Dear Friends and Family:

As many of you already know, for the last several years, I have been battling end stage renal disease. For five years now, I have been on dialysis 3 days a week, 3 hours and 30 minutes a day. This is what is helping to keep me alive. Though I am doing fairly well with my treatments, I am still unable to work full-time. My only real shot at a long and healthy life is to receive a kidney transplant as soon as possible.

I have already completed my medical evaluation at The Medical University of South Carolina. I am also currently working on a second evaluation in Virginia. However, due to the extraordinary expense of transplantation, as well as my inability to work regularly, funding this life-saving operation is a monumental task. Despite having Medicare, many of my medical expenses are not covered and must be paid out-of-pocket. It will take $20,000 to $40,000 for my life-long immunosuppressant medications and about $5,000 before the doctors can even start the transplant. Also the expense of traveling to and from the medical center and the three month relocation costs at the time of the transplant will be high. This presents a challenge I will not be able to meet alone.