Support Ken's Urgent Kidney Transplant Journey

At 63 years old, Ken still looks young and he's as fit as ever--and yet he needs a kidney transplant. And, sadly, soon. Because he cannot wait the 4-5 years it would take if he were to be put on the transplant list, Jude (his life partner) will be a living donor.

Both Ken and Jude need extensive and costly medical tests to move the process forward, not to mention the two surgeries and the expensive medications Ken will need to take for the rest of his life afterwards. Unfortunately, this crisis comes at a point in both their lives when they are facing extreme financial challenges. Ken is unemployed and Jude works part-time. They have been on COBRA since Ken was laid off last year and that will soon end. Even with healthcare, the medical costs are exorbitant and they have already racked up significant debt as a result of this situation.

Ken has always had a big heart and he has never hesitated to help friends in need in whatever way he can. One of the reasons Jude fell in love with him 25 years ago was because though he may seem like a bad-ass, he's really a softie--a deeply sensitive and caring man who makes room in his heart for so many.

Asking for help himself is not Ken's style at all, but these are extraordinary circumstances. He's still so young. He has so much more life to live and he needs a functioning kidney to do it! Jude and his much-loved Cavapoo Claude love him and need him, as do his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren and so many other friends and family.

Ken loves to play tennis and pickleball. He is a black belt in Aikido and a talented artist. He adores karaoke and B-movies. He is passionate about world travel and he has not yet seen nearly enough of the world. And of course, he is never happier than when he is dancing--which is how he and Jude met way back in 1999.

Because he has always been so healthy and fit, crushing medical debt is not something he and Jude ever anticipated, and they will both be ever so grateful for any help.

**Since posting thIs story, Ken and Jude have been devastated by the news that Jude cannot donate a kidney because hers is not functioning at a high enough level. Since living kidney donation is BY FAR the best option (no wait time for a matching deceased donor, longer life, fewer maintenance drugs), we hope to find someone else willing to consider donating.

That someone does not need to be a match and the medical costs for that someone would be $0. This link (https://nkr.org/XVL252) is helpful in understanding what's involved.

_________________________________