Michelle Smith

Hello everyone!
My name is Michelle and I have been battling renal disease for more than nine years. I was a 40-year-old single mom when I first ended up in the hospital close to death. I was admitted for 10 days and then had to start the slow process of recovery. I have had two kidney biopsies and both have come back with nonspecific results – no clear indication as to what caused my kidney failure – even after repeated re-testing. I have done my best to take care of myself; steroids are no longer helping to maintain my kidney function. My only hope is a kidney transplant.

I am the sole provider for my family and will soon have to start dialysis. I have always been able to work and hope to maintain that schedule moving forward, if at all possible. A few people have offered to be tested in hopes of becoming my living donor, but at the same time I am hoping to be placed on the active transplant waiting list as another way to find a compatible kidney. Before I can be cleared for the transplant surgery I must lose 30 pounds.

Even with insurance, I will have many uninsured transplant-related expenses such as: co-pays and deductibles, continued doctor visits, travel to and from Shands Medical Center and the costly anti-rejection medications that I will need to take for the rest of my life.

To help offset such expenses, a fundraising campaign in my honor has been established with Help Hope Live, 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 to the full extent of the law, are held by Help Hope Live in the Southeast Kidney Transplant Fund, and are administered by Help Hope Live for transplant-related expenses only. If you would like to make a contribution today please click the DONATE NOW bar.

Thank you in advance for your support during this difficult time.

Michelle Smith