Kevin Cardillo

Kevin is a 60 year old man who has overcome several medical issues in his life including a case of undiagnosed Crohn’s disease which resulted in an Ileostomy. This ileostomy over time put a strain on his kidneys that have failed. In April of 2023 he was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure and has since been on dialysis three times a week. He is in the process of getting on the kidney transplant list and is asking for donations to help with medical expenses above and beyond what insurance covers.

He is an avid photographer who also likes working with his hands. He has taken up customizing Hot Wheels as a hobby in the last 6 months or so. He also likes spending time with family and friends, going exploring with either one of his two children and going to car shows. Classic muscle cars are his favorite, especially 65-76 Corvettes, Camaros, and Superbirds.

Kevin has struggled both medically and financially since being diagnosed and going on disability. Because of the three days of dialysis he is unable to work, he often gets fatigued from the treatments and when he does feel up to it he is catching up with things that need to get done. When he receives his kidney transplant he will be required to make several trips out to Gainesville every week where his doctors are. That is almost a two hour drive each way and he will not be able to drive on his own for at least 4 to 5 months so he will get rides from friends and family.. He also has to have one member of his support team come with him to all of these visits so if they cannot be scheduled on days that they have off they will have to take off work. There will be a lot of medications that he will have to take after the transplant to help with not rejecting the kidney. Not all medications are covered by insurance and will have to be paid for out of pocket. He will also have expenses for gas and car maintenance for whoever might be driving him. And since he cannot drive, somebody will have to drive him even for the shortest of grocery trips. He will have to be on a high protein diet with quite a few food restrictions. There’s a lot of things that you can’t eat when your kidneys are failing and even after the transplant if you don’t want that one to fail.

Kevin is hoping that this fundraising will help pay for a lot of those expenses thus relieving some of the stress which is not good for somebody undergoing a transplant. He also hopes very much that this transplant will alow him to return to doing all the things that he used to do such as go on vacations with his family and friends , go to racetrack, maybe even take up surfing . His kids are not ready for him to leave this world yet, as they are now adults and they want to be able to spend more time with him and make lasting memories.

Please donate to Help Hope Live in Kevin’s honor today and ask your friends and family to donate, also. It would mean the world to him and his family in this great time of need . Thank you for your time and your support. Donations are tax deductible for contributors and will only be used to cover medical and related expenses.