Help Morris Tackle PKD and Transplant Costs

Hi there! Angel Tomastic here. If you're reading this, you likely already know how to pronounce it (rhymes with fantastic). There's one only one other person who has the same last name ... my uncle Morris. (He would argue he's more fantastic than me. I would respectfully laugh in his general direction and let him have the win.)

What is NOT fantastic about our family is a hereditary kidney disease called Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD).

Both of my uncle's brothers (one being my dad) and his mother had it. Numerous cousins and uncles have had it. There's nothing you can do to prevent it...it's 100% genetic. The only remedy is to take care of yourself as long as you can and try to prolong the inevitable. Once your kidneys get too bad, you go on dialysis and then finally, a kidney transplant is needed. This is the step we are at with my uncle Morris. Chances are, you already know the backstory. Here's where you come in...

Thankfully, we have been blessed/gifted with a living donor who is a match. We are grateful and beyond thankful to have this person in our lives. There aren't enough words of thanks to say, as I'm sure you can imagine.

What we don't have covered is the extra expenses that won't be covered by insurance.

There are still a LOT of unknowns, but what we do know is we will be traveling back and forth to Chicago A LOT for the first 3 months. This will be a weekly trip for a while and will hopefully dwindle down to an every 2 weeks at some point. Lodging, parking, gas, meals....all the things that go with the transportation back and forth will not be covered. The medications are extremely expensive and a requirement for the rest of his life. Insurance should cover most, if not all expense, but we won't know until the first time they hit his insurance. Hopefully, we will then be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Anyway, you get it. We don't know until we know.

Several of you have asked us how you can help, so here's the best way we know how. All these extras...if you can help us take a bite out of those, it would be wonderful.

Also, because there are very specific rules and regulations that govern the process with a living donor, it's important to note these funds will be used specifically for my uncle's recipient expenses only.