Maria Rivera

Mother of Two Needs a New Liver!

Maria’s busy life of work, family, and sports came to a halt when she was diagnosed with cirrhosis in January of 2014. Things took a turn for the worse in May of 2015 when the doctors told Maria that she needs a liver transplant. As she waits for a donor, the medical bills are escalating.

When Maria is not taking time off for treatments and recovery, she continues to work at a physical therapy office as a friendly receptionist. Her real passion is supporting her two children, Michael (18) and Elsie (16), who are both All-Stars in their field of sports. Traveling and being her children’s number #1 fan is the main reason Maria is staying strong to continue her journey of getting well!

Maria’s husband, William, is supporting their son who is in college, their daughter, and his wife’s condition. Even with all his hard work, funding this life saving surgery is a monumental task and one that the Rivera family cannot face alone. Even with insurance, there are many out-of-pocket transplant related expenses including temporary relocation costs since Maria and a caregiver will have to relocate for four months to be closer to UF Health Hospital in Gainesville, co-pays and deductibles, doctor visits, travel for testing, and the costly immunosuppressant medications that Maria will have to take for the rest of her life. This is where we need your help!

To help with the financial burden of Maria’s uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in her 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 Southeast Liver Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Please consider making a contribution.

Thank you for the love, support, and prayers. The gratitude Maria and her family have are beyond words. Keep checking this campaign page as we will be posting updates and information on fundraising events. Together we can help Maria fight and win this battle. #MariaRstrong

With sincere gratitude,
Elsie I Rivera, Maria’s sister in law
727-459-0388, [email protected]