“This is what we do. This is our expertise. We’re here to help.”
We were so excited to get the chance to share our mission and history on BJ Odom’s Gift of Life podcast this month – an opportunity made possible by our client Ambassador Melissa Tuff.
BJ Odom is a transplant recipient who dedicates his podcast to celebrating and cherishing the gift of life. He spoke with our executive director Kelly L Green about how Help Hope Live can assist transplant families – and her deeply personal connection to our mission.
Kelly has been a part of the Help Hope Live team for more than 8 years, but her connection to the nonprofit goes back 18 years. Her mom, a Philadelphia schoolteacher, was told to have $15,000 available for out-of-pocket costs before she could be listed for a life-saving kidney transplant.
Kelly and her family faced not only the dire need for financial help but also the emotional challenge of asking for it:
“We didn’t have $15,000, but the last thing we wanted to do was ask for help.”
That’s when her mom’s social worker suggested Help Hope Live.
“I was able to raise funds necessary to get my mom her transplant. It gave her six more years of life.”
Today, Kelly celebrates how far our mission has come, expanding from the Philadelphia area across America and assisting with medical costs connected to diagnoses ranging from transplants to catastrophic injuries and illnesses.
While GoFundMe is often brought up quickly in conversations about fundraising, Help Hope Live provides significant advantages and protections for medical fundraising – as Melissa Tuff was quick to point out, too, in sharing our mission with the podcast team.
As Kelly explained, though people coming together to provide help is always a beautiful thing to witness, the families who turn to Help Hope Live need to take extra care to protect their benefits and their support communities. That’s why Help Hope Live administers funds raised, pays bills directly, provides maximum protection for asset-based benefits, and requires medical and financial verification to start each campaign.
Kelly knows from experience that even with “the Cadillac of health insurance,” out-of-pocket expenses add up fast. In her mom’s case, medical relocation was required for at least three months during the transplant process – not to mention co-pays and other costs.
“My mom was taking about 20 medications a day—and it’s forever.”
Fundraising and the gift of life gave Kelly six more years of joy and connection with her mother, and she learned firsthand how powerful it can be to ask – and receive – community support during a time of need while supported by the tools and expertise of a trusted nonprofit team.
“Asking for help is hard, but people want to help each other—that’s who we are in this world.”
BJ Odom could relate to Kelly’s experiences. During his own transplant journey, he faced significant financial burdens for medical travel, relocation, and caregiving. His own community support came from an unlikely source: a rival radio station that helped to spread the word about his urgent need.
“That’s the magic of people.”
