Dear Kidney Foundation of Utah, I am a grateful recipient of a grant from the foundation. I received assistance to pay my heat bill. My husband had two very serious injuries at work and was hospitalized around the time I was diagnosed as being in the final stages of renal failure. We lost our home and the basement apartment we can afford is so cold. Because of the dialysis and my low creatine levels, I am ALWAYS COLD. We have been careful not to turn up the heat because we can’t afford it. But it was just so cold this month. We truly appreciate the grant of $122 to help us pay our heat bill. Your generosity is so deeply appreciated. Sincerely, Curtis and Dorothy R. (Athon, Idaho)

Dear Kidney Foundation, Thank you so much for your assistance in making a $350 payment to the Medicare Premium Collection Center. Today is my 65th birthday. Not being dropped from Medicare, has made it a very happy birthday for me! Thank you! Thank you!

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700036893/Utah-BYU-coaches-lend-assist-to-Kidney-Foundation.html

Dear Kidney Founation, I am so very grateful for your support. The gas card you provided so I could get to dialysis this month was literally a “life-saver”.  My husband just lost his job and we literally did not have enough money for the gas it would take to drive me to dialysis.  We appreciate your help in our desperate time of need.  In moment’s like this, we know God blesses our lives through other people reaching out.  God Bless you, thank you.  Alicia G.

Well, a crane actually…..but it could happen.  If you want to watch them do it, come to HeeHaw Farms in Pleasant Grove this Saturday, October 23rd at 1:00 p.m. (exit 275 for North Bound I-15 Traffic/ exit 278 for South Bound I-15 traffic).  The 1996 Pontiac 6000 being smashed by pumkins (hey, isn’t that the name of a rock band?) will be donated to the Kidney Kars program!  Come have some Halloween fun ! See you there.

Thank you so much to C. Gunderson of South Jordan for the gorgeous black 2000 Porsche Boxter.  It had a pricey blown transmission, but was in overall good shape.  With a little help from our friends at IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions) the Kidney Foundation of Utah was still able to sell it for more than $6,000 bucks at a Las Vegas Auto Auction.  That money will go straight into Utah medical research, and into the hands of kidney patients who are in desperate financial times because of the cost of their medical treatments, medications, and transportation to and from dialysis.  That was one gorgeous car– and a most generous Kidney Kars donation!  We are so grateful Ms. Gunderson for your humanitarian!

We are very grateful to the National Kidney Foundation of Utah for the help you have given us in paying our mortgage. In 2010/2011 kidney failure, and the medical expenses that arose, have had tremendous impact on our lives.  This has placed a a huge financial burden upon our family.  We cannot thank you enough for the monetary aid that has lighted our burden.  We hope that within time we will be able to repay the Kidney Foundation by making a donation, so you can continue to help others in the same way you have helped us.  Thank you so very much for your generosity.  Sincerely,  The Brooks Family.

I am very grateful for your help with the payment of my dental bill. I recently had to have 3 molars removed. They were painfully infected and were keeping me off the transplant waiting list. Having them removed has eliminated my pain, and the infection. People just don’t realize that the smallest thing (like dental work) can keep you off the transplant waiting list. Any infection will prevent you from being a transplant candidate. I don’t even care if I get a bridge for the 3 removed molars, I’m just glad to not be in any pain and to be back on the waiting list. I could not have afforded the whole dentist bill on my own at this time due to my other medical expenses.  Thank you for your help!  God Bless you!  Sincerely Yours, Alice M.

We cannot thank you enough for helping us make our car payment so me and my son Beau can get to dialysis. We both dialyze at the same clinic and live together to cut living and transportation costs. This April, I filed my income taxes, claiming Beau as a dependent. The E-file was kicked back saying my son’s Social Security number was tied to another tax return which claimed working income, a spouse, and a dependent! Someone had stolen his social security! They froze his Medicare and other disability benefits. We are still fighting to clarify his identity–in the meantime, we still have to pay our same bills–including the car payment for the car that gets us both to dialysis. Bless you for your help in our great time of need. It is so frustrating to be at the mercy of the ‘powers that be’. If we were healthy, could work, and not have to rely on anyone for our care it would be different. But the kindness and mercy you have shown us will not soon be forgotten by us. God Bless you. Sincerely, Pat M., Sandy, UT

Thank you for the gas card! Gasoline to get to and from dialysis is a huge financial burden. Since I went into Kidney Failure, I’ve been told by my doctors to stop working (I had a very physically demanding job). Since then, my family finances have suffered greatly. Every penny we have now goes to my medical treatments, medications, and transportation.  Just before I went into renal failure I had gotten a second job in order to support my youngest son who is serving an LDS religious mission. My inability to work has crippled our whole family.  Everyday, I live with guilt for the stress my wife feels in having to take care of me while also working to support us.  The assistance to help pay for gas was a true relief.  Thank you Kidney Foundation for all that you do. I hope when I have my transplant and can work again, to make a donation  to you to help other patients in need.