Adopted Sisters Form Incredible Connection Through Kidney Transplant

Emily Progin, PR & Social Media Coordinator

eprogin@helphopelive.org / 800.642.8399

Release: Immediate

ADOPTED SISTERS FORM INCREDIBLE CONNECTION THROUGH KIDNEY TRANSPLANT

A pair of adopted sisters in West Deptford are about to form the ultimate bond.

WEST DEPTFORD, N.J.—Christine Decker and Jennifer Abbamondi of West Deptford already share a remarkable connection as adopted sisters raised together with no blood relation to each other. Soon their story will gain a powerful new chapter: Jennifer will donate a kidney to save Christine’s life.

Christine, a widowed mother, was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2014 and soon learned she would need to join the waiting list for a kidney transplant. Without a living donor, New Jersey residents can expect to wait five to seven years or more for a deceased kidney—a wait many end-stage kidney failure patients do not survive. Jennifer stepped forward to be tested as a potential living kidney donor to save her adopted sister’s life.

Remarkably, despite their lack of biological overlap, testing has revealed Jennifer is a perfect match as a kidney donor to Christine. Jennifer’s birth mother will be her post-donation caregiver.

Jennifer and Christine, both single mothers, face an incredible journey—but an expensive one. Christine began fundraising with the national nonprofit Help Hope Live at helphopelive.org to help cover some of the out-of-pocket expenses associated with the kidney transplant process, including medication, co-pays, medical travel, and some living donor costs. Billed kidney transplant costs can exceed $414,000.

To help, community members are encouraged to make a donation in honor of Christine Decker at helphopelive.org or by calling 800.642.8399. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be used to offset medical expenses via Help Hope Live’s Mid-Atlantic Transplant Fund.

Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $131 million to pay patient expenses.

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