My daughter, Samantha (Sam) Thomas needs a lifesaving kidney transplant. Samantha was a very active young girl who loved to run track, play baseball and basketball, and was always on the go. At the young age of 9, we noticed a change in Samantha’s health and her overall skin tone. In 2001, after taking her from one physician to the next, Samantha was finally diagnosed with Lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems — including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs. In Samantha’s case, the lupus attacked her kidneys and caused her to go into end-stage-renal disease. She has now been on dialysis for over three years, and without a lifesaving kidney transplant, Samantha’s time will eventually run out.

Samantha is undergoing extensive medical testing and is expected to be placed on the active transplant list at Baylor Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas. A kidney transplants will be lifesaving for Samantha, but the costs to fund this procedure are monumental and more than she can handle on her own. Samantha and our family are asking for help with her transplant. Large co-pays and deductibles, health insurance premiums, medical appointments, travel, lodging and meal fees are just a few of the expenses. Samantha will also be required to take post-transplant, anti-rejection medications for the rest of her life. These out-of-pocket medical expenses can be upwards of $3000/month.

To help with this financial burden, a fundraising campaign in Samantha’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 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 appreciated.

Thank you for your generosity, prayers and support. Any donation, no matter how big or small, is truly a gift and one step closer to Samantha’s successful kidney transplant!

Gratefully,

Mary Taylor, Samantha’s loving mother
254-466-6926