NFT Patient Waiting in Houston for Bone Marrow Transplant

Oftentimes, our patients must relocate to be closer to their transplant center before and after receiving a transplant. Relocation can be difficult for patients, not only because of the soaring costs of travel, lodging, food and the needs of their caregivers, but also because of the emotional toll from being away from home in a frightening time.

Brad Stauffer, an NFT patient from Illinois, is currently living in Houston as he awaits a bone marrow transplant to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a type of cancer that attacks the blood and bone marrow. Patients are given a life expectancy of 7—10 years after diagnosis; Brad was diagnosed 8 years ago. A bone marrow transplant is his only hope for a new life, and it comes with a survival rate of 80 percent.

“What this transplant does is give me a new lease on life. My survival rate is 80 percent after the surgery. And that’s encouraging,” Brad explains.

His hometown newspaper The Southern Illinoisan featured Brad in a story last week, telling his community about his condition and his need for financial help.

Click here to read about Brad and how he is working with NFT to raise funds for his bone marrow transplant.

Organ Donors in the U.S.

In 2007, the number of organ donors across the country was double the amount in 1988. The increase in organ donors is great news, but there's still work to be done! Certain regions in the country have far fewer donors than others.

For example, the New England region had 257 donors last year, while the Southern region had more than 1,000 donors.

With more than 100,000 people currently awaiting transplants in the U.S., we desperately need to remind people in our communities of the urgent need for organ donors.

Below is a list of the number of organ donors in specific regions of the United States last year.

• Region 1 (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI): 257
• Region 2 (D.C.,DE, MD, NJ, PA, WV): 975
• Region 3 (AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, Puerto Rico): 1,377
• Region 4 (OK, TX): 779
• Region 5 (AZ, CA, NV, NM, UT): 1,138
• Region 6 (AK, HI, ID, MT, OR, WA): 256
• Region 7 (IL, MN, ND, SD, WI): 637
• Region 8 (CO, IA, KS, MO, NE, WY): 543
• Region 9 (NY, VT): 468
• Region 10 (IN, MI, OH): 745
• Region 11 (KY, NC, SC, TN, VA): 914

Contact your local organ donation registry, or visit Donate Life America to become an organ donor in your state.

Tips for a Successful Fundraising Campaign

Our goal at NFT is to help every patient have a successful campaign, whether they have one big event or a few small fundraisers. Here are some tips for success!

• Stay committed and enthusiastic.
• Thank contributors and volunteers.
• Ask for help in person.
• Meet regularly so everyone can stay focused.
• Use a newsletter to keep everyone informed.
• Advertise and attract attention. Take advantage of community resources, such as church bulletins and community calendars.
• Be creative. Make ordinary events extraordinary. What about a black-tie bowl-a-thon or a “snowman”-building contest on the beach?
• Continuously recruit volunteers so ideas are fresh and enthusiasm remains high.
• Seek opportunities for matching funds from local corporations and businesses.

Patient in Georgia Needs Liver Transplant

In the spring of 2005, Wayne Carter was diagnosed with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, a frightening diagnosis that affects two of Wayne's sisters and has already claimed the life of another sister. It wasn't long before his doctor found it necessary to place Wayne on the transplant waiting list at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta in need of a liver transplant. Wayne is determined to stay positive and battle this disease with all of his heart.


After partnering with NFT, Wayne's fundraising volunteers have raised more than $30,000 through appeal letters and special events. With the support of friends, the NFT staff and his wife, Susan, Wayne will continue to face this struggle smiling until he receives a second chance at life.

When asked how he is doing, Wayne shares his optimistic philosophy, "You can laugh or you can cry, but crying just gives you a headache!"

Fundraising Tips

As campaign volunteers plan fundraising events for a friend or loved one's transplant, it is important to remember to keep things fresh and try new ideas. Special events can range from simple activities, such as a car wash or garage sale; to complex events that require months of planning, such as a golf tournament or silent auction.

In addition to raising money, fundraisers can:

• Raise awareness about the needs of transplant patients.
• Inform the public about organ and bone marrow donor awareness.
• Motivate new volunteers to join the fundraising effort.

Be creative and have fun!

How Many People Need a Transplant?

According to UNOS, 100,299 patients are currently awaiting a transplant. More than 70% of those patients need kidney transplants, and over 15% need a liver transplant in hopes of regaining a normal, healthy life.

So far, more than 16,000 U.S. patients have received transplants in 2008. If more people were willing to donate, even more patients could have the transplant surgeries they need. Across the U.S., the number of organ donors has nearly doubled since 1988. If that trend continues, more and more transplant patients will be given a second chance at life.

How can you donate the gift of life?
1. Share your life by deciding to become a donor. Click here and find out how to register to become a donor in your state.
2. Share your decision by talking to your family about your commitment.

NFT Patient's Milestone Transplant

Courtney Williams, far right, at 2008 Transplant Games in Pittsburgh, PA.

It is hard to imagine that this vibrant 19-year-old girl was once fighting for her life, but it's true. In 1990, little 3-week-old Courtney Williams was diagnosed with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (Alpha-1), a rare disorder that can damage patients' lungs or liver. After discovering she had developed incurable cirrhosis of the liver, doctors knew her only chance for survival was a liver transplant.

Little Courtney, awaiting a liver transplant in 1990.

Courtney's mother would serve as the living donor for the transplant. A milestone in transplantation at the time, the first successful living donor transplant had only occurred one year earlier. But before she could receive the transplant, the hospital required $150,000. Courtney's family came to NFT for guidance and support to raise the funds they desperately needed.

With the help of NFT and a supportive group of volunteers, Courtney's family raised the entire amount in just five short months. Later that year, doctors removed a portion of her mother's healthy liver to offer Courtney a second chance at life.

Today, Courtney is the picture of good health. She has even participated in the recent U.S. Transplant Games in Pittsburgh, where she competed in athletic events with other transplant survivors.

Transplant Patients Often Face Financial Challenges

Do you know how costly a transplant can be?

To say transplants are "expensive" is an incredible understatement. When patients hear the staggering amount of money they may be required to pay, it can be frightening to say the least. What is more frightening is the fact that money could stand in the way of an organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplant a patient desperately needs to stay alive. Many transplant centers require significant deposits before a patient can even be added to the waiting list, which causes extra stress for patients.

Below are the approximate costs for transplantation, and these do not include any pre-transplant or follow-up expenses:

• Heart: $650,000
• Lung: $400,000
• Liver: $500,000
• Kidney: $250,000
• Pancreas: $300,000
• Intestine: $900,000
• Bone marrow (autologous): $270,000
• Bone marrow (allogeneic related): $480,000
• Bone marrow (allogeneic unrelated): $600,000
• Cornea: $20,000

NFT helps to reduce financial burdens for our patients. By guiding transplant patients through the fundraising process, we offer the support and resources patients need to create successful fundraising campaigns in their own communities.

How NFT Helps

NFT has been helping transplant candidates and recipients with fundraising campaigns for 25 years. In the past 10 years alone, we have helped raise more than $26 million to assist patients with transplant-related expenses.

Weslynn Bates tells the story of how NFT helped her in this recent article from the Commercial Appeal. After a successful heart transplant eight years ago, Weslynn is living a full and healthy life working and spending time with her family. The money she raised through her fundraising campaign with NFT still helps pay for 17 different post-transplant medications she must take daily.

Weslynn's original fundraisers included a benefit concert, casino night and an auction. With the guidance of NFT fundraising consultants, Weslynn's fundraising volunteers were able to plan and implement the events to raise funds for Weslynn's second chance at life.