Lydia moved to Florida in 1994 and soon after, her health started to deteriorate. She found out that after a surgical procedure in the late 1970’s she required a blood transfusion which resulted in her contracting Hepatitis C, a debilitating blood disease that affects the liver. She started her liver treatments at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, but soon found herself in the care of the doctors and nurses at Florida Hospital in Orlando, where she was later diagnosed with cancer on her liver. It took another few months before she qualified for the liver transplant list and even then, the first two donor livers were not viable, but as she says, “the third time’s the charm” and sure enough, this September, she received the gift of life, on the same day as her second great-grandson was born. Now we will all celebrate two birthdays!

This brings us to the purpose of this letter. After the liver transplant, Lydia realized how cost prohibitive the anti-rejection medications are, and although she has medical and prescription coverage, there are costs for these life sustaining medications that are above and beyond what her insurance will cover. As friends and family of Lydia, we can offer our help and prayers during this time. We can also help financially. A fundraising campaign in Lydia’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a non-profit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for nearly 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the Southeast Liver Transplant Fund and are administered for transplant-related expenses only. Please consider a contribution.Your support is crucial! To help achieve our fundraising goals, we are planning fundraising activities in Lydia’s honor. Any ideas or help you can give are welcome!

Thank you so much for your gifts and prayers.

With sincere gratitude,

The Friends, Family and Daughters of Lydia Rosario