Jim Slocum

Family and friends of Jim Slocum are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with a transplant. Jim 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.

Jim is a 43-year-old heavy equipment operation and maintenance teacher at a career and technical education center in Rochester, NY. He has always lived an active and adventurous lifestyle until he received a diagnosis of end stage kidney failure in March 2025. After trying to manage his health with medications and dietary changes, Jim soon had to start in-center dialysis multiple times per week. Dialysis significantly impacted his energy levels and caused him to, eventually, take a leave of absence from work. He’s undergoing testing for a kidney transplant and will be waiting for a donor kidney to become available soon.

Jim loves teaching high school students how to operate heavy equipment and preparing them for the world of work or whatever comes next in their lives. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his dogs, laughing with friends, riding his 4-wheeler, and camping.  A true friend and confidant, Jim has been a bright light and inspiration in the lives of those who know him.

Jim’s medical journey is evolving. Currently, he is receiving training to begin home hemodialysis 4 times per week. As you can imagine, the medical costs of this life-saving treatment will be significant, especially with Jim being unable to work.

Jim’s team is also anticipating additional costs for kidney transplant surgery in the future. He will need to pay his out-of-pocket medical expenses for the surgery and wants to be able to cover the costs for a living donor when he finds one.

Jim hopes that his kidney transplant will allow him to get back to his normal life. He looks forward to returning to what he enjoys the most: teaching, playing and a simple-functional lifestyle.

So many friends and loved ones have already asked how they can help, and it is so appreciated. Please donate to Help Hope Live in Jim’s honor today, and invite your friends and family to give, too!

We would love to plan some fundraisers in Jim’s honor, too, so if you can help with that, please contact one of Jim’s care team members. Again, thank you for your continued love and support. We know that together we will get Jim through this journey (Proverbs 27:17).

NKF Kidney Learning Center (kidney.org/learningcenter) provides free self-paced educational video series, including as related to Kidney Disease, Kidney Transplant, and Living Donation.