Help Greg Tingle Fight for His Life

Dear Friends and Family, Near & Far,

I am seeking donations to help my friend Greg Tingle. Over the past 4 years, he has been through unimaginable hardships one after the other with no end in sight. When someone is in need we must help and right now, he needs all that he can get.

In January of 2022, Greg’s younger brother, Corey, found him passed out unresponsive. Had Corey not found him and called an ambulance when he did, Greg may not be with us today. After waking from a diabetic coma and having to spend months in the hospital dealing with a not-so-speedy recovery, the news just got worse: Greg was diagnosed with Stage 5 Renal Failure.

For anyone that doesn’t know, Stage 5 Renal Failure is also known as End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) and happens when the kidneys have completely stopped working. The only treatment for this is dialysis, which over time has taken a toll on Greg’s body, especially his now extremely high blood pressure which is starting to change his heart function. Keep in mind, dialysis is just a way to treat this type of disease - not necessarily cure it. The next step following dialysis is a kidney transplant. Without it, the average lifespan for someone with ESRD is 5-10 years. Unfortunately this is a years long waitlist wherein a match must be found - not only for a kidney but also a pancreas - which can take a long time.

In addition to the wait, Greg still would not be able to undergo the kidney and pancreas transplant he needs due to a extremely painful and inconvenient wound on the bottom of his foot for the past year and a half. This leaves Greg with constant pain up and down his legs, the inability to walk as he pleases, and recurring surgeries - he is now going on his fourth one. This prevents him from getting any transplant because with the open wounds on his foot, the risk of infection is too high and the doctors will not perform the surgery. His health needs to be at 100% for a transplant.

Greg’s immobility is not just affecting his ability to receive a transplant, but also his capacity to do nearly anything else.

All of this leads to difficulties in his job search leaving Greg with minimal funds to pay for doctor’s appointments, medical bills, and prescription medicine. Already on Disability, Greg’s problem with finding a secure job only worsens as he is constantly rushed to the hospital, in and out of appointments at the drop of a dime. In turn it is hard for him to keep up with much of a work load. Many employers will not hire someone with so many health complications as they do not want to have to pay for disability, workers compensation, etc.

With bills still piling up, Greg decided to take on a job driving for Uber as it is extremely flexible for the situation he is in. Unfortunately, things took a turn when a deer ran into the middle of the street and was struck by Greg’s car leaving it totaled with money owed, not nearly enough for another down payment for a car, and no way to get to and from doctor’s appointments being that he has zero help where he lives.

This does not only take a physical toll, but a mental one as well. One person can only take so much stress and negative thoughts when having to go day in and day out with very little support or contact from friends or family. Not having the means or finances to get out of the difficult situation he’s in does not help either. Every time I speak to Greg he tells me how he is “fighting and trying to keep going,” but feels like he is “losing the fight.” Greg needs all the help he can get. He is losing hope, and the neuropathy it comes with - which, caused from diabetes, brings constant pain in his hands and feet, affecting all his nerve endings with no known cure - does not help.

At the young age of 35 Greg should be waking up everyday thinking about where he wants to go and what he wants to do for the rest of his life. But for the past few years all he’s been able to think about is if he is going to wake up the next day. Let’s show him that hope is not lost. Let’s come together and help him get back on his feet.

Please take two seconds to click the share button and send it to someone you know, or share it on social media. Every little donation helps. Let’s get great healthy again, get him back to the life he’s known. Give him the support he needs.