Shirley Ashley

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

At 64 years old, I am fighting for a second chance at life. I have End Stage Renal Disease and complete kidney failure, requiring life-sustaining hemodialysis three times a week while I wait for the opportunity to receive a kidney transplant. I have been on dialysis for 4+yrs, with the first 3yrs 1mo on Peritoneal Dialysis and recent transition to Hemodialysis 1 yr ago. 

I am at the part of my journey where I am qualified to become a candidate on the Kidney Transplant List to gain my second chance at life. I want to be able to create even more memories with my family and beautiful grandbabies. I have a goal to GAIN MY LIFE BACK and enjoy time away from home creating those memories with my family. I want to be independent of 3 times a week treatments and being drained afterward. My grandbabies have seen me at my worst and I just want to be able to create positive memories and experiences that will stick with them forever and that will mean more than the memories they have of me at my worst. But first, I need to have my transplant so that I can continue to create these memories. Having a functional kidney from a giving donor means that I am able to improve my quality of life. It means being able to get up and move around without having to adhere to a set schedule or reschedule life around multiple treatments weekly. It means an improvement on my health and gaining my independence back. It means being able to go back to work to be able to help provide for myself and family. It means cutting down from so many medications to just a few.

I have always loved caring for my family, spending time with my grandchildren, and helping others whenever I could. Receiving a kidney transplant would give me the opportunity to continue making memories with the people I love most.

As I continue to work through the candidate requirements, finances are a big concern. I have learned that I need to have at least $1000 saved up to be placed and secure my spot on the transplant list. Even after this amount I will still need to have funds for food, travel, room & board, as well as helping my daughter financially as she will be taking me to and from appointments and also staying with me during and after my surgery. I also have my husband and other family members willing to help out as well. I have been told that within the first month post surgery, I will be required to have check-ins with my transplant team at least 2-3 times weekly in the office. So this means either traveling to and from their facility daily for each appointment or just staying overnight or weekly in another city to catch all follow up appointments. This means my daughter who works full time will have to utilize her non-paid FMLA and take time off work which will take away from her own financial responsibilities and instead create financial distress. Post surgery there is also the medication expense for the anti-rejection meds and copay for office visits. We estimate over a 6mo period this may cost up to or more than $20,000. 

We have decided to set our goal at $20,000. This may seem like a lot to ask, but this not only helps me with my $1000 requirement to secure my place on the transplant list, it also helps my family with the financial support for the post surgery aspect of my journey.

Every donation—large or small—brings me one step closer to receiving a lifesaving kidney transplant and returning to the life I hope to share with my family. If you’re unable to give, sharing my story is just as meaningful. Your kindness, prayers, encouragement, and support mean more than words can express. Thank you for helping me fight for my second chance at life.