Eugene Costello MEDICAL EMERGENCY

Dear friends and other compassionate supporters,

My name is Mike, and I’ve set up this GoFundMe account for my good friend Eugene Costello who is suffering from life-threatening kidney failure. He is about to start dialysis and is on a waiting list for a kidney transplant.

Many people in the English-speaking world in Valencia will recognise his name from the community group he set up here, Valencia Life, a place where people can advertise their activities, organise meet ups, find out what’s going on and generally get support to help us on this journey of living in a foreign country.

Valencia Life is something Eugene does voluntarily. He earns his living as a freelance writer. But the thing with kidney failure is that while your outgoings increase due to medicines, trips to see the doctor, and other unexpected expenses, your energy levels hit rock bottom, making it very difficult to work and earn money.

We’re hoping to raise €12,000 to give Eugene a break – a break from worrying about how he will cover his living costs while he is ill, a break from agonizing about how he will support his daughter Evie through her student years, but mostly a break from stress so he can focus on recovering and getting back to doing what he does best – running Valencia Life and helping our community of ex-pats thrive and flourish in their new city.

Let me tell you a little more of Eugene’s story and how he came to be in Valencia…

Some years ago, he suffered a major heart attack. He underwent emergency open-heart surgery at St Bart’s Hospital in central London, but there were complications from multiple organ failure and a cerebral stoke during the emergency triple bypass procedure that left him in a coma. Two days later, while he was in coma, his younger brother suffered another type of heart attack, a sudden cardiac arrest that also left him in a coma in a persistent vegetative state. His younger brother did not survive because feeding was withdrawn a few months later.

Eugene recovered and felt as though he had been given a second chance at life, so he grabbed it with both hands and moved to Valencia to escape the trauma and try to rebuild his life. However, last year, he was admitted to hospital for dangerously high blood pressure. It emerged that he suffers from chronic kidney disease, with an Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eFGR) of just 12. Normal range should be 80-120 so this is very low indeed, and is described as advanced kidney failure. Symptoms are constant fatigue and exhaustion since his kidneys are failing. He has been put on a waiting list for a kidney transplant and is soon to begin kidney dialysis. Unable to work, he receives no benefits and is in a very poor state.

The whole situation has added to poor mental health and he is on medication for depression, diabetes and high blood pressure. He lives in fear of even more advanced kidney failure and has been warned by his doctors that he is now in a life-or-death situation.

Your generosity can make a world of difference to Eugene and help him on the road to recovery. Any contribution, however small, will be a step forward and is hugely appreciated.

I know times are hard at the moment, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to read Eugene’s story. If you are unable to contribute financially, your messages of hope and moral support are also much appreciated and I know will help him tremendously.

With extreme gratitude,

Mike