Hello, all!

My name is Kristina Dailey and my husband Zach and I have decided to start a GoFund Me account for our Aunt Angie Deland's ongoing medical expenses and recovery following a Kidney transplant earlier this month.

Angie is one of the most beautiful souls you will ever meet and by starting this fund, we are hoping to alleviate a portion of the extensive financial burden her Polycystic Kidney Disease and subsequent kidney transplant have left on her.

I know many of us are undergoing financial stressors of our own but if you can donate anything at all, I know how unbelievably grateful Angie and her family would be.

Understandably, if you are not able to contribute at this time, any kind words of encouragement, prayers, or just good vibrations would truly be so very much appreciated. Thank you so much❤️

Here’s her story…

Angie Deland, was diagnosed with the hereditary Polycystic Kidney Disease in 1994 at the age of 30. For the last three decades, her disease has been managed fairly well with some diet changes and regular monitoring of her Creatinine levels but as of 2023 her PKD took a turn for the worse and Angie was promptly put on the UNOS (organ transplant list).

At this time, Angie's sister Christine tested positive as a fairly viable kidney donor match and when the time arose, planned to commit the selfless act of love and gift her youngest sister one of her kidneys.

While undergoing the tedious process of testing and preparations for the transplant, Angie(with the approval of her healthcare team) hoped to hold off on the physically draining process of dialysis treatment until after her eldest daughter's wedding at the beginning of August but in the most bittersweet turn of events, Angie would be unable to witness her daughter walking down the aisle.

A week before the wedding, Angie was informed that the perfect kidney match (more so than her sister Christine’s) had been found and that a 6 person “kidney swap” was to take place and unfortunately had to be done within the upcoming week. Although Christine wasn’t an exact match for Angie, she did agree to donate her kidney as long as Angie got one from someone that day.

On August 6th, Dr. Rajesh Govindasamy, a dedicated and experienced nephrologist from East Stroudsburg, PA, and the UPMC Hamot Kidney Transplant team began the transplant process from 3 live donors to 3 recipients. For three days the pillars of UPMC Hamot lit up blue and green in honor of the donors.

Sadly, Angie was unable to attend Abbi and Collin's wedding as she was in the hospital recovering but in a pre-recorded, sincere yet light-hearted speech to her daughter said, “I would rather see my future grandkids than your wedding”.

Up until the day of her transplant, Angie had worked full time as a valued mentor at the Cassadaga Job Corp. and truly misses the students that she has worked hard to build relationships with but due to her painful recovery, weekly doctor appointments, tests, and the sometimes negative effects of the life-long immunosuppressant therapy that she has begun, there is no date set in stone as to when Angie will be up and able to return to work at Job Corp.

That being said, while Angie has all of the love, support, and helping hands of her children, Abbi(Collin), Hunter, and Elleigh, and her sisters Christine(Roger) and Audrey(Roy), niece Jenica who traveled from Texas, countless friends, and of course her parents, Alvin and Helen whose home she is currently recovering at, I know that the extensive medical bills that have already begun to accumulate will undoubtedly start to become the family's main source of stress.

Because Angie and the rest of the Deland/Sager families would never ask this, my husband Zach and I as Angie's nephew and niece (by marriage) are asking for our friends and families help to make any dent we can in Angie's medical bills.

As I had mentioned before, any amount you are willing and able to donate would mean the world to us all. Thank you so much ❤️