Help Ed Bennett Get a New Liver

Ed and Linda Bennett need your help. Ed needs a liver transplant from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. He can get on the transplant list, but he needs to live in Jacksonville indefinitely--5 hours away from his home. While medical bills are a concern, what Ed and Linda really need is your help with the expense of living in Jacksonville before, during, and after his transplant. They will need to pay rent and the cost of living in Jacksonville, while also maintaining their home in Punta Gorda. Linda will not be able to work while they are away.

Please read on for Ed's story...

Ed Bennett has lived in Punta Gorda, Florida his entire life. He met his wife, Linda, as a student at Charlotte High School and they got married when they were 18 and 19 years old. They live in the same home Ed grew up in and maintain friendships from CHS and beyond. They raised two children, Edward and Keli, who also went to Charlotte High. They now have 5 beautiful grandchildren: Gavin, Lauren, Edward III, Brian, and James. Linda is a radiology technologist at the local hospital and has been serving the local medical community for more than 40 years. Ed worked for Florida Power & Light for over 30 years until a horrible back injury forced him into early retirement.

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Left to right: Edward, Edward III, Jill, Ed, Lauren, Linda, Brian, Gavin, Greg, and Keli

Left to right: Grandchildren - Edward III, James, and Brian

Grandson, Gavin - Graduation, Pine View School

Ed and Linda missed the ceremony because Ed was in the ICU

Granddaughter, Lauren - Sarasota Military Academy

Ed's back injury required surgery and prescription medications for more than fifteen years. Those medications wreaked havoc on Ed's liver and he developed liver disease.

In April 2022, Ed was rushed to the emergency room with bizarre cognitive symptoms--he didn't know who he was, where he was, or what year it was. His liver was beginning to shut down. Since April 2022, Ed has been in the emergency room almost every single week with small reprieves here and there. In fact, he has been admitted to the hospital approximately 34 times in the last 12 months. Holidays, birthdays, graduations, anniversaries--all spent in the hospital. His liver is slowly dying and he will not survive if it continues.

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Ed in the Punta Gorda Hospital, April 2022

Ed, underweight with severe bruising from liver dysfunction, January 2023

Ed, severely underweight, February 2023

The great news is that the Mayo Clinic will put him on their transplant list to get a new liver! The bad news is that the Mayo Clinic is located in Jacksonville, which is 5 hours from Ed and Linda's home in Punta Gorda.

Ed and Linda will need an apartment and the ability to buy groceries and utilities in Jacksonville, while also paying their bills at home. All of this has to be done without the ability for Linda to work.

The Bennetts are wonderful human beings. They have a beautiful family and they have given so much to their community. Ed is an adoring grandfather "papa" who deserves to see his 5 incredible grandchildren grow up. Linda has spent the last year caring for her husband, running back and forth between hospitals, traveling to Tampa and Jacksonville for medical care, and working extra hours to make up for the time she has had to spend by Ed's side in the ER and ICU. She is exhausted. They both are. The stress this has put on them and their family is unbearable. Donations from this site will ensure that Ed can finally obtain the liver transplant he so desperately needs...to not only survive but God-willing, to thrive.

Ed and Linda will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on April 23, 2023. The best anniversary gift they could ever receive is a new liver for Ed.

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If you have gotten this far, thank you so much for taking the time to read the Bennett's story. Anything you can spare will help Ed get the care he needs. Linda is committed to providing updates on Ed's progress, the expenses they are incurring, and how the donations from this page are helping.

THANK YOU!