Emergency Fund for Cecilia Annis
Donation protected
Cecilia 'Cat' Annis was born with a 'pelvic' kidney, meaning it was out-of-place, deformed, and only functioned at a fraction of normal capacity from Day One. As you can live with one working kidney, this wasn't a life-threatening issue at the time.
In February of 1971 (at age 7), she was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. This isn't the kind you get from being overweight and building up a resistance to your own body's insulin. (That's type II.) It's the kind where you own immune system attacks and kills the parts of your pancreas that make insulin in the first place. (Why does this happen? Medical science STILL does not know.)
That far back, there weren't even reliable glucose tests available outside of a lab. All that could be used at home were unreliable urine sticks, which did not correctly reflect current glucose levels, but a rough estimate of one from hours past.
Between this and other issues, Cat's diabetes was very poorly managed, despite all efforts made by family. As time passed, and the science of caring for diabetics improved, so did her management, but the damage to her systems had already begun. The strain of having only a single functional kidney, combined with the damage from the diabetes (and other issues) took an inordinate toll on the sole kidney's function.
In the early 90's, her doctors let her know that the damage to her kidney had been done, and that it would only be a matter of a few years (maybe 5) before it would fail entirely, so she needed to be prepared. She beat the prognosis by over a decade.
She started on dialysis for kidney failure in July 2011. She was also referred for kidney transplant work-up, and was approved. She was also told that if she could get her weight down enough she could qualify for a combined kidney AND pancreas transplant (which would cure her of the Type I diabetes).
At this point, we were told that the average wait time for a kidney of her blood type at this particular transplant center was ~18 months, and that the wait time for a K/P transplant was even shorter. Trying to be cautious and foresighted, we planned for three years, financially.
Cat eventually turned to bariatric surgery in her struggle to get her weight down enough for the organ, but after reaching the goal, we were told that after further review, they still were unwilling to try to perform a K/P transplant on her.
This necessitated a complete change in transplant centers to the Jackson Hospital Transplant Center in Miami, which required MORE months of additional workup, and multiple drives to Miami (from our home in an Orlando suburb, ~250 miles each way), taking us through the 4th year and into the 5th.
Jackson agreed that they could and would do the transplant of both organs, but their wait time is significantly longer than that of Orlando. This is where we are currently. We've had a couple of "almosts", but we are still waiting for 'The Call'.
The Jackson Center has also told us that for the first post-transplant month, we will have to stay within an easy commute to their offices, and would NOT be allowed to do it from home.
We will have to stay in or very near Miami for that first post-transplant month.
Needless to say, while frugality has allowed us to stretch our 3-year savings to FIVE years, there is ZERO possibility of us being able to fund a month-long stay hardly anywhere, much less a high-demand tourist location like Miami in the summertime.
On top of that, the extra two years of wait has eaten through the funds that we set aside for the transplant medications that will NOT be covered by Medicare Part D (the imfamous “donut hole”). Why are there transplant meds that don’t get counted as “transplant meds”? (Don’t ask us, we don’t make the stupid insurance rules.)
So, we are in pretty dire financial straits. This leads to our request for financial assistance from family, friends and extended contacts.
We need to raise $7500 to pay for the stay in Miami and the costs of her post-transplant medications that insurance will not cover.
Any assistance (including sharing this with others) that anyone can provide will be met with heartfelt appreciation (and any necessary groveling!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AND CHAOS!!
Even as I was typing this page up, we just got "The Call" from Miami! So we will be heading out within the hour for a 250-mile drive, at the end of which, we hope, will be the organs we have been struggling to get her for a few DAYS short of FIVE years!
BUT, now we are VERY unprepared, as I am having to slap this dialog together without the benefit of editing, so I can post it before I lose access to a computer for half a day or more.
We thought we would have more time to ask for the funds, but Fate had other plans!
Now we have only got about a week or so to raise at least a third of the total!
AAAAHHHHH!
PLEASE HELP!
In February of 1971 (at age 7), she was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. This isn't the kind you get from being overweight and building up a resistance to your own body's insulin. (That's type II.) It's the kind where you own immune system attacks and kills the parts of your pancreas that make insulin in the first place. (Why does this happen? Medical science STILL does not know.)
That far back, there weren't even reliable glucose tests available outside of a lab. All that could be used at home were unreliable urine sticks, which did not correctly reflect current glucose levels, but a rough estimate of one from hours past.
Between this and other issues, Cat's diabetes was very poorly managed, despite all efforts made by family. As time passed, and the science of caring for diabetics improved, so did her management, but the damage to her systems had already begun. The strain of having only a single functional kidney, combined with the damage from the diabetes (and other issues) took an inordinate toll on the sole kidney's function.
In the early 90's, her doctors let her know that the damage to her kidney had been done, and that it would only be a matter of a few years (maybe 5) before it would fail entirely, so she needed to be prepared. She beat the prognosis by over a decade.
She started on dialysis for kidney failure in July 2011. She was also referred for kidney transplant work-up, and was approved. She was also told that if she could get her weight down enough she could qualify for a combined kidney AND pancreas transplant (which would cure her of the Type I diabetes).
At this point, we were told that the average wait time for a kidney of her blood type at this particular transplant center was ~18 months, and that the wait time for a K/P transplant was even shorter. Trying to be cautious and foresighted, we planned for three years, financially.
Cat eventually turned to bariatric surgery in her struggle to get her weight down enough for the organ, but after reaching the goal, we were told that after further review, they still were unwilling to try to perform a K/P transplant on her.
This necessitated a complete change in transplant centers to the Jackson Hospital Transplant Center in Miami, which required MORE months of additional workup, and multiple drives to Miami (from our home in an Orlando suburb, ~250 miles each way), taking us through the 4th year and into the 5th.
Jackson agreed that they could and would do the transplant of both organs, but their wait time is significantly longer than that of Orlando. This is where we are currently. We've had a couple of "almosts", but we are still waiting for 'The Call'.
The Jackson Center has also told us that for the first post-transplant month, we will have to stay within an easy commute to their offices, and would NOT be allowed to do it from home.
We will have to stay in or very near Miami for that first post-transplant month.
Needless to say, while frugality has allowed us to stretch our 3-year savings to FIVE years, there is ZERO possibility of us being able to fund a month-long stay hardly anywhere, much less a high-demand tourist location like Miami in the summertime.
On top of that, the extra two years of wait has eaten through the funds that we set aside for the transplant medications that will NOT be covered by Medicare Part D (the imfamous “donut hole”). Why are there transplant meds that don’t get counted as “transplant meds”? (Don’t ask us, we don’t make the stupid insurance rules.)
So, we are in pretty dire financial straits. This leads to our request for financial assistance from family, friends and extended contacts.
We need to raise $7500 to pay for the stay in Miami and the costs of her post-transplant medications that insurance will not cover.
Any assistance (including sharing this with others) that anyone can provide will be met with heartfelt appreciation (and any necessary groveling!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AND CHAOS!!
Even as I was typing this page up, we just got "The Call" from Miami! So we will be heading out within the hour for a 250-mile drive, at the end of which, we hope, will be the organs we have been struggling to get her for a few DAYS short of FIVE years!
BUT, now we are VERY unprepared, as I am having to slap this dialog together without the benefit of editing, so I can post it before I lose access to a computer for half a day or more.
We thought we would have more time to ask for the funds, but Fate had other plans!
Now we have only got about a week or so to raise at least a third of the total!
AAAAHHHHH!
PLEASE HELP!
Organizer
Michael Annis
Organizer
Clermont, FL