I wanted to thank the foundation for the generous scholarship I received.  Going to college has gone from a dream to reality.  But without the assistance the National Kidney Foundation of Utah has provided, I do not know where I’d be today. You are helping me make a better life for myself.  I’m 21 now, but when I was 16 I received a kidney transplant.  It changed my life.  Being sick makes you wonder if you will ever be able to accomplish anything and now I have the world at my fingertips.  I am the first person in my family to go to college.  I am in my final semester of the Occupational Therapy Assistance program at Salt Lake Community College.  I have always had an interest in the medical field.  I am very grateful to be able to persue my passion.  The Kidney Foundation does wonderful things and I will forever be grateful for how you have helped me since my transplant.  Sincerely, Brooke R.

The holiday season is tough enough without the additional frustration of having Polycystic Kidney Disease. Thank-you for your support.  I work for a company that offers good health insurance–for which I am grateful…but the longer I live with the disease, the co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses–soon begin to take their toll on the budget.  The $350 gift to help us pay for some of our medications in the month of December gave me tremendous hope that I can keep on trying and working.  I will never be able to thank-you enough for what you do for us patients and those of us who feel victim to the relentlessness of kidney disease.  My love and respect goes out to you and all the wonderful donors of the Kidney Foundation that help people like us.   Sincerely, David J.

Dear Kidney Foundation:  Thank you so much for the gas card to help us buy fuel to get to and from dialysis this week.  We have to make the 130 mile round trip 3 times a week.  We live in Panguich, and must drive over the mountain pass (Bear Valley, Hwy 20) to get to Cedar City–even in bad weather–because my husband simply can not miss dialysis or he will die.   We have put our home up for sale in order to move closer to the clinic, but it is very sad.  My husband was born in this very bedroom. It is a very old home, and special to us, but don’t know if anyone will even buy it.   In the meantime, we will make the drive to Cedar City, faithfully 3 times a week.  Thank you for your help and assistance in helping us get there.  Please let me know if I can do anything to help the Foundation.  I am good at making flyers and advertising, and have run a blood drive at our Church Social Hall.  Let me know if this is helpful, I want to help and return the favor to your organization.  Thank you again for your help, and concern for our wellfare.  Sincerely,   David & Connie O.

Dear Ms. Vetterli:  In the letter, you stated to ‘help lighten the burden and improve the quality of life for Utah & Idaho dialysis and tranpslant patients.’  No truer words about the Kidney Foundation have ever been spoken.  Unless you have experienced kidney failure, and dialysis, you have no idea how much the Kidney Foundation helps in every way.    For every Kidney Kar donation, for every company that donates money, for every generous donor– I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I wish I could personally thank each donor and tell them how much they have helped relieve the huge burden of living with k idney failiure is on me and my family.  I probably would have died 3 years ago without your help with my medications and housing.  I was giving up the struggle to stress and financial burdens I was unable to bear while I was so sick.  I stil have bad days, but I feel like I have you, and the Kidney Foundation donors helping ‘lighten my burden’ and that makes me want to keep fighting to be around for my children and for those who have been so generous.  Thank you so much.  Sincerely, Hazel G.

Dear Kidney Kars, I am writing to give thanks for all you have done for me to help me stay current on my insurance premiums.  Living with kidney failure has so many aspects that need to be addressed– always when you least expect it.  Last week, I had surgery to try and place a Peritoneal Dialysis catheter so I can dialyze at home.  This has been a long process to get that to work, and when I got to dialysis on Friday, my fistula clotted, and I needed to have a fistula-gram to open it up again.  This was much unexpected– but so like kidney failure.  Thank you again for the help and burden it relieves me of.  Merry Christmas to your donors who help improve our lives with their Kidney Kars and other donations.  R. Hammon

Dear Friends of the National Kidney Foundation of Utah:  I’ve been fighting renal failure for 2 1/2 years.  I’ve had lots of testing, with the end result of having a fistula put in my left arm, and doing 3 hours of dialysis 3 times a week.  I started dialysis last December 8, 2008.  One of the ‘blessings’ of end stage renal failure is all the love and giving from friends and family, and organizations like the  Kidney Foundation!  My ‘baby’ brother, and his wife have started the process of being tested to see if they can donate a kidney to me.  Words can not express my feelings of thanks and gratitude.  I am so grateful for the generosity of others, my family and the Kidney Foundation. Thank you, thank you!  From the bottom of my “kidney.”  –B. Jackson

Dear Kidney Foundation, I would like to thank the National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho for your willingness to help me lighten the burden on my sholders.  My health and financial stress does not allow me to sleep well at night.  I cannot explain how grateful I am for your help, but from the bottom of my heart I appreciate your support in this time of need.  Your kindness to me will never be forgotten.  Yours truly, T. Katoa

I wanted to share a short note to say Thank you for helping us pay some of our bills.  I work for the School District and am out of work 3 months of the year.  The last paycheck I got was in June, and I won’t see another until the end of October.  Luckily my husband has two jobs, so we’ve been able to make our house payments.  But since I’ve had kidney failure, it’s been really hard to pay for everything, especially all my medical treatments and medications.  It was so hard for me to ask for (financial) help.  It was humiliating, but I had no options left.  I can not tell you how grateful I am for that little extra help paying for my meds.  It meant so much to me, and took such a huge burden off mine and my husband’s shoulders this summer.  God Bless everyone who has donated to the Kidney Foundation.  Thank you so very much for your assistance.  I can only hope that one day I’ll have a transplant and will be able to repay this kindness to the Kidney Foundation myself.  Sincerely,   Michelle S.

Thank you so much for the help you gave to us in paying a portion of our medical bills.  My wife and I have had to sell our home in order to be able to pay for my medical care while on dialysis.  Living with kidney failure has been a devastating blow.  It was always my goal to take care of my wife in our retirement, and now I’m the one who needs her to care for me.  I’m grateful to be living so I can see my grandchildren grow up and be a part of their lives.  But it’s been hard sometimes.  Thank you for helping me in this time of hardship.  It’s so wonderful to know there are people out there who can bless your life with their kindness.  Thank you.  Wendall R.

My husband and I would like to say thank you for the tremendous financial grant to pay our power bill.  We have been in such a financial crunch to pay all our medical bills.  We are in the process of trying to lose enough weight for my husband to qualify to be on the kidney transplant waiting list.  We are hoping that by October, he will be healthy enough to be eligible to be on the waiting list.  We truly appreciate great organizations, like the Kidney Foundation, who help people like us in need.  We are greatly in your debt, and praise God for another day.  We also pray for all of those who help us with my husband’s kidney problems on a daily basis; our doctors, nurses, and dialysis technicians.   Without the help and support of others, I know we could not make it.  We barely survive on my income.  Just know, that your help and kindness to us was deeply appreciated.  We keep you in our prayers that you may continue to help others, like us, who are in need.  Thanks to you, and all the Kidney Cars and other donations that make it possible for you to help us.  Sincerely,   R. & C. Tuttle, SLC, UT