Emily Progin, PR and Communications Coordinator
eprogin@helphopelive.org / 800.642.8399
Release: Immediate
SAVE A MOM’S LIFE: CHARITY FUNDRAISER AT FRUGALS MISSOULA AUG 22
Missoula Mom Jeannie Lewis Needs to Fundraise $10k for a Kidney Transplant
MISSOULA, Mont.—On Monday, August 22 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., enjoy burgers, shakes, and fries for a good cause at the Frugals Fundraiser at Frugals Missoula (2515 Brooks Street, Missoula, MT 59801). The community of 51-year-old Jeannie Lewis is working with the national nonprofit Help Hope Live to raise funds and hope as Jeannie prepares for a life-changing (but expensive) kidney transplant.
Jeannie is a mother of three and grandmother of two who loves to camp, hunt, fish, hike, and stay active. Despite her healthy habits, Jeannie is living with a life-disrupting diagnosis: she was born with polycystic kidney disease, a progressive illness that attacks the kidneys and often leads to dialysis or a transplant. Jeannie now requires dialysis five days per week.
“I’m not able to do as much as I would like—I am dying,” explained Jeannie. Dialysis patients typically only survive for between five and ten years. But there is hope: Jeannie has been approved for a life-saving kidney transplant in Seattle. “I can live a normal, healthy life with my children and grandchildren with this transplant,” she said.
However, to bring this gift within reach, Jeannie needs to show the transplant hospital that she can financially sustain a transplanted organ. “The hospital will not move forward until I can show that I’ve fundraised,” she said. That out-of-pocket total tops $10,000 even with insurance.
That’s why Jeannie and her loved ones have partnered with our national medical fundraising nonprofit Help Hope Live. Donations are tax deductible at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/20570/
Proceeds from the Frugals Fundraiser on August 22 will contribute to the campaign, potentially forever changing Jeannie’s life as she prepares for the incredible gift of time and health.
Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be managed by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies medical and financial need for every patient.
Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible 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 $165 million to pay patient expenses. ###
Written by Emily Progin
