Nicolas, 2020 Transplant Assistance Grant Recipient
APRIL 28, 2020 - Richie’s Spirit Foundation is proud to award Transplant Assistance Grants to the families of bone marrow and stem cell transplant recipients - a first for the organization. Nicholas, one of the grant recipients, received a life-saving stem cell transplant from his older brother, this past October after he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nicholas’s mother, Susan, shares that he is doing well six months post-transplant.
Since inception, the Transplant Assistance Grant program has allocated nearly $20,000 to 45 families across the country to alleviate financial stress caused by the transplantation process. Traditionally, funds have supported families with a child waiting for, or who recently received, an organ transplant. In 2020, Richie’s Spirit Foundation received its first “liquid” transplant applications (i.e. stem cell and bone marrow).
Shon, 2020 Transplant Assistance Grant Recipient
The Transplant Assistance Grant Review Committee - which comprises medical professionals, doctors, nurses, and those who knew Richie - answered these new calls for assistance, with the compassionate and generous spirit that Richie inspired. One committee member wrote, “Bone marrow and stem cell transplantation can be a miracle for patients. I believe that assisting these types of patients is consistent with our mission.”
Richie’s Spirit Foundation continues to support organ transplant recipients as well, like the family of Shon. Shon, an 18 year old boy, has suffered from polycystic kidney disease since he was very young. He received his first kidney transplant at the age of four, and his second transplant eight years later. His mother shares, “This grant is a big help to us because I’m a single parent and live from paycheck to paycheck… this is truly a blessing.” Shon, who graduates from high school later this spring, plans to study sports broadcast journalism in college.
Richie’s Spirit Foundation is excited about this expansion into supporting the broader transplant community!
Applications are currently open to the next round of Transplant Assistance Grant review. If you or someone you know needs assistance, please apply here.