This is not the first time Festus faced a serious medical illness. On March 8, 2006, he suffered a massive stroke that left the left side of his body paralyzed. Since then he has been unable to work and remains on disability. His wife Zita has been unable to find employment even though she has her MBA, a Bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies, and her CN (certified nutritionist) diploma. For these reasons Festus in unable to afford secondary insurance. He has Medicare only.

On March 3rd he was discharged from the hospital but continues to travel back and for to UNC for follow-up doctor visits every four weeks to check his kidney function, have lab work done and review his post-transplant medications. These are immunosuppressants he will need to take for the rest of his life and can total up to $5000 for a 30 day supply.

To help with the financial burden of Festus’ uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in his honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the South-Atlantic Kidney Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Please consider a contribution.

For credit card contributions, please click the yellow Donate Now button.

Thank you for your prayers, support and generosity. Please know your contribution counts.

With sincere gratitude,
Zita Okodo (Festus’ wife)
919-280-3632