Dear Friends and Family,

I come to you with a humble heart, asking for your support during this challenging yet hopeful time for my Uncle Joe and Aunt Leyla, a couple bound not only by love but now by a life-saving act of generosity.

As some of you may know, my uncle Joe has been struggling with kidney disease for many years and now kidney failure. After months of waiting and searching, the perfect match was found right within our own family as my aunt Leyla has selflessly stepped forward as a living donor.

**Our Story**

As many of you know, in 2023 I lost my wonderful, strong, courageous mother to the same genetic kidney disease that my uncle Joe is suffering from. Watching my mom’s journey was not easy. It was a long, hard struggle filled with countless hospital visits, years of dialysis treatments, suffering and many, many sleepless nights. We searched for a living and deceased donor for many years and unfortunately, she was never well enough to be on the transplant list for a donor.

Now that my uncle is faced with the same fate and challenges as my mom, his sister, we never imagined that the answer to our prayers would come from within our family.

Fortunately, his kidney donor will be his wife Leyla. For those of you who know Leyla, this does not come as a surprise at all. My uncle is very lucky and blessed that his wife is a perfect match and able to be his living donor and hopefully he will live a more fulfilling, healthy life after the surgery.

With the transplant scheduled a month away, they are filled with hope, but they will also be facing the financial strain that comes with it. From medical bills to recovery costs to time off from work to travel expenses for the surgery as the surgery will be performed in another state. This financial burden is overwhelming and they need our help!

**How Can We Help?**

I am reaching out to ask our family and friends for any contribution you can make, every donation no matter how small can make a difference and will help ease the financial stress they will face so they can focus on healing and recovering. Every donation would help tremendously and will go towards:

- Medical expenses for both

- Post-surgery care and medications

- Travel and accommodation expenses for the surgery and follow-ups, as they will be living in AZ for two months post-surgery.

Your generosity means the world to them. Even if you’re unable to donate, your prayers, kind words, and sharing their story with others can make a significant difference.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your support during this life-changing journey. Your kindness and generosity gives them strength to keep going, knowing they’re surrounded by love and hope.

With Love and gratitude,

Teresa