Kidney & Pancreas Transplant: Caitlyn's Story
Donation protected
Kidney/Pancreas Transplant: Caitlyn’s Story
Some of you may know that I gained a sister (I actually have two and another brother) a few years ago. A beautiful story worth sharing, but I don’t want this to be about me. Not only did I gain a sister, but a beautiful niece too! Not long into our new relationship, I found out my niece has been battling diabetes her whole life and needs a kidney and pancreas transplant. She will be 30 this year. Over time, her kidney disease has gotten worse causing her kidneys to not work well enough to keep her alive.
The challenge of Caitlyn’s story is that she needs a kidney and a pancreas. Needing a pancreas unfortunately requires the donation from a deceased donor, which is hard to wish for but necessary to save her life! And if she receives a kidney and pancreas, she will be cured from diabetes FOREVER and eliminate the need for insulin shots, painful needles in her eyes, lifeless days, eventual dialysis and we don’t even want to think of the worst scenario. So, she waits until that fateful day when she receives the call for her gift of life!
Even though some of the costs of a transplant are covered by insurance, the aftercare expenses can easily become a massive financial burden. Prior to Covid-19, Caitlyn was working in hotels and she absolutely loved her job. As many have been faced with the reality of being laid off, she was one of them. She also lost her insurance which is a requirement to be considered. Her transplant team called her this week with a donor and they had to pass on her because her new insurance does not go into effect until September 1st. She was devastated. She is now in the unfortunate predicament of being unemployed with the burden of these realities and whether she will be able to afford to save her own life!!
So, I wondered what I can do….By sharing Caitlyn’s story and hoping I can help take a small burden off her tired shoulders.
Please join me if you can!
Heather
“Little By Little, A Little Becomes A LOT” ~ Tanzanian Proverb
Some of you may know that I gained a sister (I actually have two and another brother) a few years ago. A beautiful story worth sharing, but I don’t want this to be about me. Not only did I gain a sister, but a beautiful niece too! Not long into our new relationship, I found out my niece has been battling diabetes her whole life and needs a kidney and pancreas transplant. She will be 30 this year. Over time, her kidney disease has gotten worse causing her kidneys to not work well enough to keep her alive.
The challenge of Caitlyn’s story is that she needs a kidney and a pancreas. Needing a pancreas unfortunately requires the donation from a deceased donor, which is hard to wish for but necessary to save her life! And if she receives a kidney and pancreas, she will be cured from diabetes FOREVER and eliminate the need for insulin shots, painful needles in her eyes, lifeless days, eventual dialysis and we don’t even want to think of the worst scenario. So, she waits until that fateful day when she receives the call for her gift of life!
Even though some of the costs of a transplant are covered by insurance, the aftercare expenses can easily become a massive financial burden. Prior to Covid-19, Caitlyn was working in hotels and she absolutely loved her job. As many have been faced with the reality of being laid off, she was one of them. She also lost her insurance which is a requirement to be considered. Her transplant team called her this week with a donor and they had to pass on her because her new insurance does not go into effect until September 1st. She was devastated. She is now in the unfortunate predicament of being unemployed with the burden of these realities and whether she will be able to afford to save her own life!!
So, I wondered what I can do….By sharing Caitlyn’s story and hoping I can help take a small burden off her tired shoulders.
Please join me if you can!
Heather
“Little By Little, A Little Becomes A LOT” ~ Tanzanian Proverb
Organizer and beneficiary
Heather Nixon Testerman
Organizer
Canton, GA
Sangie Nixon-Corum
Beneficiary