National Foundation for Transplants: August 2010

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Memphis Area Yard Sale

Volunteers for NFT patient and liver transplant recipient Kelly Bradley are holding a yard sale in her honor. This event is a part of Bartlett’s citywide yard sale. If you would like to donate items for volunteers to sell at the yard sale, please contact info@transplants.org.

Yard Sale in Honor of Kelly Bradley

September 11, 2010

7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Singleton Community Center

7266 Third Road in Bartlett, TN

In 2008, Kelly was diagnosed with a life-threatening liver disease, after years of battling a platelet problem. Many days, this disease left her feeling exhausted, dizzy and disoriented, and it often caused bleeding from her nose and mouth.

Doctors told Kelly a liver transplant was her only hope for survival. Fortunately, she received her lifesaving transplant in January and is recovering well. She looks forward to the day when she can be independent and not have to worry about her health or finances. Despite her struggles, Kelly feels blessed and is thankful to be alive.

If you’d like to get involved with an NFT patient’s fundraising campaign, please e-mail info@transplants.org, and we will connect you with the appropriate fundraising consultant.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

NFT Hires Spanish-Speaking Fundraising Consultant

We're thrilled to announce a new addition to our NFT family! In January, Claire Prince joined our staff as a fundraising consultant. Claire works primarily with patients in the northeast region of the country. A professional fundraiser and active member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals, Claire is also a licensed clinical social worker. She's a perfect fit to help patients during their transplant journey.

In the past several years, we've received many requests from Spanish-speaking patients, but we didn't have a staff member to communicate with them in their own language. We realized this need was great and began our search for a consultant with this specialized skill. Claire is fluent in the language and has extensive experience working with the Latino community in her previous jobs. She also served in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica for two years, immersing herself in the culture.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

August Patient of the Month: Cody Sheets

When he was just 2 years old, Cody was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a lung disease that affects about 30,000 people in the United States. Though he was able to live a relatively normal life and was only hospitalized once because of his illness, his health began to worsen in 2009. Last year Cody spent almost 3 months in and out of the hospital, including several stays in the ICU.

Doctors told Cody a double-lung transplant was critical to his survival. Thankfully, he received his lifesaving transplant August 4 and is doing well. We wish him the very best in his recovery!

A double-lung transplant costs approximately $650,000. And that's only the beginning. Cody 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.

Cody's hometown of Yukon, OK has dedicated Saturday, August 28 to Cody as they have multiple events planned throughout the city in his honor. Events include a car show, pancake breakfast, motorcycle run, golf tournament and run/walk.

If you live in the Oklahoma City area and would like to be involved at any of these events, e-mail us at info@transplants.org so we can connect you with the appropriate volunteer in Cody's campaign. If you would like to make a donation to NFT in honor of Cody, visit his web bio on the NFT site.