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This fundraiser is to raise money for my nephew Russell. Today, Russell Bavelaar is fighting for his life. In December 2021, he was diagnosed with Congestive Heart failure. Sadly, Russell has a family history of this type of condition on both his mother and father’s side. He continued to live with his illness until recently when his health took a turn for the worse. Now, doctors say a heart transplant is critical for his survival.
The Jennings Family is asking the community for help in securing life-saving transplant for their beloved cousin. Russell is the primary caretaker for his adult son, Victor, who has special needs and depends on his father. Before his health began to decline, Russell enjoyed traveling, camping and off-roading with his son, but these days, his activities are quite limited. He looks forward to the transplant that will allow him to be healthy enough to spend many more years making memories with his loved ones, but right now, he needs your help. Unfortunately, Russell’s hope for a new life comes at a very high price. The average heart transplant costs more than $1 million. And that is only the beginning. Even with health insurance, which will cover a portion of the cost of his transplant, he faces significant expenses related to the surgery. For the rest of his life, he will need follow-up care and daily anti-rejection medications. Post-transplant medications are very expensive, and they are as critical to his survival as the transplant itself.
Because Russell must travel to the transplant center for evaluations and doctors’ appointments, he incurs substantial expenses for each trip. When he receives his transplant, Russell will have to stay near the hospital during recovery, adding to the financial strain. You can help by making a tax-deductible donation to the National Foundation for Transplants in honor of Russell.
