Walter Leatherwood

As some of you may know, I was diagnosed with end stage renal disease. Six years ago, I developed a respiratory infection and was prescribed penicillin. A week into the antibiotic regimen, my body developed a toxic reaction to the medication. At that point, my kidneys shut down. After a week in the hospital, my kidneys regained function, but irreversible damage had already been done.
Then, four years ago, while driving from Naples to Tampa, I blacked out due to my blood pressure being too high. My vehicle flipped several times, but thankfully, no one else was hurt. I woke up in the intensive care unit and I learned that my kidneys had given up entirely. Since then, I have been on dialysis every day and now, my doctors at Tampa General Hospital have told me that my best chance at a long and healthy life is a kidney transplant.
Transplantation is life-saving, but also very expensive. Even with insurance, I will have many out-of-pocket costs, such as: co-pays and deductibles, doctor visits, travel to and from the transplant center, and the costly anti-rejection medications I will have to take for the rest of my life.
To help with these uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in my honor has been established with HelpHOPELive. HelpHOPELive is a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for more than 28 years. All donations are tax deductible and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Please consider making a donation today:Thank you for your generosity and support.
Sincerely,

Walter Dennis Leatherwood
[email protected]