I’d like to share some information about our dear friend, Richie Cota. As many of you know, Richie has been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. As you might imagine, this diagnosis was very unexpected for Richie and his family. At this point Richie’s doctors at the University of Arizona Medical Center have told him that his only chance for survival is a life-saving liver transplant.
Richie was born and raised in the Phoenix area. As we all have, Richie has had his share of ups and downs, but has always made the most of life. He is a hard worker with a great thirst for knowledge. He loves doing research on the computer. This inner drive is what helped him to advance in his job as a security guard. Richie has worked for the same company for four years with several advancements along the way.
Richie is fun-loving; he adores his three children and interacts with them as much as possible. He wants to live long enough to be able to enjoy grandchildren one day. Seeing his children graduate, marry and raise their own family is important to Richie. He strongly supports his daughter and her aspirations of being a Marine.
Despite his enthusiasm and love of life, Richie has lost a great deal of his energy because of the liver disease. Receiving a liver transplant will help Richie get back to a normal life spending time with his family and friends. However, transplants are extremely expensive and Richie will have many out-of-pocket costs. Even with insurance, Richie will be responsible for the travel and relocation to the transplant center, co-pays, deductibles, doctor visits, and the costly anti-rejection medications he will have to take for the rest of his life. All of this presents a challenge Richie cannot meet alone.
To help with this financial burden, a fundraising campaign in Richie’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 Southwest Liver Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. If you would like to help Richie, please consider making a tax deductible contribution by clicking the DONATE NOW button — no contribution is too small.
Your generosity and support are greatly appreciated. Please remember Richie in your prayers.
Sincere gratitude and thanks,
Linda Stallings
lds9491@yahoo.com
