“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” -Helen Keller
Why is fundraising important? Valid question.
One of the lesser known challenges surrounding being a caregiver is having sufficient funds. Not necessarily funding for the recipient’s medical expenses, but also funds for work you, as a caregiver, may miss, travel or even lodging near your loved one or the transplant hospital and basic living expenses.
A transplant hospital is not always in the city where you live and it’s possible you may be commuting to and from the hospital, to work, to your home etc.
When my mom had her transplant, the transplant hospital, IU Methodist, was 2 hours away from where we lived. This meant that I was driving my mom to her appointments 2 hours away, but there was also a period of time when I was commuting 2 hours to and from work and to get home to check on my apartment.
Gas costs, car maintenance and lodging expenses in Indianapolis were adding up quickly and because my mom’s transplant did not go as expected (read her story here), we could have been struggling immensely. Luckily, due to fundraising, there were additional funds to help during this time.
Check out some of these fundraising ideas and leave a comment with questions or suggestions.
Looking for organ, eye and tissue transplant information to share at your fundraising events? Checkout these educational resources.