Cathy Barker & Elaine Travers - Kidney Donation
Donation protected
Best Friends for LIFE, Now Will Share a Kidney
Life-long friendships are truly special. Friendships of 50 plus years, where one person will unselfishly do anything for another, are one of a kind! Cathy Barker & Elaine Travers have had that friendship since they were 4-years old. Together they have shared all life has to offer and on January 15, 2019, Elaine will gift an actual piece of herself to Cathy by donating her a Kidney.
(Update - Jan 15 - 5:35pm - Cathy’s surgery is done and all is good! Elaine’s kidney looks great and is slowly working up to speed. Elaine is awake and recovering and they have shared a virtual hug / I love you via face time. Now, just watching for signs of complications or rejection but the doctor was extremely optimistic!!)
Over 20 years ago, Cathy was diagnosed with Kidney Disease. She has battled this relentlessly, through diet, exercise and personal restraint like a champion with the support of her family and friends. Cathy has been in 90% kidney failure since the summer of 2018. After exploring extensive medical options including dialysis, Elaine stepped forward with the ultimate donation and gift of her own kidney. These two have been through extensive treatment, tests and screening to get to this point. They have both missed considerable time from work/family and suffered considerable financial impact.
Cathy has not wavered in her commitment to her family and work. I see this first hand every day, working side by side with her for over 20 years. As my personal assistant and “work wife” I’d personally be lost without her. She misses extensive time due to appointments, but no matter how tired, still perseveres. She adjusts her schedule to work in the evenings and weekends, with a positive attitude and tireless dedication. She does this while being separated from her family in Oshawa. Instead she lives in Hamilton to be the primary caregiver and support network for her seriously ailing mother.
Elaine has a family of her own, husband, two daughters, grandchildren, a career and yet is putting all of that aside to support her best friend.
Each of their recoveries will be very challenging. Elaine will be adapting to life with one kidney and recovering from the major surgery over 6 to 8 weeks. Cathy will face a 4 to 6 month recovery period with time away from work and increased medical costs. The rejection therapy drugs alone will cost Cathy $2700 a month. These are not covered by OHIP, and extended medical benefits only cover 80%. This will result in additional costs of roughly $500 a month for life. Both will only be paid partial income while off work recovering.
This page is dedicated to raising funds to support the expenses and costs associated to these lifelong friends on their road to recovery from this, the greatest gift one can give or receive; the gift of life. Hopefully we can all help them with the financial part.
If you were brought to this page, you either know these two beautiful souls or someone close to you does. You support and donations are greatly appreciated !!!
Life-long friendships are truly special. Friendships of 50 plus years, where one person will unselfishly do anything for another, are one of a kind! Cathy Barker & Elaine Travers have had that friendship since they were 4-years old. Together they have shared all life has to offer and on January 15, 2019, Elaine will gift an actual piece of herself to Cathy by donating her a Kidney.
(Update - Jan 15 - 5:35pm - Cathy’s surgery is done and all is good! Elaine’s kidney looks great and is slowly working up to speed. Elaine is awake and recovering and they have shared a virtual hug / I love you via face time. Now, just watching for signs of complications or rejection but the doctor was extremely optimistic!!)
Over 20 years ago, Cathy was diagnosed with Kidney Disease. She has battled this relentlessly, through diet, exercise and personal restraint like a champion with the support of her family and friends. Cathy has been in 90% kidney failure since the summer of 2018. After exploring extensive medical options including dialysis, Elaine stepped forward with the ultimate donation and gift of her own kidney. These two have been through extensive treatment, tests and screening to get to this point. They have both missed considerable time from work/family and suffered considerable financial impact.
Cathy has not wavered in her commitment to her family and work. I see this first hand every day, working side by side with her for over 20 years. As my personal assistant and “work wife” I’d personally be lost without her. She misses extensive time due to appointments, but no matter how tired, still perseveres. She adjusts her schedule to work in the evenings and weekends, with a positive attitude and tireless dedication. She does this while being separated from her family in Oshawa. Instead she lives in Hamilton to be the primary caregiver and support network for her seriously ailing mother.
Elaine has a family of her own, husband, two daughters, grandchildren, a career and yet is putting all of that aside to support her best friend.
Each of their recoveries will be very challenging. Elaine will be adapting to life with one kidney and recovering from the major surgery over 6 to 8 weeks. Cathy will face a 4 to 6 month recovery period with time away from work and increased medical costs. The rejection therapy drugs alone will cost Cathy $2700 a month. These are not covered by OHIP, and extended medical benefits only cover 80%. This will result in additional costs of roughly $500 a month for life. Both will only be paid partial income while off work recovering.
This page is dedicated to raising funds to support the expenses and costs associated to these lifelong friends on their road to recovery from this, the greatest gift one can give or receive; the gift of life. Hopefully we can all help them with the financial part.
If you were brought to this page, you either know these two beautiful souls or someone close to you does. You support and donations are greatly appreciated !!!
Organizer and beneficiary
Keith Elliott
Organizer
Hamilton, ON
Catherine Barker
Beneficiary