November 28, 2017

GIVING TUESDAY IS TODAY
Join Our Matching Donor in Helping Rebecca!
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On this day of gratitude and giving, we want to share the good news that after a challenging year, our beloved Rebecca O’Doherty is well enough for her next major round of treatments. A generous donor has offered to match all donations to support Rebecca’s uninsured medical care from the beginning of November to the end of the year!

Additionally, if you give today, Tuesday, November 28th, National Giving Day, Help Hope Live will generously cover the credit card fee for ALL your donations made at their website.

Please join us in supporting Rebecca’s medical treatment by making a tax-deductible donation through Help Hope Live. As you may be aware, this treatment is costly, not covered by insurance, and every expense will be paid out-of-pocket. Any size contribution will be greatly appreciated and any donations made before December 31st are tax-deductible for 2017.

November 27, 2017

Good News and Gratitude This Thanksgiving
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We have great news! It has been a tough year, but Rebecca has responded well enough to her last round of immunotherapy and stem cell therapy that she is ready for the most intensive phase of treatment yet. Thanks to your generous support this summer and fall Rebecca is now in the best health possible to receive the next phase of stem cell transplants that will be pivotal to her recovery.

It’s wonderful during this season of thanks to reflect on the generosity, love, and support that Rebecca has received from all of you. We are so grateful that your support made her medical treatment possible, and as we approach Giving Tuesday, November 28th, we ask for your special consideration for a donation to help her get her next transplant in December. As you may be aware, this treatment is costly and not covered by insurance.

Your donations will go even farther this giving season, as on Giving Tuesday, November 28th, Help Hope Live will generously cover the credit card fee for ALL your donations made to Help Hope Live in honor of Rebecca. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution. Any size contribution will be greatly appreciated. There’s still time to enjoy tax savings in 2017 if you donate before December 31st.

Please keep Rebecca in your thoughts and prayers – it has been a long road and we are so grateful so many family members and friends have rallied around Rebecca. With your generous support Rebecca will receive the next phase of treatment that she needs and can look forward to a bright future.

Help us make this possible!

This fundraising campaign in Rebecca’s honor has been established with Help HOPE Live, a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for over thirty years. All donations are tax-deductible, are held by Help HOPE Live in the New York Stem Cell Transplant Fund, and are administered by Help HOPE Live for medically-related expenses.

For more information contact Amelia Kirby at [email protected]
Gail O’Doherty at [email protected] or (516) 317-2847.

Donations made in honor of a specific individual or in response to campaign solicitations are restricted by region only and do not obligate HelpHopeLive to allocate funds toward a specific individual, as the IRS would deem such donations to be private gifts, which are not tax deductible. Patients receive support according to their medical and financial need. Help Hope Live is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Information at 800-642-8399.

A copy of the latest annual report can be obtained from the organization or from the office of the Attorney General by writing Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271

June 10, 2017

Read our Update on June 3rd’s
Walk for Wellness

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Dear friends and family,

Thank You!

The Walk for Wellness went beautifully last Saturday! A great group of friends and family gathered for a fun walk on a gorgeous day (check out these happy faces!). We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who came to join us and everyone who supported us virtually with your donations and good wishes!

We are so thankful for your love and support, and your participation in Becky’s Help HOPE Live Walk for Wellness fundraiser. It has been incredible to see the care and commitment so many people have for Becky! With your help she will receive the medical care she needs.

We’re very happy to report we’ve made progress towards our goal and 57 individuals and families have participated in the Walk for Wellness by donating to Becky’s Help HOPE Live Fund. We hope to reach our goal of 100 total participants by June 30th and you can help!

Online Support
One of the simplest, most effective ways to help is to share information, adding your own personal message about the campaign and why you care, with your networks through facebook or email. If you would like materials that you can personalize please get in touch and we’ll share!

Walk Where You Are, When You Can
Others are organizing their own informal Walks for Wellness with a few friends and family. We’d be delighted to help you set up an easy, informal walk in your home community!

For more information or if you’d like to donate directly you can contribute to the campaign at helphopelive.org

Thank you all so very much for your inspiring, loving, generous support! We can’t say enough what it means to Becky and to her family to have such a powerful network of care.

Thank you so much,

Gail and George O’Doherty
and
Amelia Kirby

June 1, 2017

Hello all!

You’ve been an integral part of helping Rebecca O’Doherty through her arduous medical journey and we are at a new, hopeful moment in that process. The treatment you‘ve helped make possible has made a significant difference in her health and she is now preparing for a third round of stem cell treatment. This is a critical time in her treatment and folks are rallying to help her through!

On Saturday, June 3rd, a group of friends and family will walk in Long Island, New York to raise funds in honor of Rebecca. We are reaching out to our communities and networks asking for donations to help us raise funds for the upcoming treatment and meet our Walk-a-thon goal. Your willingness to help raise funds for Rebecca in 2016 made a big difference and I’m hoping you may choose to join our efforts again!

As we build momentum for the fundraising walk, I’m seeking both direct support for the fundraiser and also assistance in spreading the word.

a forward-able email letter can be found here:
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If you’d like to help us, there are many ways to raise money in your network. Here are some ideas:

a) For those who know Rebecca and would be likely to donate, and those who don’t know her, but love and trust you and might be interested in donating with the right ask, an email, facebook message or phone call to ask for folks to contribute through the online fundraiser page. Similarly, you can post to your social media and ask that others share the link. Whether email or social media consider editing the attached letter for your purposes with a personal introduction at the top before sharing. An appeal from you to your circle or community usually is much more effective if you share why the effort or person is important to you.

b) If you (or any potential donors) belong to corporate matching gifts program, here’s the cause for you! Donations to Rebecca’s campaign are eligible for corporate matches. If there are any questions about how this works, contact Susann Reiher at HelpHOPELive: [email protected] / 800.642.839

Please let us know if there is any other way you would like to be involved!

With love,
Amelia Kirby

June 1, 2017

On Saturday, June 3rd, a group of friends and family will walk to raise funds in honor of Rebecca O’Doherty

more information – goo.gl

February 18, 2016

Wow! We’ve reached $12,806 to support Rebecca’s medical treatment thanks to all your support and efforts!

January 25, 2016

Thanks to your support we’ve reached $9,820 in donations for Rebecca’s medical fund. We have one week left to meet our goal and have all donations doubled by our matching donor!

January 7, 2016

Thanks to your love and support we’ve raised $6,505 so far! Thank you so much to those who have given to the campaign or shown your support by sharing with others. Your contribution is so appreciated. We have three weeks left to meet our goal and have all donations doubled by our matching donor!

In the spring of 2014 I accompanied Rebecca to the Paracelsus Clinic where she underwent some of the rigorous and intensive treatments that were fundamental to the progress she’s made. No matter how much I thought I knew about her fight, being there at the clinic with her gave me a different, powerful window into just how fiercely she is fighting and just how committed are the team of doctors—in the U.S. and abroad—who are working on her behalf.

Those of you who have been able to spend time with Rebecca in person know that beyond being a tenacious fighter, and a sparkling intellect (I suspect she is rolling her eyes at me as she reads that), she is one of the kindest, most generous, most abundantly loving people one could hope to have in your life. She gives of herself without hesitation and in a fashion that makes the recipient feel both truly known and truly valued.

I’m asking friends and folks who know and value Rebecca to help return some of that generous love she has so joyfully put into the world. Please consider making a donation to support her healing today. – Amelia Kirby

December 28, 2015

Donations that YOU GAVE from this HelpHOPELive campaign made my medical treatment possible in 2014 and made 2015 a very important turning point in my illness. THANK YOU! Because of your support I was able to access treatment at Paracelsus Clinic and at home in the US which stabilized my condition and prevented further deterioration. I’ve been able to receive ongoing treatment to improve my neurological and cognitive function and work with an infectious disease specialist to address the immune and infectious issues that I’m facing. Next week I am starting a third round of intensive anti-infective and immune treatment here in New York and I appreciate all of your support and encouragement. I never could have imagined being so disabled for so long, but I am so, so lucky to be able to receive medical treatment and to have recovery on the horizon.

December 28, 2015

You can read our letter about the matching donation drive here: eepurl.com

November 11, 2014

Thank you EVERYONE so much for your care and support. I so appreciate your contribution and well wishes during what has been a very difficult
time.

I returned to New York from the clinic in Switzerland in April and since then have been recovering from the intensive treatment I received. The treatment went well and has been a critical next step in my recovery. My doctors continue to be very positive about my prognosis,
while at the same time reminding me that I will require continuing, intensive treatment for at least the next year to build on my recent progress.

I cannot express in words what it meant to have your support during this difficult and critical phase. Reading your messages meant so much to me, and knowing that your collective support made my treatment possible has been inspiring beyond words.

thank you for making my recovery possible, and with love,

March 25, 2014

An update from Rebecca in Switzerland…

It has been a big week! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all of their love and support.

I just completed my first week of treatment at the Klinik in 2014. My doctors are thrilled with my progress since my last visit. I am literally the talk of the Klinik. I am already responding positively to treatment (almost immediately!), which is a much quicker response than the month it took a year ago.

Some of the treatment is difficult and painful, but I just feel so lucky to be so supported and loved, and be able to receive the treatment that I need to recover.

with all my love,
Becky

March 10, 2014

LETTER FROM DR. FLEISCHMAN

Dear Julia,

I was very excited to hear about the fundraising you are doing to support Rebecca. This is an important next step in her medical treatment and it’s amazing she has people like you to support her.

You get struck by Rebecca very early on that she is one of the most committed people you’ll ever meet. She has a bigger than her own life determination to get better. Because when you’re that sick, and you still keep putting one foot in front of the other, you have to have a sense of wanting to accomplish something more in life.

I’m a doctor and I’ve seen a lot of different medical challenges. I think this condition is one of the most difficult illnesses to recover from. It’s very hard for other people to see it, and it doesn’t just affect patients physically, but neurologically as well. The suffering that patients are experiencing feels invisible. It’s a very rare and special person who can make it through. It’s a tribute to Rebecca that she has a following of people to go through this with her.

I’m very optimistic for Rebecca’s recovery if she continues to follow this treatment plan, especially with everyone’s support. With all of your help, we are going to see the Rebecca you know and love come back. I can’t wait to see what she is going to accomplish in the next few years when her health is restored.

Sincerely,

Dr. Joan Fleischman

March 10, 2014

FROM REBECCA

In the beginning of this illness, five years ago, we didn’t know anything about why I was sick, why one system after another was failing, what started with fevers and neurological dysfunction quickly progressed until every part of my ability to function was significantly diminished. It was like being in complete darkness, in a free-falling vacuum, to have an unresponsive, disabling illness in this age of incredible medical innovation. I underwent almost round-the-clock treatment of IV’s, pills, and injections just to try and stabilize my condition and prevent further decline. It didn’t work to the extent needed, I got sicker, and my life got scarier and darker. It’s amazing to be in a different place now, where we know I can respond to a treatment plan and recover.

This is my chance to go from being tethered to IV infusions and round-the-clock medical care, to regaining my life. Can you imagine? I’ll be able to leave the house without hours of preparation, take care of myself without a multi-person support team, and have enough strength and neurological functioning to sit up and enjoy a conversation with you, and actually understand what you are saying. I’m excited.

There are not enough words to thank everyone who has been involved in my treatment and recovery. I am so lucky to have a chance to become myself again and be back out in the world with you all.