Jason's Kidney Transplant Fund
Donation protected
Jason Chambers is a 38 year old loving father of four young children (2 sets of twins!) and a devoted husband to his high school sweetheart. On August 5, 2015 he was given the life changing news that his wife, Marie, was approved to be his living kidney donor. Jason’s kidney transplant surgery is scheduled for August 26th, 2015, just 1 week after Jason and Marie celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary. Jason will certainly have his work cut out in the years to come trying to top the gift of life Marie is giving him this year.
While Jason is technically my brother-in-law, I’ve never thought of him as anything but my brother. He is one of the hardest working people I know. Despite the constant excruciating pain he’s in, requiring him to wear a high dose Fentanyl pain patch, he still works full time to make sure his family is taken care of. Somehow he still manages to always be upbeat and positive, and he is one of the most fun-loving Dads I know, as evidenced by some of the pictures I’ll share with you. He is also one of the most selfless people I know. He has always been the first to offer help to someone in need, whether it be a family member, a friend or a complete stranger. He is always giving of his time, coaching all of his sons’ baseball and football teams the last 4 years. Jason has always been a big guy, so up until he was given a lifting restriction he was always the guy you could count on to lift heavy loads during a move. Well, I think it’s time that Jason allow us to help with the heavy load he’s currently carrying as he worries how he’s going to continue to support his family during his recovery process, and how he’s going to afford the expensive anti-rejection medications he’ll need to take for the rest of his life event rejection of his new kidney. That’s where we can help!
Did you know that the average kidney transplant costs over $260,000 and that the average cost for monthly medications that transplant recipients take for the rest of their lives costs more than $2500 each and every month? I didn’t! But it’s easy to understand why Jason is concerned that his life-saving gift from his wife may cause his family extreme financial hardship.
What would the $ we donate be used for?
-Jason is the sole breadwinner for his family as Marie is a full time stay at home mom to their 4 young children. If all goes as planned his recovery will take 2-3 months, during which time he’ll receive only 60% of his pay from short term disability (this after the 15% pay cut he took in January 2015 when the company he works for was acquired). The $ we donate will help tremendously in making up the difference in his loss of income for paying the monthly household bills.
**********UPDATE 8/19/15: Jason's position at work was eliminated today and he is out of a job, exactly one short week before his transplant surgery******************
-Travel expenses from Chicago to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN (Marie and Jason traveled to 6 transplant centers throughout the Midwest to improve Jason’s odds of receiving a transplant, and the Mayo Clinic was by far their top choice and where they truly believe they’ll get the best possible care)
-Lodging for 30 days in Rochester, MN (Jason and Marie will need to remain in MN for a month following the transplant for daily checkups at the transplant center to be sure there aren’t signs of rejection).
**************Update 9/13/15: Jason was readmitted to the hospital on 9/4 due to complications after his transplant & is still there today. He may need an additional surgery. When he is finally released then he'll need to restart his 2-3 weeks of outpatient clinic appointments so their time in Rochester will be extended approximately 3 weeks beyond the initial month estimated. This means 3 weeks of additional lodging costs and meals. *******************************
-Medical bills incurred during Jason and Marie’s surgeries, hospitalizations and follow up care
-Lifelong medications to prevent rejection of his new kidney
-Travel expenses, lodging and meals for Jason and Marie’s caregivers (since they are both undergoing surgery at the same time, they are unable to care for each other during their recovery and have family and friends that will be traveling from IL to MN to help)
If you are not able to help Jason financially, you can still help! This is an extremely emotional time for Jason and his family as they will be leaving their 4 young children for a month, and both will be undergoing surgery, each with their own risks. Unfortunately they’ve had a few close calls in the last couple of years that have intensified their worries about their upcoming surgeries. Jason almost lost his life in May 2013 when he suffered a stroke and life threatening infection in his blood stream during his surgery to repair a brain aneurysm, Jason and Marie almost lost their 3 day old baby girl to a suspected infection and then 4 days later while Marie was in her baby girl’s hospital room she suffered a life threatening delayed postpartum hemorrhage. These experiences have given Jason and Marie a unique perspective on life, and they want nothing more than to return home to their beautiful children. So you can help just by keeping Jason, Marie and their children in your thoughts and prayers.
I will be sure to post updates here or you can visit www.facebook.com/akidneyforjason.
With much love and appreciation,
Danielle
While Jason is technically my brother-in-law, I’ve never thought of him as anything but my brother. He is one of the hardest working people I know. Despite the constant excruciating pain he’s in, requiring him to wear a high dose Fentanyl pain patch, he still works full time to make sure his family is taken care of. Somehow he still manages to always be upbeat and positive, and he is one of the most fun-loving Dads I know, as evidenced by some of the pictures I’ll share with you. He is also one of the most selfless people I know. He has always been the first to offer help to someone in need, whether it be a family member, a friend or a complete stranger. He is always giving of his time, coaching all of his sons’ baseball and football teams the last 4 years. Jason has always been a big guy, so up until he was given a lifting restriction he was always the guy you could count on to lift heavy loads during a move. Well, I think it’s time that Jason allow us to help with the heavy load he’s currently carrying as he worries how he’s going to continue to support his family during his recovery process, and how he’s going to afford the expensive anti-rejection medications he’ll need to take for the rest of his life event rejection of his new kidney. That’s where we can help!
Did you know that the average kidney transplant costs over $260,000 and that the average cost for monthly medications that transplant recipients take for the rest of their lives costs more than $2500 each and every month? I didn’t! But it’s easy to understand why Jason is concerned that his life-saving gift from his wife may cause his family extreme financial hardship.
What would the $ we donate be used for?
-Jason is the sole breadwinner for his family as Marie is a full time stay at home mom to their 4 young children. If all goes as planned his recovery will take 2-3 months, during which time he’ll receive only 60% of his pay from short term disability (this after the 15% pay cut he took in January 2015 when the company he works for was acquired). The $ we donate will help tremendously in making up the difference in his loss of income for paying the monthly household bills.
**********UPDATE 8/19/15: Jason's position at work was eliminated today and he is out of a job, exactly one short week before his transplant surgery******************
-Travel expenses from Chicago to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN (Marie and Jason traveled to 6 transplant centers throughout the Midwest to improve Jason’s odds of receiving a transplant, and the Mayo Clinic was by far their top choice and where they truly believe they’ll get the best possible care)
-Lodging for 30 days in Rochester, MN (Jason and Marie will need to remain in MN for a month following the transplant for daily checkups at the transplant center to be sure there aren’t signs of rejection).
**************Update 9/13/15: Jason was readmitted to the hospital on 9/4 due to complications after his transplant & is still there today. He may need an additional surgery. When he is finally released then he'll need to restart his 2-3 weeks of outpatient clinic appointments so their time in Rochester will be extended approximately 3 weeks beyond the initial month estimated. This means 3 weeks of additional lodging costs and meals. *******************************
-Medical bills incurred during Jason and Marie’s surgeries, hospitalizations and follow up care
-Lifelong medications to prevent rejection of his new kidney
-Travel expenses, lodging and meals for Jason and Marie’s caregivers (since they are both undergoing surgery at the same time, they are unable to care for each other during their recovery and have family and friends that will be traveling from IL to MN to help)
If you are not able to help Jason financially, you can still help! This is an extremely emotional time for Jason and his family as they will be leaving their 4 young children for a month, and both will be undergoing surgery, each with their own risks. Unfortunately they’ve had a few close calls in the last couple of years that have intensified their worries about their upcoming surgeries. Jason almost lost his life in May 2013 when he suffered a stroke and life threatening infection in his blood stream during his surgery to repair a brain aneurysm, Jason and Marie almost lost their 3 day old baby girl to a suspected infection and then 4 days later while Marie was in her baby girl’s hospital room she suffered a life threatening delayed postpartum hemorrhage. These experiences have given Jason and Marie a unique perspective on life, and they want nothing more than to return home to their beautiful children. So you can help just by keeping Jason, Marie and their children in your thoughts and prayers.
I will be sure to post updates here or you can visit www.facebook.com/akidneyforjason.
With much love and appreciation,
Danielle
Organizer and beneficiary
Danielle Neri
Organizer
Glendale Heights, IL
Marie Chambers
Beneficiary