Carol Pollard's dialysis & medical

This is my mom, Carol Pollard.  She is a kind, honest person that has always put others ahead of herself.  Maybe that is why she is in the predicament she is in now.

Mom has had diabetes and epilepsy her whole life.  I cannot count the many surgeries she's been through combatting this as well as heart surgery a few years back.  Despite her medical history, she raised 3 children, worked 2-3 jobs (at one time) and took care of her husband right up until his early death (at 49 years old) 12 years ago.  Widowed early in life, my mom has had a huge burden in the last decade to try to maintain a household on her own, and to try to keep the family restaurant business going, on top of attempting to manage her health.   

Three years ago my mom was diagnosed with kidney disease.  This, she considers, is her life sentence.  Along with kidney disease, she was obligated to be put on dialysis. For anyone who doesn't know, dialysis is basically a process that cleans your blood because you kidneys no longer function at a capacity that can do that for your body.  So, after seeing several specialists and doctors, she goes 3 times a week (Mon/Wed/Fri) for dialysis.  Just in its essence this is a burden, but let me go on.

Mom lives in a Northern BC community.  The town she lives and owns a home in does not have a dialysis clinic. She has to travel 75 KM one way (150 KM return) to the nearest dialysis clinic.  As one can imagine this can get costly.  To drive would cost fuel, but more than that, sometimes she is so tired after the dialysis that driving is dangerous, especially in the winter.  Norther Health does offer a bus service.  This costs $20 per trip, so for mom, $60 per week.  It leaves at 8:00am and returns at 5:00pm, so that pretty much takes up her whole day.  Every few months she also has to travel to Prince George to see the Specialist doctors.  And here again costs a bunch of money.  She pays roughly $100 per week in medications.

Because of her limited time and diminishing health, she has recently lost her business and has been unable to land a job that can support her limited availability.  We (her 3 children) are helping as much as we are able to.  My older 2 brothers both have young families to support.  My one brother moved in with mom to help her out, but is also struggling.  Myself, I do my best to send money and support where I can, but it isn't enough. 

I have put myself forward to donate one of my kidneys to my mom so she doesn't have to be on dialysis anymore and hopefully live out her life happy and disencumbered.  I'd also like to see her around for her grandchildren and maybe one day meet mine and be that great influence she has been in my life.  I went for my donor assessment in July and have been determined a match!  The donor surgery could happen as soon as this fall, but it is all dependent on my mom’s health and if we can financially support the whole process.

The money we raise on this site will go directly to pay for her medications, travel expenses to & from appointments and dialysis treatments, and for expenses related to her organ transplant surgery.

The sooner we get this money the sooner we can put it to good use.  She is already scraping by barely, so the funds will be put to use immediately.  I fear that without some more help, she won't make it to the fall and I won't be able to see my mom ever get better.  We just want her in our lives.  She is the last parent we have and the only person I really need.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this and to all the generous donations that will surely help us put life back into a truly deserving person.