Paul Whitfield

A Mother’s Plea

Paul Whitfield is my one and only son; he is just 44 years old. Paul has a 7-year-old son of his own, Marcus. He is my one and only grandson. They are as close as a father and son can possibly be!! I am writing to you to ask for your help. Marcus’ father, or Poppa if you are talking to Marcus, has been living with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS for short) for the past 20 years. This disease attacks the focal and segmental portions of both kidneys and as of today Paul is considered to be in severe chronic end-stage kidney failure. The disease has no known cause and no known cure.

When Paul was first diagnosed in 1996, he spent the next seven years trying to find out what this condition was that gave him high blood pressure and declining kidney function. About 13 years ago, he met Dr. Stanton from the Joslin Clinic in Boston. It took about two years, but the good doctor found a combination of medications that kept Paul in remission and stable for about seven years. It has been these last four years that Paul’s kidney function has dropped dramatically, under 10%, landing him on the national wait list for a kidney transplant, his only chance for survival!

Until recently, we thought Paul would be on the wait list for five to seven years. He would most likely need to start dialysis, typically three days a week for 4-6 hours at a time. Fortunately, there is potential for a live donor, which would reduce any wait time drastically. Transplants are lifesaving but financially draining. Even with insurance, Paul is facing very high transplant-related costs including the astronomically expensive anti-rejection medications he will need to take for the rest of his life. However, he is most concerned with the costs a potential live donor might incur such as travel, relocation and the lack of income to pay for day-to-day bills during the surgery and recovery time. This is a financial challenge Paul cannot face alone.

To help with the financial burden of Paul’s and his donor’s uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in his 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 allowed by law, are held by Help Hope Live in the Northeast Kidney Transplant Fund, and are administered by Help Hope Live for transplant-related expenses only. Please consider a contribution.

For credit card contributions, please click the yellow Donate Now button.

I deeply appreciate you taking the time to read my plea. My hope is it will inspire you to make a donation no matter the amount. Please share Paul’s story with as many people as you can. Marcus adores his Poppa and we need to keep him around as long as possible!!!

Denise Whitfield (Paul’s mom)
781-217-5550
[email protected]