Sherri Lapp: Kidney Donor Extraordinaire

Here we are with an EXCITING UPDATE!!

Thanks to Otego resident, Sherri Lapp, the search for a kidney donor for Lew Keyser has come full circle ~

Recap: December 23, 2018: Lew landed in a local emergency room after not feeling well. The Keyser family’s roller coaster ride began when Lew was diagnosed with kidney failure. Until & unless he received a kidney donation, Lew would be facing regular dialysis for the rest of his life.

On February 10, 2019, the “Lew Keyser Needs A Kidney” search began. You’ll recall a community fundraiser that benefitted the Kidney Foundation while also allowing folks an opportunity to register as potential kidney donors. Of the people who agreed to be evaluated, 3 people were assessed. Two of these were ultimately eliminated. The time they invested in the process is appreciated beyond measure!

Fast forward 3 years & 7 months to August 2022 ~ Sherri Lapp, as the remaining donor candidate, has stepped forward with a generosity and grace that has offered Lew & the entire Keyser family the gift of “tomorrow’s”…as a brother, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a neighbor and friend. Sherri made herself available for seemingly endless testing in both Albany and Syracuse. She followed instructions given to her with a determination to achieve the end goal.

Please join us in donating what you’re able to offset the costs that have been & will continue to be incurred by Sherri and her family. These will be the things that aren’t covered by health insurance or personal time earned as a Licensed Teaching Assistant.

*Motel & meals in Syracuse for a few days to cover pre & post surgical stay

*Fuel costs incurred traveling for all the pre & post-op tests & check-ups

*Temporary loss of income from the Lapp Family Landscaping business as Sherri was a “Chief Lawn Mowing Warrior”.

*Temporary loss of income from her job as a home healthcare worker

Times like these remind us why we live in a “small town”….because that’s where the BIG HERO’S live too! Say a prayer; send positive energy; rub your lucky rabbit’s foot..whatever it is you do. Keep the Keyser & Lapp families as well as the transplant team at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse in your thoughts the last week of August! 

Our goal is $7500

*Note: this fund raising effort is being organized by Tracey Sherwood and Cindy O'Hara