Tom Sedita

Tom, a Disabled Veteran of the United States Army, desperately needs your help!

Tom’s life changed dramatically when he was diagnosed with CIDP – Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy – a rare and very painful autoimmune disease that affects the upper and lower extremities. His condition has continued to deteriorate, and he has difficulty with things we take for granted like buttoning, tying, grasping and lifting. He fatigues easily, can no longer feel the bottoms of his feet and lives with near-constant debilitating pain. To help alleviate some symptoms and slow progression, he receives IVIG (plasma) treatments at our local VA Hospital every three weeks. Due to his illness, Tom is no longer able to hold down a job and is now considered 100% disabled. The great news is that there is a treatment called HSCT – Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation – that can help, and Tom is scheduled to receive this treatment in Russia in January 2016. Thanks to Dr. Denis Fedorenko and others like him, HSCT can halt the progression of CIDP. Others who have gone to Russia for this treatment have experienced a halting of their deterioration and even the reversal of some symptoms. Tom is very excited about this very real chance to regain his health but needs your help to cover the costs involved for the necessary medical treatment and travel, which are not covered by any insurance.

You may know Tom from his prior Army service or from his work at Digitec. Or you might know him from his attendance at Sacred Heart Church or from his neighborhood where he chairs a committee for the Homeowners Association. Perhaps you’ve met Tom through his wife, Mary, or his daughters, Ann Marie or Kasi. And then there is his beautiful, precious granddaughter Mila, the light of his life. Mary is Tom’s caregiver, and together they are raising two year old Mila.

During active duty service in the Army, Tom served in Desert Storm. Now, after years of service to his country and community, Tom needs your help. He and Mary currently live off his disability income. Travel to Russia for treatment he cannot receive stateside, HSCT, and continued care are costly and we anticipate overall costs will exceed $50,000.

To help with the financial burden of Tom’s uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in his 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 South-Central Stem Cell Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Please consider a contribution.

Working together, we can make Tom’s prospects for the future much brighter. Thank you for your support.

With sincere gratitude,

Annette Cayard (Tom’s sister)
[email protected]