Long Time Laurelhurst Resident And Dialysis Patient In Need Of Car For Medical Appointments

Charda and her dog, Ginger

Charda Hastings, a long-time Laurelhurst resident, who we profiled in April detailing her hard life with medical challenges being on dialysis and waiting for a kidney transplant, has taken a turn for the worse several acquaintances of hers told us. She is in need of a car to get to her doctor's appointments

"Charda, who has been on dialysis for 10 years but is now giving up to die in hospice because she has no car, cannot get her Group Health doctor to okay Metro Access to pick her up for her dialysis appointments.  We need to help Charda right away," Beverly Hawkins wrote to the Blog Staff

Beverly continued:

Last year when I was going back to work part time,  I met a lady on the bus named Leah.  She told me about her friend Charda, who was on dialysis and waiting for a kidney transplant.   

Charda needed help and support to pay for expenses while waiting for a kidney.  I wrote a check for 25$ and gave it to Leah to give to Charda.  I have since communicated with Charda through email, when she was up for a kidney and needed round the clock care.   

Sadly, that fell through.  Now I am asking you for your prayers.  Please read Charda's words below.  If you know of anything - agency, person, support group that can help please contact me at oneracehuman@gmail.com.

 

Charda's words:

I wanted to let you know that my life is too hard for me now. I no longer have the resources necessary (car is one)to fight through.  I do not have the support I once had. So I feel I have no other

choice but to go into hospice and stop dialysis. I have lived on dialysis for going on 10 years now. I had hoped for a transplant but I cant do that either without support. 

It is sooner than I had hoped to go into hospice but sometimes people give you no other choice. Sometimes life isnt worth all it takes to go on when youre ill. I am barely well enough to drive myself to dialysis and dr. Appts. And the store and trying to do this on some bus then wait who knows how long? 

I just do not have the stamina for this way of getting around. Thank you for all the fun. Enjoy your lives you never know when it's going to be over.

One of Charda's neighbors, Karen, wrote to us:

Charda still lives in Laurelhurst and is at her wit's end with her misery. She is thinking of giving up dialysis and moving into hospice because she is tired of fighting for survival .  

She was rolling in her wheelchair by our house yesterday walking her dog Ginger and told me she would not survive a week without dialysis but was afraid she had no choice left.

Charda has been driving herself to have dialysis for 10 years . Her car broke down. She is in a wheelchair. Now she takes the bus and is about to give up. If a car makes all the difference there must be someone out there with a spare sitting in the garage and a good heart.

Contact Barbara Hawkins at oneracehuman@gmail.com or Karen Fies at karin.fies@gmail.com if you can help.

And Charda can be reached at 206-527-0661.

Interesting Laurelhurst Resident And Dog In Need Of Mother-in-law In Neighborhood

Charda and her dog, Ginger

In the recent issue of the Laurelhurst Newsletter, published by the Laurelhurst Community Club, a small ad seeking immediate housing, caught the eye of the Laurelhurst Blog Staff. 


So we reached out to Charda Hastings, currently living on East Laurel Drive, who posted the ad, to learn more about her and found out about the medical hardships she has endured. 

Charda spent her childhood caring for her mother, who suffered from kidney disease, and then ended up herself being diagnosed with the same disease at eighteen years old. Charda's mother ended up dying when Charda was only twenty two years old.


We spoke with Charda, who is currently looking for a mother-in-law apartment, preferably still in Laurelhurst, to rent for a minimum fee as she is on a fixed income.

She told us that she has lived as a guest of Henry Tenckhoff in his studio apartment for 15 years, but now must move.

Many neighbors have met Charda, who is in a wheelchair, while she is out walking with her dog, Ginger, who is six years old.

She writes:

I love living in this neighborhood everyone watches out for each other and our animals and everyone is so friendly.The thought of having to leave this wonderful neighborhood I feel so safe in and love to chat on our walk's is very sad to me. If I don't find a place, I will be forced to move into low income where I feel I will be unsafe. Unfortunately,  there are approximately 10,000 people waiting on low income list.  I am one of those people on the list.  

Charda told us that she met Henry when she was five years old in 1971, who is now a retired nephrologist, when her mother went on dialyses and he was her doctor.   


She writes:

This was back when dialysis was new and there were very few machines and so patient's were picked with criteria of age, did they have small children, could they raise enough. $10,000 dollars is what Ballard hospital raised for my mother.   So the committee let her live.

So when I turned 10 years old my mom taught me to administer dialysis to her. So I took care of her till she died.  I was 22 when she died. 

She had asked Dr Tenckhoff to make sure I was okay as she knew her kidney disease was hereditary and that indeed I would need dialysis at some point too. I have pkd- polycystic kidney and liver disease and have been on dialysis for 9 years now. 

I worked in dialysis for a total of 17 years before I went on the machine myself.  I am working on getting a transplant at the UW.  I had 4 calls for transplants and they were not the best matches for me.  I got an infection from an injury so I am on hold until it is treated. 

Charda told us about some of her hobbies and what she has been up to:

For a few years I taught "Living Well With Chronic Conditions" classes at Group Health.  I enjoy seeing the new born hummingbirds that I feed all winter and until there are blooming flowers in backyard. 

I enjoy reading, walking Ginger, and I have been asked by several friends and my doctors to write an auto-biography.   I am working on this now.   

I have endured and lived through many medical things that my doctors did not expect me to live through.  Such as I got a life threatening blood infection that unfortunately took my lower left leg and most of my fingers.  Life without my fingers I find the hardest to overcome as I have impossible things such as putting a harness on Ginger or unclipping her leash to walk her.  I am not able to do this.  This is just a couple things I am no longer able to do but, I still fight everyday to stay independent.   

I love talking and seeing everyone I have met in Laurelhurst.   I enjoy meeting their kids, dogs, and I look forward on every walk that I will see how each person out that walk is doing.  When I found out I needed to move I was devastated because I have lived here in Laurelhurst for 15 years but have only been well enough to walk Ginger in last two years.  Henry walked her for me for 3 of those years.

Charda was born and raised in Ballard and when her mother died in 1989 she moved to Salem, Oregon for a job with state of Oregon in human resources doing medicare billing.


In 1999 she moved back to Seattle into Henry's apartment because she was very ill.  "That particular day when I arrived there was a double rainbow over Lake Washington.  Just the confirmation I needed to feel I made the correct move," she told us.


Unfortunately Ginger her dog also has medical problems.  "She  was given prednisone for knee inflamation and ended up with insulin dependant diabetes.  She is given 2 insulin shots per day by me.  She was born with a non working thyroid. So she is on thyroid meds too," Charda told us.


Providence Hospice wrote a story about Charda in 2010, in which Charda said that at that time she  had an ejection fraction of 20% and was dying.  "My heart is completely normal at this time,"she told us.


Charda, who says she is very trustworthy, can be reached at 206-527-0661 if you have or know of a mother-in-law apartment in Laurelhurst.

Laurelhurst Dialysis Patient Seeking Housing

Charda Hastings has been a long-time Laurelhurst resident, living in a mother-in-law of a later doctor and his wife.

The Laurelhurst Blog has published several stories about Charda and her health status as well as her sick dog, who recently passed.

Charda was born and raised in Ballard and spent most of her childhood caring for her mother, who died in 1989, from kidney disease.  Charda then moved to Salem, Oregon for a job with state of Oregon in human resources doing medical billing.

In 1999 she moved back to Seattle into her mother's doctors apartment in Laurelhurst, when she became very ill, also from kidney disease, at eighteen years old.

Unfortunately Charda's dog, Ginger, also suffered from medical problems, as she was born with a non working thyroid and had to take thyroid medication, just as Charda does.

Charda wrote to the Laurelhurst Blog recently:

Dear Laurelhurst Blog friends and neighbors. 

My name is Charda Hastings.  Henry, and his wife, moved me into their Mil in their home in 1999 when my kidneys started failing. I have lived here ever since. I have been on kidney dialysis for 14 years now.  Both Henry and Lore have died in the last few years.  

My little dog Ginger died March 1st in my arms. She had a grand mall seizure someone gave her insulin while I was at dialysis After she hadn’t eaten for 3 days Prior, she wasn’t supposed to have any insulin until she ate something substantial. I miss Gingeri, Henry and Lore, terribly.  

I am writing because I need help. Henry and Lore promised me a lifelong gift of living right where I am along with a special needs trust fund that protects my disability SSD. 

I have been asked to move out, as the house is slated to be sold.  Unfortunately, Assisted living apartments in Seattle, will only accept people who are age 62 and above and I am just 53. The section 8 housing has nothing to offer me at this time. I have no back up plans of where I could move to and am not able to access my special needs trust.  

If anyone knows of any rentals here in Laurelhurst of any condos, please let me know. I really love living in Laurelhurst with such wonderful people.  Everyone watches out for each other and our animals and everyone is so friendly.The thought of having to leave this wonderful neighborhood I feel so safe in is very sad to me. If I don't find a place, I will be forced to move into low income where I feel I will be unsafe. Unfortunately, there are approximately 10,000 people waiting on low income list. I am one of those people on the list. 

Providence Hospice wrote a story about Charda in 2010, in which Charda said that at that time she had an ejection fraction of 20% and was dying. "My heart is completely normal at this time,"she told us.

Charda, who says she is very trustworthy, can be reached at 206-527-0661 if you have or know of a mother-in-law apartment in Laurelhurst.

Update On Long Time Laurelhurst Resident And Dialysis Patient

 

Charda and her dog, Ginger

Charda Hastings, a long-time Laurelhurst resident, who we profiled in April and did a follow-up post in June, has experienced medical challenges for the majority of her life, being on dialysis and currently waiting for a kidney transplant.

She recently sent the Laurelhurst Blog an update:

I am forever indebted to the Laurelhurst blog for your support and

help in my struggle and fight for a transplant and the funds needed.  Thank you for running my story and for the blog's impact helping me to reach out to this wonderful community. I am proud to have been a member of this community for the last fifteen years.   

I would like to provide an update to let you and the community know where I stand.If you would be so kind as to run the update, I would be most appreciative.   

First, I would like to thank the Laurelhurst community and everyone else, who has donated already to my kidney Transplant fund. Next I would like to let my Laurelhurst community, whom I cherish greatly, know where we are in this process.   

I have an appointment with the transplant team on December 30, 2014.  That is if nothing happens to delay me. (Such as another infection.) I had 2 knee surgeries in 2 weeks time in November.  

This last part of the fund raiser is the most crucial part.  I still need $6,000 to complete the $9,000 Total to pay a caregiver for 24/7 care and other transplant expenses. Other items I have to purchase, for example, are gloves, masks, infection control gowns, and wound care supplies and lots of Purell.  I think this is just the very bare necessities I will need.  

If there is anyone who can alert the media?  That would be of great help to my plea for a transplant and raising funds.   

I am so looking forward to a Brand New Year and a chance at a brand new life, which I have yet to live. Thank you so much for all your support. Without it I would not have a prayer.

Donations can be made to Go Fund Me or:
CHARDA HASTINGS DONATION ACCOUNT
KEY BANK - UNIVERSITY VILLAGE
4715 25TH AVE NE
SEATTLE,  WA 98105

Charda can be reached at Charda.Hastings@gmail.com and 206-527-0661.

Laurelhurst Resident And Dialysis Patient Needs Funds To Live

Charda Hastings, a long-time Laurelhurst resident, who we profiled in April detailing her hard life with medical challenges being on dialysis and waiting for a kidney transplant sent the Laurelhurst Blog another update:

Subject:
I WANT TO LIVE says Charda, Dialysis Patient
 

My name is Charda Hastings.  I was born and raised in Ballard and graduated from Ballard High School with honors.  I have lived in the Laurelhurst community for 15 years. I suffer from polycystic kidney and liver disease (PKD) and have been on dialysis for 10 years. The disease is hereditary.  My grandmother died with PKD before there was dialysis. My mom got sick with kidney failure in 1971 when I was 5 years old.  My mother went on the first kidney machine, which was inside a Sears toolbox. My mom taught me to sterilize and administer dialysis to her.  I took care of her and supported us with 3 paper routes. I took care of her until she died when I was 22 years old.

I had many kidney infections when I was young. So the doctor that was caring for my mom said let's test Charda for PKD.   When I turned 18 years old, I started having high blood pressure problems.  At 38 years old, my kidneys failed and I had to go on dialysis or die.  A Kidney Transplant is my ultimate goal.  I need help to raise at least $8400 for Kidney Transplant After Care.  http://www.gofundme.com/2a7xt0  

The rate for a care giver is $25.00 per hour.  The University of Washington Hospital requires that I have a caregiver for 24 hrs per day for 3 weeks post transplant. Just the cost of caregiver is $8,400.00, which I do not have.  So I  have decided to offer instead a flat fee of $5,000 and would negotiate time for caregiver to keep their own lives going by having some time to go home, as long as they can be reached via cell. 

Why do I need to ask for help?  I have Medicare because I am on dialysis.  We fought for this many years ago for the dialysis patients.  If you have Medicare, you may not apply for the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare.  Medicare will not cover the expense of a caregiver for 3 weeks around the clock.   

My caregiver will have to shop for me and make sure they are available to take me at a moment’s notice to the  University of Washington Hospital.  I also am including  feeding said caregiver.  I also know that there will be extra expenses, such as meds post transplant that will not be covered, which i will have to pay for out of pocket.  Plan on paying for parking for each visit, which if i go in every morning for blood work will be expensive. Other items i have to purchase, for example are gloves, masks, infection control gowns, and wound care supplies and lots of Purell.  I think this is just the very bare necessities I will need.

Unfortunately, I have many other illnesses besides kidney failure, such as Fibromyalgia, which I was diagnosed with in 1992.  So because of the damage from Fibromyalgia and dialysis treatment, I have lived with severe chronic pain on a daily basis since 1992.  One side effect of  dialysis is neuropathy.   Neuropathy is a very painful illness that affects your nerve endings.  Unfortunately, if proper infection control is not followed, patients are at risk.  I happened to get a very bad case of Van co-resistant staph infection in my blood stream.  

I lost my lower left leg and foot and almost all of my fingers. I almost lost my life.  I was unconscious for 8-12 weeks.  Dialysis is very hard on your body.   When I started dialysis I was 38 years old.  I was told once by a doctor that one dialysis treatment of 4-5 hours is equivalent to running in a marathon. I have never ran a marathon but I can attest that I feel as if I have run many miles post dialysis every treatment.   Dialysis is completely exhausting and after being on it for 10 years, I can assure you I no longer have quality of life.  I come home after dialysis and I go to bed and I sleep until the next morning to recover even then I need the following day to just rest and I take a couple more naps.  By the next dialysis day, I feel like I might recover but now it's time for dialysis again.  So i start over.  

Asking for help is not who I am.  I was raised to work and take care of myself.  But this is bigger than me and I need help if I want to live.  AND I WANT TO LIVE.  http://www.gofundme.com/2a7xt0

Contact Barbara Hawkins at oneracehuman@gmail.com or Karen Fies at karin.fies@gmail.com if you can help.

And Charda can be reached at 206-527-0661.