Kelley Paterno, formerly Gwendolyn Keleene Ingle (Rummell), has lived in the Houston, Texas area all her life. She is the wife of Robert (Bob) Patemo and has one son, Vernon Rummell, who lives in Tucson, Arizona, with his wife, Ellen, and their seven-year-old daughter, Kennedy. Kelley had a very active, full life until 1996 when she was diagnosed with Hepatitis C caused by a blood transfusion. The disease progressed to cirrhosis of the liver for the 68-year-old wife and mother now living in Pearland, TX. Further complicating Kelley’s situation was her diagnosis of liver cancer in October, 2011. Doctors at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital have told her the best chance for survival is a liver transplant. On December 1, 2011, Kelley was placed on the transplant waiting list!
Kelley worked in the banking industry for over 27 years and with one bank for 24 of those years. Prior to her illness, Kelley’s interests included such activities as ballroom dancing, genealogy, tennis and card games-especially Bridge. She is a member of South Main Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas. Her faith in God and the support of her family, friends, and church have helped her enormously during almost two decades of struggling with liver disease. Yet, during most of her adult life, Kelley worked tirelessly in charitable agencies like the United Way, American Heart Association, and Muscular Dystrophy. She has always tried to help others and now she herself is in need of your help.
Kelley is eagerly looking forward to the transplant as it will allow her to function without pain. The constant fatigue and itching will disappear along with the insomnia. Kelley will be able to drive a car again and live a normal life. These are some of the many blessings transplantation will bring. However, the costs of medication alone are overwhelming. After surgery, Kelley will go home from the hospital with 15 to 20 medications that are exorbitantly expensive. The anti-rejection drug alone costs over $2,000 a month and must be taken monthly for the rest of her life. Her insurance will not cover all the medication costs and many of the other transplant-related expenses that Kelley is facing.
To help offset some of these expenses, a fundraising campaign has been established with HelpHOPELive in honor of Kelley. HelpHOPELive is a nonprofit 501(C)(3) organization that has been assisting the transplant community for nearly thirty years. All donations are tax deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the South-Central Liver Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Please consider making a donation:
Make checks payable to:
HelpHOPELive
Note in the memo section:
In Honor of Kelley Patemo
Please send to:
Help HOPELive
Two Radnor Corporate Center
100 Matsonford Road, Suite 100
Radnor, PA 19087
To make a secure credit card contribution, call 800-642-8399 or select “Donate Now.”
Your support is crucial! Any fundraising ideas or help you can give is welcome!
With sincere gratitude,
Liz Bennett
(Friend of Kelley)
713-972-1373
