Tina Hensley

Tina is 61 years old and was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease when she was approximately 35 years old, and after years of medication and lifestyle changes, she is now in end-stage renal failure. She was placed on the Kidney Transplant List at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, TN and began nightly peritoneal dialysis (home dialysis) in 2020.

She enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to movies, watching sports (especially University of TN sports), shopping, listening to music and dancing.  Working full time as a Physical Therapist Assistant and doing dialysis every night, she was forced to give up most of her time with friends and family, and her troubles did not stop there.

She was frequently hospitalized for Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) and Sepsis, which moved her to the inactive transplant list. June 9, 2023 was especially difficult.  She was hospitalized for 5 days and was sent home with a strong 10-day IV antibiotic for Sepsis. There were two nurses that rotated to start her IV multiple times each day. I, her primary caregiver, stayed with her since she needed 24/7 assistance.  She developed Neuropathy during this time.

She was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver in June, 2025, and was removed from the transplant list at UT, because they do not do liver transplants. She was referred to Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC.  I took her to Duke in November for five days for transplant orientation. A panel of doctors, assistants and case workers met the following week to determine the urgency of the transplants, if she qualified at all.  Since she had already been on dialysis for 5 1/2 years and is also in need of a liver, she was told that she should be near the top of the transplant list.  She began doing in center (Hemodialysis) 3 days each week after she got home.

As you can see, it’s been a long, hard road — but Tina has faced this battle with courage, strength, hope and resilience.

 This is the part where you come in….

These diagnoses have not only drained her physically but financially as well. She will still need to continue with testing, physical therapy on her lower extremities and doctor appointments, which include seeing a neurologist, endocrinologist, podiatrist, hematologist, gynecologist, dentist, psychologist, and a sleep specialist. She is looking to temporarily relocate closer to her transplant team, as she will need to stay close to them for at least six weeks after her release from the hospital, and she lives 4 ½ hours away.

Her team estimates this will cost approximately $5,000 out of pocket.  This amount could double or triple if she experiences any complications.

Tina hopes these transplants will allow her to get back to her normal life.

Please donate to Help Hope Live in Tina’s honor today, and ask your friends and family to give, too.  There is a 10% tip that will be added, unless you opt out, to help with the organization’s administrative fees. We would love to plan some fundraisers in Tina’s honor, too, so if you can help with that, please email me, her cousin and caregiver, at [email protected].

Thank you for your generous support! Family and friends of Tina Hensley are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with a Transplant. Tina has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because donations are tax deductible for contributors and will only be used to cover medical and related expenses.