I was introduced to Help Hope Live by my social worker. I was in the process of being evaluated for a heart transplant and the financial cost, with insurance, was staggering.
I contacted them in the spring of 2015, after being listed for a transplant and having a lvad implanted. I was overwhelmed with my illness and trying to survive and I found the organization to be both warm and helpful.
I was lucky enough to have a support system willing to organize a benefit for me and I was grateful for Help Hope Live for the guidance they provided. I didn't know where to start and they knew exactly what to do.
People ask what Help Hope Live is and I explain that it is similar to a bank account. I send them receipts of what I paid and they send a check from the money I raised.
Help Hope Live is a local organization. I have had the opportunity to visit in person a few times. The employees are excited to see me and are always welcoming.
I have recommended Help Hope Live to a number of people I met who are waiting for a transplant. It is better than other popular fundraising groups out there.
Review from Guidestar
I was a single 36 year old adult male when I was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease from Mercury toxicity. I require kidney dialysis almost 13 years until I found a living donor willing to donate their kidney. Fortunately I receive the gift of life and help Hope live have helped me since May of 2014 raise necessary funds to pay for the 20% out-of-pocket medical costs not covered under the current Medicare guidelines.
Unlike do-it-yourself campaigns, help Hope live have a very professional staff who are friendly, and compassionate to my campaign needs.
Thank you help Hope live for helping me with my new lease on life.
Review from Guidestar
"Let me remind you: this money isn't YOURS, it's OURS." This was the very haughty statement from the director of HelpHopeLive, when we called to complain that after repeated emails and unanswered fund requests, we still not had received any money from the account set up for us, or any answers to what was happening with our account - an account of donations solicited from our friends and family - to pay our mounting medical costs. This company claims to be taking in and "managing" donations your from friends and family, but in reality is just using your name and story to prey upon your loved ones to collect money, charging a 4% fee, making interest off other people's donations, and making the lives of sick people that much more difficult, by making any kind of claim against the money impossible and emotionally draining.
HelpHopeLive sets up a page to solicit donations with your picture and "story" on it, makes your friends and loved ones THINK that the money will be going to pay the extreme medical costs you personally will be facing, assigns a "coordinator" whom you are to contact for help and to disperse the donations made to you (ours "left the company" though they kept her on our page as the person to contact, and did not do a bounce-back for the email, so you have no idea no one actually is getting your requests), and then they sit back and hold on to what-they-remind-you-when-you-claim-against-it, is "their" money. (Interesting, too - there is no disclosure as to how much a person has donated to you - just their name and address - you never actually know the amounts donated on your behalf unless you press for it - we sent 12 emails asking for this information - all unanswered).
In trying to deal with all of these unneeded and upsetting problems (a few weeks out of transplant, at a time that's difficult enough), we were told - a year after starting this account - that we had not completed our "responsibility" of a medical release (We actually had - they just never actually did their end of confirming the information; it is still sitting "pending" on our dashboard page). We have been contacting them for months, and no one has contacted back, no one has answered emails, and even when you wing it, and try to file a claim for the money donated for you, no one contacts you the let you know why they won't disperse the funds. (We finally found out by calling repeatedly)
To top it off, the people there are just terrible - the director (quoted above) actually laughed in contempt when we questioned the validity of this program, and then hung up on us, forcing us to make multiple calls back, and then the only thing they had to say when we literally had to BEG for the money is "it is not yours, it's ours," "read the contract" and "it's your responsibility" to "make sure everything is in order" (Which we still don't understand, as: 1) everything on our end has been done - over and over, and 2) for the last year, since we opened this account with them, no one let us know it wasn't "in order"). We are a year out of opening this account with them - and we have yet to see a dime.
My elderly mom actually cried today when she realized the money she had donated to helping us in a time of need isn't actually helping us - and we are close to losing our house- a year into excessive medical bills. Definitely, beware on this "organization." What a nightmare - in a time that's already a nightmare. Use GoFundMe (an organization, they, ironically referred to as "unethical" and "dangerous") or other crowd-funding source, somewhere that won't take advantage of your illness, friends, and family for money that they will refer to as "theirs."
Review from Guidestar