Dear Friends & Family
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Have you ever thought that today might be the day you save a life? It very well could be!
My dear friend, Kristal Peese, needs a kidney. She is the 35 year-old wife of Cody who is a 4th grade school teacher, and, with a blended family, the mother of three children, two girls, ages 10 and 8, and a boy, age 10.
The week of her eighth birthday, Kristal developed diabetes. Throughout her childhood and into adulthood, the doctors could not control her blood sugar levels. When she was twenty-four years old, her kidneys started to fail and the doctors told her that she would need a kidney and pancreas transplant. She was placed on dialysis and the transplant list, and then in April 2007 she received her new organs. However, in April of 2011 she learned that her body was rejecting the new kidney. Though Kristal experiences very uncomfortable reactions to dialysis, she will need to begin it in the next 6 weeks. A kidney transplant is now her only chance of survival.
The point of my letter is to ask you to consider being a kidney donor and/or for your financial gift. It is easy to find out if you qualify to donate a kidney. You can call the San Antonio Organ Donor line at 210-575-4483 and answer a few simple questions that will determine if you are able to donate. Further testing is required, but will be paid for by Kristal’s insurance.
Because of the extraordinary expense of transplantation, funding this life-saving operation is a monumental task. Despite having insurance, many of Kristal’s medical needs are not covered and must be paid out-of-pocket. We anticipate substantial uninsured costs such as lifelong immunosuppressant medications, travel to and from the Methodist Medical Center in Houston, and relocation at the time of transplant. This presents a challenge that Kristal and her husband cannot meet alone.
You can help make a difference in Kristal’s life. A fundraising campaign in Kristal’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 South-Central Kidney Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Please consider making a contribution.Every day is a special day, a gift from God. Thank you for helping to help give Kristal another chance at life.

Pam Matthies
830-456-8527 or [email protected]