At 46 years old, a La Cygne woman has stumbled into a fight she never bargained for. About 18 months ago, she learned her kidneys weren’t functioning like they should. And last April the news was worse, the kidneysds were functioning at 13 percent of the normal level.
Jami Clark was told she would need to begin dialysis to survive as she waited, along with thousands of other dialysis patients across the country, for a kidney transplant. That wait, she said, could take three to five years.
In the meantime, she has been unable to work and medical bills are starting to pile up.
Earlier this month, her friends and family hosted a chili feed fundraiser at the La Cygne Library to help her with those expenses. The event included a silent auction, and a 50/50 raffle.
Cheryl Schmidt, Jami’s mother, said that people have been very generous, both in donating items for the silent auction and supporting the family’s other fundraising efforts. A bake sale at Parker Days last month raised about $1,000, she said.
A La Cygne resident since 2005, Jami is one of the hundreds of people in Kansas that falls through the cracks in the health care system in Kansas. With all of her children grown and unable to work because of her health, she still hasn’t been able to qualify for KanCare or disability.
That is an issue she is working to resolve, and she is currently on a plan through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The cost of the transplant is expected to be $500,000 and the post-transplant medications running $25,000 annually, she said.
Despite that, both women remain optimistic and determined to win the battle against a potentially fatal ailment with the help of a supporting community.
Comments