I live in Daleville, AL, home to Ft. Rucker Aviation  -- helicopter headquarters of the Army. Single, but in a fabulous relationship; 48 yrs. old, but I look pretty darn good for an old lady; mom to 2 boys who are adults (kinda); own a greyhound named Murphy who was adopted from Ebro Race Track, Florida; live in a very very hot state where the corn crop has literally burned before our eyes.  I have a 89 Chevy Cavalier Z24 that is sitting in my driveway and needs a starter (it's really a cool car).  I was born in Germany and I am a US citizen.  I sang in a collegiate choir for 7 years with little 18, 19 and 20 yr. old babies and even got asked out on a date by one of them (I didn't go -- married at the time, plus my oldest son would have had a stroke).  My eyebrows are tatooed on.  I got it done in 1999 after years of penciling them on like a 40's movie star or a hooker.  My kids were horrified if I took them to school without them on. I taught junior high drama for 7 years at a Catholic school (what a trip -- I'm still recovering).  I have been a Boy Scout leader for over 12 years (I did give it up last year after my son got his Eagle Scout badge).  I met Robert Beltran (First Officer Chakotay) from Star Trek Voyager and John deLancie who played Q in Star Trek Next Generation at separate Sci-Fi conventions in Cleveland. I am dying of kidney disease. I was waiting for a kidney, and now I have one. My sister will donate on September 19, 2006 at University of Alabama at Birmingham Transplant Center.

I will need some help paying for things that the insurance won't cover. Every little bit helps and I will also pledge to help my friend Shirley at the dialysis clinic with some of her bills, too. She has absolutely no support network.

Hi. My name is Elli Argenti.  I live in Daleville, AL. I moved down here from Lorain, OH in Dec. 2005 so that I could be close to my mom and sisters. I am dying. I have a kidney disease called Mesangial Proliferative Glomerulonephritis (MPG) Type I. My kidney function at this time is about 8%.  I have been on dialysis since March 2006. My sister, Jeanette, has offered her kidney. We have been evaluated several times by 3 different facilities and we are hoping that UAB (University of Alabama) will come through for us and approve a kidney transplant. I am now 48. I was married for 21 years, divorced in 2003 and have 2 boys, 21 and 19. I'm not working. I have worked since I was 16, with 2 years off when I had the boys. When I moved here, I looked for a job that would pay at least $10/hr. They are far and few between. You are lucky if you make $6.50/hr. That's considered pretty good for these parts. Sure, there's a military base right here and there's civilian contractors and the Civil Service, but you have to wait for someone to die or sleep with the entire department to get a job. I just don't have the time for that nonsense. I have no degree, but I have some college. Apparently, 30 years of experience doesn't matter. I applied for disability in March. While my kidney function has rapidly deteriorated since May 2004, I still continued to work. I had to pay rent and utilities and living expenses. Because I stopped working in December on my own to move here, my disability didn't start for Social Security purposes until March when I went on dialysis, even though I was in End Stage Renal Disease for the past 2 years. I worked and that was not allowed. SS makes you wait 6 months before they give you a disability check, so mine will come in September. I don't know how they expect you to live those 6 months without help. I understand the waiting period is to see if you get better, but if you are dying of kidney disease, you aren't gonna get better. I'm getting a small amount of SSI, but it's pretty much gone as soon as I write the checks for rent and utilties. My disability check will be somewhat bigger, but I still have to pay for medication that I will have to take for the rest of my life in addition to the usual expenses of day to day living. Medicare will pay for 80% of my drugs for 3 years.  Some of these drugs are in the hundreds of dollars, others just a few. I refuse to die because I can't afford my medication if I have the transplant. I will have some expenses that insurance will not pay. My mom and sisters help out as they can, but mom is on SS herself (old age - ha!) and my sisters have their own expenses and responsibilities. I am seeing a wonderful man, Gary, who is very supportive emotionally (he's still here even though I am sick) and helps out financially when he can (he has bills too -- don't we all?) I do not intend to remain disabled forever and I sure as hell don't want to die. I pray that I will have this transplant and be healthy again. But even if I do, it will take some time. I really do want to go back to work (crazy but jeez I am so bored at home).  And I want to get married again. But I can't do either until I am healthy. I cried when I called SS to apply for disability. I cried some more when the wonderful lady there told me that I could get SSI and food stamps (which I didn't take.)  The indignity was almost too much to bear. If anyone out there can help...and I know there are so many people out there needing help...I would be so grateful. I will try to help anyone I can by pledging what I can afford. I hate asking other people for help. It makes me feel like I failed somewhere in my life with my choices. I know that's silly, but here I am at 48 years old, asking strangers for help. It's very humbling.

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