By NINA ROGERS, PATTI BOXTEH, DARLENE REMPFER, and JOAN O’LEAR
A group of support women are asking for your help. Our dear friend, Sharon Filardo, is in need of a kidney transplant ASAP. She was diagnosed six years ago with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a rare disease that is untreatable and has no cure.
Sharon is a retired school teacher of 32 years and has given back to our community in numerous ways through charitable organizations and volunteering. Her husband, Phil, is a retired policeman of 22 years. Sharon currently resides in Tahoe Vista. Her time is precious and she needs help to find a living donor.
Sharon has completed the rigorous interview process at the UC Davis Transplant Center, has been accepted into the program, and put on the waiting list for a donated kidney. The average wait for a kidney with her type O blood is four and a half years, with an organ survival rate of 10 to 12 years from a deceased donor. However, the kidney survival rate from a living donor is over 20 years. Due to her disease, she has had to slow down, make choices, and manage her energy carefully. Sharon is hopeful that she will be able to stay strong and healthy enough for a successful transplant surgery when a donor is located.
Sharon urgently needs a 21- to 55-year-old kidney donor with either O, O+, or O- blood type. You can make a difference by helping us find a kidney donor for Sharon to save her life. Please send this letter to your family and friends, and forward it to your email list and/or social media. Phil and Sharon realize what a significant request they are making and want to sincerely thank their friends as they assist them on this journey.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for considering the prospect of donating a kidney, this gift of life to Sharon Filardo. Visit usdmc.ucdavis.edu/transplant or contact Sharon Stencel at UC Davis at (916) 734-3295, or Sharon and Phil at (408) 314-1712.
~ Sharon’s Mountain Sisters: Nina Rogers, Patti Boxteh, Darlene Rempfer, and Joan O’Lear
