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| Hannah's Letters for Life |
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As an aunt of a child affected by Nephrotic Syndrome, I am asking for your help in my Letters for Life campaign.
Most of you know my niece Hannah was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome at the age of two. She is now four and continues to suffer from a terrible disease that is destroying her kidneys. Nephrotic Syndrome is a disorder where the kidneys have been damaged, causing them to leak protein from the blood into the urine. There is currently no cure for Nephrotic Syndrome; there are only medications to treat the symptoms. Hannah has been dependent on steroids for two years with minimal change in her disease. Steroids have long-term negative affects, and have also caused her to have a very weak immune system.
She was recently admitted to the hospital for a week because her little body could not fight off a virus that would not have phased you and I. My family prays and hopes everyday that a cure will be found so that Hannah can finally live a normal life.
The Letters for Life campaign supports the NephCure Foundation. NephCure is the only organization solely committed to seek a cause and cure for Nephrotic Syndrome and Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). NephCure is dedicated to generate awareness, facilitate free patient education seminars, and support several research initiatives.
We support NephCure’s efforts because of the organization’s association with renowned scientists from around the world and its commitment to fundraising for research.
Please consider a gift in honor of my niece, Hannah! I aim to raise $10,000 by December 31, 2007 and need your help to make this possible!
NephCure is a tax-exempt public charity and your contribution will be tax deductible.
In 1980, 36 cases of FSGS were reported. Today, the latest federal reports indicate at least 2,000 kidney failure cases annually due to FSGS although experts believe it is at least double that figure. This does not include the number of FSGS patients who have not lost their kidney. Steroid therapy is commonly used in the treatment of children with Nephrotic Syndrome and FSGS, although approximately 75 percent of patients do not respond to therapy, relapse while on therapy, or relapse rapidly when therapy is stopped. FSGS is one of the most common kidney diseases to recur after a kidney transplant and the third most common cause of Nephrotic Syndrome in adults. Still, most people could not tell you what it means to have Nephrotic Syndrome or FSGS. We need to increase public education so that more medical and research dollars can be allocated to determine the count, cause and cure for Nephrotic Syndrome patients and FSGS. Please donate to NephCure and help us make a difference for our Hannah!
Forever grateful for your help,
Elizabeth Fremont |
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Total Donations: $4,385
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Goal: $10,000
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