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Restaurant benefit and raffle in honor of Amanda Keys |
| Amanda Keys, 23, was diagnosed with congenital heart disease when she was 6 months old, and her sister also suffers from the same illness. Doctors have told Keys she needs a heart transplant to survive. Volunteers are planning a fundraiser to help with the costly transplant expenses. |
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| Publish Date: 09:32AM 11/18/09 |
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A heart transplant costs approximately $775,000, and that’s only the beginning. Even with health coverage, Keys faces significant expenses related to her transplant. She will need follow-up care and anti-rejection medications for the rest of her life. These medications can cost as much as $5,000 a month, and they are as critical to her survival as the transplant itself.
To overcome these financial challenges, Keys turned to the National Foundation for Transplants (NFT) for assistance. NFT is a nonprofit organization that helps transplant patients raise funds to pay for medical expenses.
“It’s heartbreaking to see someone so young face such tremendous expenses related to the transplant she needs to survive,” said Carrie Berry, NFT fundraising consultant. “At NFT, we’re working with Amanda and her volunteers to raise the necessary funds for her to live a full and happy life.”
Volunteers are planning a restaurant benefit and raffle to help Keys with her expenses. On Saturday, Nov. 28, a portion of food and drink sales at Lions, Tigers and Beers (LTB), located at 2929 Biddle Ave. in Wyandotte, will be donated to NFT in honor of Keys.
This fundraiser will take place from noon to 8 p.m. and will include a raffle.
Raffle tickets cost $10, and prizes include a two-bedroom condo for a one-week stay in Orlando in 2010, a party bus giveaway and several gift cards. The evening also will feature a speaker who will address the crowd about the importance of organ donation.
Sponsors include VIP Salon, Buffalo Wild Wings, Pete’s Garage, LTB and many other area businesses. For more information, please contact Lisa Bergeron at lisab21@comcast.net, 734-282-0557 or 734-934-3294.
To make donations in honor of Keys, 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 Michigan Heart Fund, 5350 Poplar Avenue, Suite 430, Memphis, TN 38119. Be sure to write “in honor of Amanda Keys” 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 800 transplant candidates and recipients nationwide. For more information about NFT, please call 800-489-3863 or visit www.transplants.org.
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