Help Eric while he waits for a kidney

In the blink of an eye life can change. Eric and his wife Kelsey moved from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest in 2018 to start a new adventure together and explore the region's incredible hiking, camping and snowshoeing opportunities. They both settled into new jobs and managed to find other Minnesota Twins fans in their new city.

Last year, after nearly six months of not feeling great and consulting with multiple doctors, Eric was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that disrupted he and Kelsey’s entire reality. Because of the time it took to finally diagnose Eric’s autoimmune disease, he was already in total kidney failure at the time of diagnosis. He soon began dialysis, which has helped extend his life while he waits for a kidney donor.

While Eric waits for a donor kidney, he and Kelsey face daunting day-to-day tasks just to ensure his body stays healthy enough for transplant surgery. Everyday chores from walking their dog Ruby, to carrying 40lb boxes of dialysate up 3 flights of stairs, cooking and even getting out of bed have become all-consuming tasks. To help defray some of the costs of hiring people to help and make some structural fixes to their house to accommodate Eric’s fatigues – they could really use our help.

In addition, they need to be able to cover their expenses if Eric needs to take a medical leave from work- which they have and to do in the past year and could happen at any time again considering his extreme weakness. A medical leave is also imminent while Eric recovers from a hopeful kidney donation. Below is a list of unexpected expenses they currently face. Any contributions would be greatly appreciated.

- Funds to help modify their home to accommodate Eric’s physical limitations

- Funds to supplement lost income due to leave of absence

- Travel expenses to/from Seattle for medical appointments

Most importantly, please consider being evaluated for a living kidney donation. Living kidney donation greatly improves Eric’s chances of getting a transplant and can last several years longer than a deceased donor kidney transplant with better outcomes. The process is completely anonymous and can occur in the donor’s home state. Anyone interested in learning more please follow this link to fill out a screening survey at the University of Washington Medical Center. UW Donor Screen

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!

Love,

Sarah