Richard Rios

Many years ago, Ricky was diagnosed with a hereditary condition, Polycystic Kidney Disease. In March of 2022, the doctor shared that Ricky had reached stage 5, kidney failure. Due to this, he has started the process of dialysis and, ultimately, will receive a kidney transplant once one is identified as a match.

He’s so much more than just this disease though. He’s an advocate, a special education teacher, a coach, a loyal friend, a loving son, a caring boyfriend, and a father to a sweet 9-year-old. He deserves to be able to continue to be all of these things. Unfortunately, we knew this day would eventually come though, but the financial component didn’t cross our minds until it was recommended by his medical team to really start thinking about how we would financially support the pre/post-transplant. While this is extremely uncomfortable and hard for us to even ask, we are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with transplantation. We understand and know that everyone has their own financial obligations, so we appreciate all of the support, if any, that you are able to offer.

We’ve chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medically related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation, please click on the Give button.