October 2009 and returned to Florida. Her days since then have been filled with time-consuming and painful procedures, doctor visits, self-administered dialysis four times per day, an enormous amount of paperwork, and attempts to battle very frustrating insurance issues. Yvette has no options – her doctors have told her that her survival depends on a kidney transplant.
Her primary insurance carrier did not cover any of her expenses, and has since cancelled her policy, ruling that her renal failure (although she was not aware of it) was a pre-existing condition when she purchased the policy. She is currently covered through Medicare, and also has a secondary policy. Those premiums are nearly $1,100 per month, but the American Kidney Foundation (AKF) is paying them and will continue to do so, but only until the time of Yvette’s transplant.
Even with insurance, Yvette will have many uninsured, transplant-related expenses such as: co-pays and deductibles, doctor visits, post-transplant secondary insurance premiums and the costly immunosuppressant medications that she will need to take for the rest of her life. This presents a financial challenge that she cannot meet alone — this is where we are asking for your help.
To help with her uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in Yvette’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive (formerly NTAF), a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for nearly 30 years. All contributions are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the Southeast Kidney Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. You can help make a difference in Yvette’s life. Please consider making a contribution.We all know that Yvette is a hard-working, and deserving, young woman. While a full-time student, she was employed by The Loxahatchee Club, and following graduation, she continued to dedicate over 50 hours a week to The Club and our membership. She hopes to one day resume teaching, although she has been told she will be unable to teach young children because of the possible exposure to infection. Together, we can make a difference by assisting Yvette during this difficult time. Thank you, in advance, for your generosity and support.
Nancy N. Paton Dottie Pepper
nancynpaton@gmail.com furball93@gmail.com