Roy's Kidney Transplant Help
Donation protected
HELP!
This is my story for the battle for my life. I understand that many others have medical issues just like me, but this is my story:
On December 26, 2014 I was rushed to the hospital with what they called peripheral edema; fluid over load that affected my lungs preventing me from breathing, fluid around my heart giving me pain, as my heart was not able to function properly and affecting just about all of my other organs. My tongue even swelled causing difficulty in talking. The doctors advised that if I would have waited on coming in to the hospital then I would not have seen the New Year of 2015, I would have died. I was placed on emergency dialysis to save my life.
The reason I’m writing this letter to you is because I need your help. I have ESRD End-Stage Renal Disease, kidney failure. Today I’m declining with 5% use of both kidneys.
My Doctor advises that I have three choices:
1. I receive a kidney transplant that would prolong my life 20 + years. She advised that the kidney transplant procedure is common and helps.
2. Go on dialysis for the rest of my life, 4 hours a day 3 days a week. Which I have conducted some research discovering that the average life span of someone on dialysis is 5 to 7 years at the cost of $200,000.00 a year and this does not include any other cost that could be incurred during the treatments. Basically, over a 5 to 7 year period, the cost will reach well over a million dollars, and then the battle is lost.
3. Or just do nothing and die.
I can tell you this right now; I am not ready to die. I have 5 children and 2 grandchildren. I have so far walked my eldest daughter down the aisle at her wedding and would like the opportunity to walk my other two daughters someday.
In 2015 I will have dedicated 29 years serving the public as a law enforcement officer. Out of the 29 year I have been shot at, knives pulled on me as well as physically attacked. I have devoted more than half of my life protecting the public as a law enforcement officer.
When I called my employer’s Risk Management Department over our medical plan and asked what I needed to do on my end for starting the application process so I could be added to the kidney transplant list, I was shocked to hear the lady on the phone say, “We don’t cover live organ transplants, and it’s in the exclusions.” So she basically told me,” I hope you had a good life”.
When I contacted Hermann Memorial Hospital about the application process I needed to submit to be placed on a transplant list, they advised me that I would be rejected due to not being covered under insurance. I asked about financing but she advised that if my insurance does not cover it then they cannot finance me.
I asked about personal financing and they advised me that I would need $15,000.00 to be tested to see if I can be put on a transplant list and additional $150,000.00 to be able to be placed on the a list for a transplant. This is not covering a donor cost or any other additional cost for medications. Money I don’t have.
I asked about associations that could help me, and they advised that I would need insurance coverage and be on a transplant list before they would talk to me about or to see if they could help me.
So as you can see I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I’m looking for some help, to help cover the cost of medical expenses from my hospital and doctor’s visits, drugs that my medical plan does not cover and money for help with a kidney transplant.
Thank you for your time,
Sincerely,
Rosendo (Roy) Jimenez
This is my story for the battle for my life. I understand that many others have medical issues just like me, but this is my story:
On December 26, 2014 I was rushed to the hospital with what they called peripheral edema; fluid over load that affected my lungs preventing me from breathing, fluid around my heart giving me pain, as my heart was not able to function properly and affecting just about all of my other organs. My tongue even swelled causing difficulty in talking. The doctors advised that if I would have waited on coming in to the hospital then I would not have seen the New Year of 2015, I would have died. I was placed on emergency dialysis to save my life.
The reason I’m writing this letter to you is because I need your help. I have ESRD End-Stage Renal Disease, kidney failure. Today I’m declining with 5% use of both kidneys.
My Doctor advises that I have three choices:
1. I receive a kidney transplant that would prolong my life 20 + years. She advised that the kidney transplant procedure is common and helps.
2. Go on dialysis for the rest of my life, 4 hours a day 3 days a week. Which I have conducted some research discovering that the average life span of someone on dialysis is 5 to 7 years at the cost of $200,000.00 a year and this does not include any other cost that could be incurred during the treatments. Basically, over a 5 to 7 year period, the cost will reach well over a million dollars, and then the battle is lost.
3. Or just do nothing and die.
I can tell you this right now; I am not ready to die. I have 5 children and 2 grandchildren. I have so far walked my eldest daughter down the aisle at her wedding and would like the opportunity to walk my other two daughters someday.
In 2015 I will have dedicated 29 years serving the public as a law enforcement officer. Out of the 29 year I have been shot at, knives pulled on me as well as physically attacked. I have devoted more than half of my life protecting the public as a law enforcement officer.
When I called my employer’s Risk Management Department over our medical plan and asked what I needed to do on my end for starting the application process so I could be added to the kidney transplant list, I was shocked to hear the lady on the phone say, “We don’t cover live organ transplants, and it’s in the exclusions.” So she basically told me,” I hope you had a good life”.
When I contacted Hermann Memorial Hospital about the application process I needed to submit to be placed on a transplant list, they advised me that I would be rejected due to not being covered under insurance. I asked about financing but she advised that if my insurance does not cover it then they cannot finance me.
I asked about personal financing and they advised me that I would need $15,000.00 to be tested to see if I can be put on a transplant list and additional $150,000.00 to be able to be placed on the a list for a transplant. This is not covering a donor cost or any other additional cost for medications. Money I don’t have.
I asked about associations that could help me, and they advised that I would need insurance coverage and be on a transplant list before they would talk to me about or to see if they could help me.
So as you can see I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I’m looking for some help, to help cover the cost of medical expenses from my hospital and doctor’s visits, drugs that my medical plan does not cover and money for help with a kidney transplant.
Thank you for your time,
Sincerely,
Rosendo (Roy) Jimenez
Organizer
Roy Jimenez
Organizer
Conroe, TX
