Volunteers recently held a spaghetti luncheon in Ross' honor to help offset the costs of his medical expenses. The event was a huge success and raised more than $2,700!
Monday, September 27, 2010
NFT Patient Has Successful Spaghetti Luncheon Fundraiser!
Ross Gathings is awaiting a kidney/pancreas transplant. When Ross was 9 months old, he was diagnosed with diabetes, which he has been fighting his entire life. In 2002, he began to lose kidney function, and by 2009 his kidneys had completely failed. Most recently, Ross was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure and pancreas failure.
Volunteers recently held a spaghetti luncheon in Ross' honor to help offset the costs of his medical expenses. The event was a huge success and raised more than $2,700!
Volunteers recently held a spaghetti luncheon in Ross' honor to help offset the costs of his medical expenses. The event was a huge success and raised more than $2,700!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Let NFT Help With Your Media Outreach!
Did you know NFT's marketing department is ready to help you promote your events by reaching out to your local media? If you are planning an event, be sure to contact your fundraising consultant and ask for our fundraising event form to provide us with the details we need to create a press release.
- NFT has access to an extensive database of media outlets across the country. We can create a distribution to quickly and easily reach your local media.
- Many newspapers and TV stations have specific guidelines for how press releases should be written and submitted, and some will discard a press release if it's written incorrectly. NFT's marketing department follows those guidelines with every press release to increase the likelihood of media coverage. Many papers will print our releases word for word.
- Receiving a press release or media request from NFT provides credibility to the story and fundraising campaign.
First Intestine Transplant Performed In Michigan
DETROIT – The first intestine (bowel) transplant in Michigan was performed on a 50-year-old patient from Port Austin by physicians at Henry Ford Hospital.
The 11-hour surgery was performed on August 21 and 22. The composite multivisceral transplant procedure included transplant of the patient’s small bowel, stomach and pancreas.
Only a few centers in the United States offer intestine transplants and Henry Ford is the only one in Michigan with a program.
The patient, Brent Patterson, who suffered from short bowel syndrome as well as insulin-dependent diabetes, had been waiting for a transplant since April.
Patterson previously had six bowel procedures in a year to treat his intestines, damaged from Crohn’s disease and poor blood supply, and was no longer able to absorb the nutrients his body needed.
“I got so tired, my immune system was low and I would have to eat nonstop just to get enough nutrients,” says Patterson.
To read the full press release, visit the Henry Ford Hospital website.
To watch a video interview with transplant recipient Brent Patterson, visit ClickOnDetroit.com.
The 11-hour surgery was performed on August 21 and 22. The composite multivisceral transplant procedure included transplant of the patient’s small bowel, stomach and pancreas.
Only a few centers in the United States offer intestine transplants and Henry Ford is the only one in Michigan with a program.
The patient, Brent Patterson, who suffered from short bowel syndrome as well as insulin-dependent diabetes, had been waiting for a transplant since April.
Patterson previously had six bowel procedures in a year to treat his intestines, damaged from Crohn’s disease and poor blood supply, and was no longer able to absorb the nutrients his body needed.
“I got so tired, my immune system was low and I would have to eat nonstop just to get enough nutrients,” says Patterson.
To read the full press release, visit the Henry Ford Hospital website.
To watch a video interview with transplant recipient Brent Patterson, visit ClickOnDetroit.com.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Jewish Community Hero of the Year Award
After Jay Feinberg waited four years to find a bone marrow donor match, he made it his life's work to save other people by increasing the representation of Jewish people in the world-wide registry. Today, Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation is among the top international registries, with more than 170,000 potential volunteer donors, and is responsible for the facilitation of more than 2,100 bone marrow transplants worldwide.
Jay's vision is simple: A match. Anytime. Anywhere. For anyone.
To read more about Jay and to vote for him as the Jewish Community Hero of the Year, click here.
Jay's vision is simple: A match. Anytime. Anywhere. For anyone.
To read more about Jay and to vote for him as the Jewish Community Hero of the Year, click here.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
September Patient of the Month: David Fraser
Around Easter of 2009, David Fraser and his family had just arrived at the beach for vacation when he had a seizure while unpacking the car. He was rushed to the hospital, and was soon transported to a larger hospital in Orlando, where he stayed for nearly a week. For the next few months, numerous tests and procedures were done until doctors discovered David was suffering from liver disease. Doctors told him a liver transplant was essential to his survival. Thankfully, he received his lifesaving transplant earlier this month and is recovering well.
This hardworking man has a positive attitude and sees no point in focusing on the negative things in life. Even throughout multiple hospitalizations, he has remained optimistic. His personal motto is, "What possible benefit can I get from having a bad or sour attitude?"
David and his wife, Vickie, have three children who hate seeing their dad so sick. His young son still says, "Daddy, don't pick up the black suitcase!" because that is the last memory he has before seeing his dad suffer from a seizure. David loves to spend time outdoors, golf, attend sporting events and play with his children, but his health has prevented him from enjoying his favorite activities very often. Before becoming ill, he spent countless hours volunteering for local charities and planning fundraisers for organizations such as the American Red Cross and Huntington's Disease Society of America. Now, he simply looks forward to resuming a normal life without feeling exhausted all the time.
A liver transplant costs approximately $500,000. And that's only the beginning. Even with health insurance, David faces significant medical expenses related to his transplant. For the rest of his life, he will need follow-up care and daily anti-rejection medications. The cost of post-transplant medications can range from $2,000 to $5,000 per month--and they are as critical to his survival as the transplant itself.
To read more about David or to make a donation to NFT in his honor, visit his web bio.
This hardworking man has a positive attitude and sees no point in focusing on the negative things in life. Even throughout multiple hospitalizations, he has remained optimistic. His personal motto is, "What possible benefit can I get from having a bad or sour attitude?"
David and his wife, Vickie, have three children who hate seeing their dad so sick. His young son still says, "Daddy, don't pick up the black suitcase!" because that is the last memory he has before seeing his dad suffer from a seizure. David loves to spend time outdoors, golf, attend sporting events and play with his children, but his health has prevented him from enjoying his favorite activities very often. Before becoming ill, he spent countless hours volunteering for local charities and planning fundraisers for organizations such as the American Red Cross and Huntington's Disease Society of America. Now, he simply looks forward to resuming a normal life without feeling exhausted all the time.
A liver transplant costs approximately $500,000. And that's only the beginning. Even with health insurance, David faces significant medical expenses related to his transplant. For the rest of his life, he will need follow-up care and daily anti-rejection medications. The cost of post-transplant medications can range from $2,000 to $5,000 per month--and they are as critical to his survival as the transplant itself.
To read more about David or to make a donation to NFT in his honor, visit his web bio.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
A Patient's Mission: Recruit Marrow Donors
The following article is from the August 23, 2010 edition of People magazine.
Anh Reiss was headed to the gym in February 2009 when she got the call that changed her life. Test results held unimaginable news: She had a rare blood disorder and perhaps only six months to live. Her only hope, her doctor told her, was a bone marrow transplant that could restore her ravaged immune system. But Reiss learned to her dismay that she had a far slimmer chance than many Americans of finding a suitable donor.
Although there are more than 8 million potential donors on the national Be the Match Registry, Reiss' search yielded only 15,000 of Vietnamese descent--whose genetic makeup was most similar to her own--and none was a match. The mother of two despaired. "The thought of leaving my family was overwhelming," says Reiss, who is herself an ob-gyn. "I cried a lot."
But rather than give up, Reiss took action. She and husband Josh, 42, a lawyer, began crisscrossing the Midwest and showing up at Vietnamese festivals to break down cultural barriers against becoming a donor. Allaying fears, sharing her story and swabbing cheeks herself, she has helped add as many as 10,000 Vietnamese donors to the registry. "There's no telling how many lives she's saved," says Mary Halet, director of recruitment for Be the Match.
Reiss--who came to this country at age 7 as part of the wave of Vietnamese "boat people" in the 1970s--noticed she was feeling weak on a vacation last year. The lifelong runner was shocked to learn she had myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a life-threatening disorder that usually strikes older people. "I've never smoked, I eat right. There's a 'Why me?' component in this." More grim news: None of her five siblings was a match; she'll need an unrelated donor.
Rather than dwelling on her bad luck, Reiss is thrilled she may have been able to help people like Matthew Nguyen, 28, a pharmacy student from San Francisco diagnosed with leukemia in 2007. On dialysis, he finally found a match in early 2009, shortly after one of Reiss' drives, and is in remission. "I owe Anh gratitude," he says, "that I can never repay."
Although Reiss has yet to find her own lifesaving match, she controls her condition through medication--she's back to practicing medicine full time and works out four days a week--and treasures every moment with Josh and children Alexandra, 19, and Aaron, 15. "No one is guaranteed more time, "she says. "Whatever time I have, I'm going to make the most of it."
By: Steve Helling in Houston and Jennifer Wren in New York.
Anh Reiss was headed to the gym in February 2009 when she got the call that changed her life. Test results held unimaginable news: She had a rare blood disorder and perhaps only six months to live. Her only hope, her doctor told her, was a bone marrow transplant that could restore her ravaged immune system. But Reiss learned to her dismay that she had a far slimmer chance than many Americans of finding a suitable donor.
Although there are more than 8 million potential donors on the national Be the Match Registry, Reiss' search yielded only 15,000 of Vietnamese descent--whose genetic makeup was most similar to her own--and none was a match. The mother of two despaired. "The thought of leaving my family was overwhelming," says Reiss, who is herself an ob-gyn. "I cried a lot."
But rather than give up, Reiss took action. She and husband Josh, 42, a lawyer, began crisscrossing the Midwest and showing up at Vietnamese festivals to break down cultural barriers against becoming a donor. Allaying fears, sharing her story and swabbing cheeks herself, she has helped add as many as 10,000 Vietnamese donors to the registry. "There's no telling how many lives she's saved," says Mary Halet, director of recruitment for Be the Match.
Reiss--who came to this country at age 7 as part of the wave of Vietnamese "boat people" in the 1970s--noticed she was feeling weak on a vacation last year. The lifelong runner was shocked to learn she had myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a life-threatening disorder that usually strikes older people. "I've never smoked, I eat right. There's a 'Why me?' component in this." More grim news: None of her five siblings was a match; she'll need an unrelated donor.
Rather than dwelling on her bad luck, Reiss is thrilled she may have been able to help people like Matthew Nguyen, 28, a pharmacy student from San Francisco diagnosed with leukemia in 2007. On dialysis, he finally found a match in early 2009, shortly after one of Reiss' drives, and is in remission. "I owe Anh gratitude," he says, "that I can never repay."
Although Reiss has yet to find her own lifesaving match, she controls her condition through medication--she's back to practicing medicine full time and works out four days a week--and treasures every moment with Josh and children Alexandra, 19, and Aaron, 15. "No one is guaranteed more time, "she says. "Whatever time I have, I'm going to make the most of it."
By: Steve Helling in Houston and Jennifer Wren in New York.
NFT Patients Who Received Transplants in August
We are so happy for our patients who received lifesaving transplants last month! We wish them the very best in their recoveries.
- Jacqueline Bright (kidney) at Duke University Medical Center
- Nathan Chavis (liver) at Duke University Medical Center
- Cheryl Easton (liver) at Methodist Hospital Dallas
- Brian Flaitz (bone marrow) at Shands at the University of Florida
- Jeannie Huffaker (bone marrow) at University of California San Francisco
- Colon Jones (liver) at Duke University Medical Center
- Charles Knapp (liver) at Methodist University Transplant Institute
- Scott Machowski (lung) at University of Texas Medical Branch
- Cody Sheets (lung) at Integris Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Willie Kemp on WREG's "Pass It On"
This week, Willie Kemp, whose mother needs a lifesaving kidney transplant, was featured on WREG's Pass It On segment. A dedicated University of Memphis supporter chose to track Willie down to let him know that Tiger nation is supporting him through this difficult time.
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