Marlene's Kidney Transplant Fund
Donation protected
My name is Marlene Butler Durst. I am the grandmother of some amazingly talented and beautiful grandkids. My 5 grandkids, are the light of my life. They call me "Noona" because I feel way too young to be called "Granny". And besides, that's my Mother's nickname. I have helped take care of my youngest grandson for most of his life and now that he is 19 and has graduated from high school, he is anxious to contribute to the household budget.
I need your help because I am seriously ill with end stage renal disease (ESRD) and my doctors say that my best chance for survival and a cure is a living donor. ESRD is the last stage of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)and is the time when dialysis or transplant is needed to stay alive. I have been on dialysis for 11 years.
I am faced with a two-fold challenge: 1)I am desperate to find a living donor for a kidney transplant, plus 2)I need to raise at least $10,000 to be able to afford the expensive medications that I will need to take for the rest of my life.
These are challenges that I cannot overcome alone.
The kidneys are the body's filtration system, cleaning wastes and extra fluid from the body and producing and balancing chemicals that are necessary for the body to function.
Inside the kidneys are nephrons. These are tiny units where the filtering of excess fluids and dissolved particles occurs. There are between 1 and 1.3 million nephrons in each kidney.
While being responsible for producing urine, the kidneys also: filter the blood, balance fluid content in the body, produce the enzyme renin that helps control blood pressure, produce the hormone erythropoitin to help make red blood cells, activate vitamin D to maintain healthy bones, and adjust levels of minerals and other chemicals to keep the body working properly.
Chronic kidney disease occurs when the kidneys are no longer able to clean toxins and waste products from the blood and perform their functions to full capacity. This can happen all of a sudden or over time.
In approximately November of 1998, I noticed swelling in my ankles. I remember feeling this sense of dread. At the time, I was being treated for rheumatoid arthritis. My rheumatologist had been using Gold Therapy to treat my arthritis. Gold injections are part of a class of RA drugs known as disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) because it not only treats the symptoms of RA, like pain and swelling of the joints, but it can also prevent joint damage and disability.
By January of 1999 my doctor began to find an unusual amount of protein in my urine. She had noted protein in my urine previously and had treated me with increasing amounts of Prednisone. I was eventually referred to the Nephrology Department at Ben Taub Hospital where a renal biopsy was performed and in April 1999, I was diagnosed by renal biopsy, with Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
FSGS interfers with the body's blood-filtering system. FSGS produces scars within the kidneys, causing them to lose the ability to work. What causes FSGS is often unknown.
Even though my health insurance will cover some things, there are expenses for hospital and clinic visits, medications and living expenses while I recover, that insurance will not cover.
From what my transplant team has told me, I can expect over $10,000 in uninsured expenses related to the kidney transplant. To help with this financial burden, this Go Fund Me fundraising campaign has been established in my honor.
All donations are tax-deductible and 100% of donations will be used for transplant-related expenses only. I need to raise, with your help, at least $10,000 as soon as possible!
If you are able to help out, please make donations here.
Every little bit helps!
I will keep you posted on any updates and progress being made with my search for a living donor, and with this fundraising campaign.
Thanks in advance!
Note: If you are interested in learning more about Kidney disease and transplant go to: www.davita.com/education.
If you are interested in becoming my donor, please visit this website: houstonmethodist.org/living-donor or call 713-441-5451.
I need your help because I am seriously ill with end stage renal disease (ESRD) and my doctors say that my best chance for survival and a cure is a living donor. ESRD is the last stage of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)and is the time when dialysis or transplant is needed to stay alive. I have been on dialysis for 11 years.
I am faced with a two-fold challenge: 1)I am desperate to find a living donor for a kidney transplant, plus 2)I need to raise at least $10,000 to be able to afford the expensive medications that I will need to take for the rest of my life.
These are challenges that I cannot overcome alone.
The kidneys are the body's filtration system, cleaning wastes and extra fluid from the body and producing and balancing chemicals that are necessary for the body to function.
Inside the kidneys are nephrons. These are tiny units where the filtering of excess fluids and dissolved particles occurs. There are between 1 and 1.3 million nephrons in each kidney.
While being responsible for producing urine, the kidneys also: filter the blood, balance fluid content in the body, produce the enzyme renin that helps control blood pressure, produce the hormone erythropoitin to help make red blood cells, activate vitamin D to maintain healthy bones, and adjust levels of minerals and other chemicals to keep the body working properly.
Chronic kidney disease occurs when the kidneys are no longer able to clean toxins and waste products from the blood and perform their functions to full capacity. This can happen all of a sudden or over time.
In approximately November of 1998, I noticed swelling in my ankles. I remember feeling this sense of dread. At the time, I was being treated for rheumatoid arthritis. My rheumatologist had been using Gold Therapy to treat my arthritis. Gold injections are part of a class of RA drugs known as disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) because it not only treats the symptoms of RA, like pain and swelling of the joints, but it can also prevent joint damage and disability.
By January of 1999 my doctor began to find an unusual amount of protein in my urine. She had noted protein in my urine previously and had treated me with increasing amounts of Prednisone. I was eventually referred to the Nephrology Department at Ben Taub Hospital where a renal biopsy was performed and in April 1999, I was diagnosed by renal biopsy, with Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
FSGS interfers with the body's blood-filtering system. FSGS produces scars within the kidneys, causing them to lose the ability to work. What causes FSGS is often unknown.
Even though my health insurance will cover some things, there are expenses for hospital and clinic visits, medications and living expenses while I recover, that insurance will not cover.
From what my transplant team has told me, I can expect over $10,000 in uninsured expenses related to the kidney transplant. To help with this financial burden, this Go Fund Me fundraising campaign has been established in my honor.
All donations are tax-deductible and 100% of donations will be used for transplant-related expenses only. I need to raise, with your help, at least $10,000 as soon as possible!
If you are able to help out, please make donations here.
Every little bit helps!
I will keep you posted on any updates and progress being made with my search for a living donor, and with this fundraising campaign.
Thanks in advance!
Note: If you are interested in learning more about Kidney disease and transplant go to: www.davita.com/education.
If you are interested in becoming my donor, please visit this website: houstonmethodist.org/living-donor or call 713-441-5451.
Organizer
Marlene Butler Durst
Organizer
Houston, TX