Bill Lerner

Some of you may know Bill from his jobs and projects in the computer industry or as a dedicated supporter of St. John’s Athletics, golf conventions and courses, hockey at Boston University and beyond. Then there are those of you who knew Bill during his days working with Standard bred racehorses.

Eight years ago in 2007, Bill was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. Bill has had numerous tests, medications and appointments with doctors in White Plains, N.Y., Miami and Gainesville, FL along with continuous visits to his doctors in South Florida. Bill’s doctors have all concluded that his only real chance for survival and a healthy life is to have a liver transplant and in 2014 they decided he needed a kidney transplant also.

Due to the seriousness of Bill’s medical condition, his wife, Andrea, will need to cut back on her work schedule while she serves as his caregiver since he is on home dialysis five days a week. Bill has been put on the transplant waiting list at UF Health at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Bill and Andrea are now up against a challenge they can not meet alone.

Even with health insurance, all of this medical care has proven to be costly, and with transplantation there will be additional uninsured transplant-related expenses such as: travel expenses, lodging whenever he visits Gainesville, monthly apartment expenses after the transplant, and visits to other doctors and clinics. As friends of the Lerner family, we can offer our help and prayers during this time. We can also assist them financially.

To help with this financial burden, a fundraising campaign in Bill’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for more than 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the Southeast Liver Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. To make a contribution today, please click the DONATE NOW button.

To help achieve our fundraising goals, a few benefits are being planned in Bill’s honor. If you would like to add your time or talent to this worthy cause, please contact either Steve at [email protected] or 516-417-8556, Bill at [email protected] or Andrea at 561-449-7211.

With sincere gratitude,

Steve Santodonato & Andrea Lerner