Our dad has been battling diabetes for several years, and for the last six years he has maintained his health through dialysis treatments three days a week. After a long wait on the active transplant waiting list, the phone call we had all been waiting for finally came in November 2012 — there was a donor organ available and Dad received his Gift of Life – his kidney transplant!
When I was a little boy growing up in Mexico I adored my Dad. He was the most important man in my life. Dad was always in a good mood, making jokes, singing, doing his little dancing moves. I have the most wonderful memories of him. He was gentle, sensitive, peaceful, equilibrated. He did everything he could to make others happy and his dream was for everyone in our family to get along. He moved to America for better job opportunities, working day and night so that he could send money back to us for our living and education expenses, but especially for my heavy and very expensive asthma treatments in Mexico (he also managed to send his parents a bit of money every two weeks as well). He did this for many years until he was finally able to bring us to America.
Dad had many dreams as a boy, and placed all those dreams inside a box under his bed; he stopped being a little boy too soon. Instead of playing like everyone else, he spent most of his time working. Maybe he couldn’t make his dreams come true because of us, but I thank him every day for making our dreams come true. My sister finished school and is now the mother of two; my brother is a duplicate of Dad and now a father himself. As for me, I went from a kid with asthma attacks to a healthy boy who, thanks to his dad, is able to step on a soccer field today and play the “beautiful game.” All of this was accomplished while Dad fought diabetes every day.
Even with insurance, Dad now faces many uninsured transplant-related expenses such as: co-pays and deductibles, doctor visits, travel to and from the transplant center and the costly anti-rejection medications that he must take for the rest of his life. This is a financial burden that neither he nor the family can meet on our own — we need your help.
To help with this financial burden, a fundraising campaign in Dad’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the South-Central Kidney Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Your contribution is greatly appreciatedThank you for you kindness and generosity. Together we can make a difference and help our hero fight his everyday battle.
Sincerely,
Tamayo family
254-939-4497