Support Alex's Recovery Following a Kidney Transplant

Late on the night of April 2nd, my brother Alex received the call he'd been waiting years for: A donor kidney was waiting for him in Seattle. By 5:30 the next morning, he and my mom Pat were on a plane headed there. When they landed a few hours later, my cousin Amy was at the airport to pick them up and take them to the Virginia Mason Transplant Center. Within hours, he was in surgery, with the new kidney successfully transplanted less than 24 hours from the first call. Needless to say, it's been a whirlwind!

Alex and his new kidney are doing well, with all signs trending positively. We are so grateful! He should be discharged from the hospital today but has to remain in Seattle for the next month for aftercare. Alex's wife Kari drove out this weekend and will be taking care of him in their temporary "home" at a nearby hotel.

The American healthcare system being what it is, all expenses beyond of the medical procedure itself (and probably some of those, too) fall on Kari and Alex. That includes the last-minute plane fares, Kari's car travel, a month's stay in Seattle (one of the most expensive cities in the country), food, transportation, and time away from work. Both Kari and Alex have had to use a lot of their sick leave while Alex has been on dialysis, so one or both of them may run out of paid time off during Alex's recovery.

Many of you have kindly reached out to ask how you can support Alex and Kari during this time, and we appreciate that more than we can say. Your donations and shares of this campaign will help them focus on recovery and getting back to Montana and their kids, Ingrid and Kennedy.

This transplant is the miracle that we've all been waiting for so that Alex can get back to his full life as a husband, father, son, brother, teacher, singer, union member, activist, and so much more. Thank you for supporting him and our whole family.