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Spaghetti dinner to benefit Cindy Franklin

Cindy Franklin, 52, needs a liver transplant to survive. In 2008, Franklin was diagnosed with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic liver disease. Her brother died from the same disease last year. Doctors have told Franklin a liver transplant is her only hope for a second chance at life.

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Publish Date: 04:05PM 10/12/09

A liver transplant costs approximately $500,000. Even with health coverage, Franklin will face significant medical expenses. For the rest of her life, she will require follow-up care and daily anti-rejection medications to remain healthy. These medications are very expensive and could cost as much as $5,000 a month. To help alleviate some of the financial burden, Franklin turned to the National Foundation for Transplants (NFT) for assistance. NFT is a nonprofit organization that helps patients raise funds for transplant-related expenses. “Many people don’t realize the enormous expenses transplant patients like Cindy are facing,” said Carrie Berry, NFT fundraising consultant. “The truth is these patients need a lifetime of costly medications and follow-up care once they’ve received their transplant. At NFT, we help patients raise funds so they can focus on their health rather than worry about finances.” Volunteers are planning a spaghetti dinner Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. at Calvary Baptist Church, 1123 Hwy. 42 in Petal, Miss. Admission is $10, and door prizes will be awarded throughout the evening. The event also will include live entertainment, a silent auction and t-shirts available for purchase. For more information, contact Ernestine Eavenson at 601-584-9339, 601-467-7883 or eavenson1@aol.com. To make donations in honor of Franklin, please visit www.transplants.org and click on “patients we help” to search for her. If you prefer to mail your contribution, please send your gift to the NFT Mississippi Liver Fund, 5350 Poplar Ave., Suite 430, Memphis, TN 38119. Be sure to write “in honor of Cindy Franklin” in the subject line. About NFT NFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Memphis, Tenn. that has been helping transplant patients overcome financial obstacles since 1983. NFT provides fundraising expertise and advocacy to transplant patients by organizing fundraising campaigns in the patients’ own communities. In the past 26 years, NFT’s fundraising campaigns have generated nearly $56 million to assist patients. NFT currently assists more than 1,000 transplant candidates and recipients nationwide. For more information about NFT, please call 800-489-3863 or visit www.transplants.org. ###