Tuesday, February 25, 2020

An Open Letter to Save this NYPD/Marine's Life

Help me by Sharing this Post:
I am Ivan.  I need a kidney.  Not necessarily your kidney, but someone's.  You can help just by sharing this post with your friends on FaceBook.  Together we can find that angel willing to do the extraordinary to save my life.

Ivan Velarde
HollywoodUSMC@aol.com


(me at age 18)

I have end-stage renal failure due to diabetes.  I am currently on dialysis.  Ultimately I need an angel to step forward to save my life by volunteering to give me a kidney (blood type A or O).  Tall order, I know.  It's a big ask.  So I'm not asking.  But I am asking for your help in another way.  There's something else that you can do to help me (and others with a similar need), even if you're not a donor: I need you to spread the word by sharing this request.  I'll show you how to do that in this post.  Your job simply would be to get the word out about my need for a kidney.


I am told that the more people who know of my need, the better my chance is of reaching a person willing to be an altruistic donor.  So, now it's all about getting the word out.  That's where you come in.

Who Am I?
I am a father of two beautiful boys.  I am proud of my service to our country as a Staff Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and as a police officer with the New York Police Department in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Manhattan.  I am a friend. I am a kind and compassionate individual.  I am only 48 years of age.  My service with the NYPD was cut short by my worsening kidney disease and now I am surviving from one dialysis treatment to another - not quite the active and purposeful life that I previously enjoyed.

(on the job with NYPD)

I hope to watch my amazing boys continue to grow and start families of their own someday. And I hope to return to an active life working with a police force.  These should be precious times spent gainfully employed and relaxing with my boys.

People tend to notice my smile and positive attitude.  I always try to do the right thing and help others.  Now I need someone to help me.  Thank you for sharing this and helping me to save my life.

How to Help Me:
I need your help to find a kidney donor so I can live.

Please give me 15 minutes (or more) and use that time to tell the world about this website (Kidney4Ivan.com).
  • Email: Send this website to your friends (all of them) by email.
  • Facebook: Post a small note on Facebook with a link to this website (icon above).
  • LinkedIn: Post a small note on LinkedIn with a link to this website (icon above).
  • Other Social Media Sites: Post a small note with a link to this website (icons below). 
And ask your contacts, readers, friends and acquaintances to do the same (to give this webpage exponential distribution).  
 
Why this is So Serious - My Options: 
Most people have two well-functioning kidneys but can lead a full and equally healthy life with just one kidney.  Both of my kidneys are fully shut down.  So, medically I now have only two options to continue living:
  • dialysis (diminished life expectancy)
  • transplant (a new lease on life)
According to USRDS data, Kidney transplant recipients fare far better than dialysis patients. I need those additional years in order to continue helping others.

(thinking about things)

My family members are medically disqualified as donors.

Also, if a willing donor is not an exact match, through an arrangement called "Paired Kidney Donation" (kidney swapping) a donor who is not a match for me might be a match for someone else and I would be eligible to receive that person's donor's kidney that would be a match for me. 

If You'd Like More Information about Kidney Donation:
For more information about kidney donation generally, please watch this short video from  Columbia University Medical Center's "Becoming a Kidney Donor."

Lloyd E. Ratner, MD New York Presbyterian-Columbia

To Speak with Someone Confidentially:
If you'd like to speak with someone confidentially (without disclosing your inquiry to me), please call:

Angela Templeton, donor coordinator at Westchester Medical Center, Kidney Transplant at (914) 493-1990, press 1.

Westchester Medical Center
BHC, A Wing
100 Woods Road
Valhalla, NY 10595
Phone: (914) 493-1990, press 1
Fax: (914) 493-2419 

(mention my name, Ivan Velarde)

Your questions will be answered by a qualified person who is familiar with my case.

Speaking with a staff member is much better than speaking with me.  They know far more than I do and you will get better information from them.  So please, feel free to contact them.

Keep in mind that a confidential phone call to the hospital does not come with any obligations to proceed further.

Help Me by Sharing.  Unfortunately, "Likes" are Not Enough:
So, please help me by Sharing this post with your Facebook and other friends.  Please do more than "like" or comment.  Likes and comments are the "hopes and prayers" of social media.  Shares = action; the action needed here.

I need your help to find a kidney donor so I can live.

Together, we can do this.

Thank you,

Ivan

______________
Note: Federal law makes it illegal to exchange money for a kidney.

An Open Letter to Save this NYPD/Marine's Life

Help me by Sharing this Post : I am Ivan.  I need a kidney.  Not necessarily your kidney, but someone's.  You can help just by shar...