|
|
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – PITTSBURGH, November 27, 2018 — For two-year old Jachin Bundy, of Punxsutawney, PA, life so far has been a constant challenge. The toddler has chronic kidney disease and the experts at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh say his only hope for a full and normal life is to have a kidney transplant. Finding a matching kidney donor is often a major hurdle, but Jachin’s father Levi is a match as a kidney donor and the lifesaving transplant surgery will take place this month.
The Bundy family’s problems are far from over, however. Beyond the cost of the transplant, which experts say could be as much as $800,000, much of which is covered by insurance, the family will still face severe financial hardship. As a kidney donor, Levi Bundy will be out of work for from two to six weeks following the procedure. There will also be ongoing expenses for medications, and for travel and lodging while Jachin recovers. Out-of-pocket expenses for the family could run tens of thousands of dollars annually.
The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA), a national non-profit that assists and guides families dealing with transplant-related expenses, is working with the Bundy family to raise at least $50,000 to assist with their anticipated expenses. Friends and volunteers in Punxsutawney have already started a fund-raising effort.
COTA announced that a benefactor, who wishes to remain anonymous, has pledged to match donations with $2 for every $1 that is raised to help the Bundy family reach or exceed their goal. Coincidentally, the benefactor is currently awaiting a kidney donor who is a match for himself, as he suffers from a kidney disease that will be fatal without a transplant. He learned of Jachin Bundy’s case through his own transplant surgeon, Dr. Michael Rees, who is CEO of the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation, an organization that helps organ donors “swap” organs to enable a match. “Living transplant donors are not always a match for those in need of a kidney transplant, so the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation helps match willing, but incompatible, donor and recipient pairs,” said Dr. Rees, who is director of renal transplantation and transplant surgeon at the University of Toledo Medical Center.
“Since the anonymous benefactor is in the midst of his own search for a suitable blood Type O organ donor,” said Dr. Rees, “he has become acutely aware of the enormous financial strain a kidney transplant can put on both the recipient family and the donor. He wanted to make the process less burdensome for this toddler and his parents.”
“The anonymous benefactor’s generosity will go a long way to our goal of helping the Bundy family through this challenging time,” said Rick Lofgren, President and CEO of COTA.
Contributions may be sent to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, 2501 West COTA Drive, Bloomington, Indiana, 47403. Checks should be made payable to COTA, with “In Honor of Team Jachin” written on the memo line. Secure credit card gifts are accepted at www.COTAforTeamJachin.com. One hundred percent of all funds raised in honor of patients assist with transplant-related expenses for a patient’s lifetime.
Since 1986 the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) has assisted more than 3,500 transplant-needy children, teens and young adults. Throughout these 33 years, COTA has become known as the trusted leader supporting transplant families … for a lifetime. In just the past two years, COTA’s staff and Miracle Makers (volunteers and supporters) have served a record 440 new transplant families by reallocating more than $8 million to meet transplant-related expenses.
The Alliance for Paired Kidney Donations (APKD) exists to serve kidney patients through technology, education and generosity with a straightforward mission: to save lives by securing a living donor kidney transplant for every patient who needs one. The APKD recruits, educates and engages patients with kidney failure, living kidney donors and healthcare professionals. These outreach efforts play an essential role in helping people understand the extensive opportunities provided through the APKD. With a growing network of transplant centers and medical professionals, APKD expects kidney paired donation to account for 20% of all living kidney donor transplants in the future.