Dawn Venturino

Help Dawn receive her kidney transplant.

In 1983 I was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease and in 1990 I had my first kidney transplant which lasted for thirteen years. Due to the years of dialysis, which I started in1983, my blood vessels became damaged by previous fistulas and subclavian catheters, so I had to have a graft in my upper thigh for my dialysis treatment — the doctors told me I had no other areas in my body for an access. In December 2012 I had to have stent replacement too.

I am currently receiving hemodialysis three days a week while I await my second kidney transplant. I have been listed at Tampa General Hospital for a couple of years, but am on a “financial hold” due to the high cost of the immunosuppressant medications (anti-rejection drugs) that I will need to take for the rest of my life. These medications are needed after transplant to help keep my body from rejecting the newly transplanted organ.

Even with insurance, I will have many uninsured transplant-related expenses such as: co-pays and deductibles, doctor visits, travel to and from the transplant center and the costly immunosuppressant medications that I will need to take for the rest of my life. Due to these expenses Tampa General has me on “hold” and is requiring me to first raise the necessary $5,000.

I am not the only person facing this problem — needing a transplant, but unable to have one due to high costs of medications and follow-up care. There are countless patients trapped between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

To help with this financial burden, a fundraising campaign in my 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 Southeast Kidney Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Your end-of-year tax-deductible would be greatly appreciated

Thank you in advance for your kindness and support.

Dawn Venturino