National Foundation for Transplants, Inc.

A business owner with more than a full time job, I'm judicious about where I invest precious time and energy, not to mention my reputation. For six years I have served on the board of NFT, for essentially three reasons:

1. The need for organ transplantation in the US is huge. At any given time more than 100,000 Americans are awaiting a lifesaving transplant.
2. Sadly, due to lack of funding and donor organs, both of which are preventable, about twenty of those patients die every day, awaiting transplant. NFT exists for one reason and one reason only, to see to it that, thru effective fund raising and advocacy, more of them get a chance to live, and slowly but surely, we're succeeding.
3. Having worked alongside Team NFT in this mission, I'm convinced that the organization is well led, focused like a laser, and 100% Committed to serving the aforementioned patient interests.

Bill Catlette
Member, Board of Directors, National Foundation for Transplants

It is truly your first stop for a second chance. I wouldn't choose any other organization. The experience from start to finish is beyond reproach. Staff goes above and beyond to understand the needs of the patient in partnership with the expertise of the medical staff. The end goal is to lessen the financial hardships for patience and improving their quality of life. Through thoughtful, compassionate discussions, goals are set based on the patient's needs. This organization has been a life saver.

The NFT has been a God send to us they have been extremely helpful in every way, very gracious people and still continue to do so. Ever since my Husband had his Kidney Transplant 10 years ago they have been a part of our lives and will continue to be for the rest of our lives. Thank you so very much to all of the family and people that helped out and gave donations and bought cookbooks. We love you so very much! Anthony and Angie Bass

Most people probably assume that the role of an organization like NFT is to help people to fund transplant-related expenses. This they do, but they also play an important role in advocacy and outreach. For example, in advocating for their community, they will engage in policy activity. Their social media outreach, however, is extremely strong and they will go to great lengths to educate and inform the community on not just patient stories, but of helpful tips, PSAs, etc. This serves to help members of the transplant public that don't otherwise need NFT's services.

NFT has been awesome through my husbands transplant journey. They helped make the journey more bearable. The staff truly make you feel like you are a priority during the process. Through their help we were able to focus on his health and not the financial burdens associated with the transplant both pre and post. They are always ready to listen & help you move forward. Thank you so much NFT Family!

I've served on the board of NFT since July of 2018, and am consistently impressed by the staff's dedication to helping patients.

Even for patients with good health insurance, there are often significant costs associated with a transplant and recovery that ultimately come out of pocket. Beyond assisting with fundraising, the NFT team invests their time with patients, leveraging their experience to anticipate as many of those costs as possible, tailoring a plan based on patients' individual circumstances.

If I were pressed to summarize the organization's guiding principle in one phrase, it would be 'patients first.' The depth of the relationships NFT builds -lifelong relationships which continue post transplant- is a telling marker of their success. If you're looking for a way to give back or make a difference in someone's life, I highly recommend NFT.

Participated in the 2019 NFT Golf Classic and the experience was amazing. The professionalism and caring by all involved created a great atmosphere. The foundation was an integral part of my late nephew’s life who was a liver transplant recipient.
Fantastic organization.

In May of 2005 my husband was told that he would need a liver transplant We were both in shock and worried about how we would pay the medical bills that our insurance wouldn't cover.
In early 2007 his doctors referred us to the National Foundation for Transplants to help us in raising the much needed money. NFT teamed us up with a case coordinator who came to our first meeting in February 2007, giving us the support, information, ideas, and supplies needed to start fundraising. The support wasn't only for the fundraising, but extended to personal support as well.
Our coordinator had told us that NFT would start covering expenses as soon as we held our first fundraiser. So, we started several fundraisers at the same time the weekend of March 24, 2007. During an event on March 25, 2007 my husband got the call that a liver had been found and was a match. Off to the hospital we went and he received his lifesaving liver transplant.
We were really nervous when the medical bills started coming in, but thanks to the help from NFT, we didn't have to pay any of the copayments or coinsurance out of our pockets. It's now been over 12 years and NFT is still helping us to offset the cost of his doctor visits and medications.

Shortly after I turned 40 I began to have some shortness of breath issues. It increased to the point where my primary care physician referred me to a pulmonary specialist. I was diagnosed with what is considered a rare genetic lung condition that in essence “eats” up healthy lung tissue. I was put on biweekly infusion therapy and several inhalers. This got me by for a few years until ultimately it was decided I would need a double lung transplant to survive. On February 2, 2012 I was blessed with the gift of life from someone who made the selfless decision to be an organ donor. I received a beautiful pair of new lungs. Without the National Foundation for Transplants and their help with fundraising, I never could have had the extra help in paying for my travel expenses, medications, and other related medical expenses. NFT provided the necessary supplies and guidance I needed to put on successful fundraising events. I can’t say enough how helpful they are. Everyone is so friendly and so willing to help. I am blessed to have NFT on my team. I recommend NFT to all those preparing for any kind of transplant. It sure takes some of the worry and stress away to have an organization like NFT to help you.

I've volunteered for NFT for 5+ years. I support this organization because of the wonderful work that they do (being in the healthcare field myself, I see how patients struggle daily with financial worries on top of health issues), but also because of how passionate all the NFT staff are. Every single person I've come in contact with at NFT truly cares about the patients that they serve. It's more than a job for these people.

We were totally devastated when I received the news that my I had AML, Acute Myloid Leukemia. We found ourselves in a near-death experiences, numbed and bewildered. For many months we made poor decisions by going holistic which cost us dearly, because the options given us by the medical community had not given me much hope of recovery. As I continued to become more ill, we did go with the AMA as a last resort. There we discovered our first glimpse of hope upon finding out there was the possibility of a stem cell transplant. However, lack of funds almost caused us to be ineligible for this procedure. This is when we were blessed and fortunate enough to partner with NFT, which came to our side with professional and compassionate assistance by helping us to organize a fundraiser. This met with success and greatly relieved much of our financial burdens. Today I am alive and recovering. Many, many thanks. Words will never do justice to our gratefulness. You will always be in our hearts.

I refer patients to the NFT in the MidSouth region and have always had great results. The team in our area go above and beyond to help our patients get enrolled in a timely manner and are always there to provide support and education as needed. The staff are more than willingly to provide ongoing education to the staff at our facility, as well as to our patients. This program has helped so many of our patient's focus on their recovery vs worrying about the cots associated with an organ transplant. Thank you guys for all you do.

I have been a Board Member for the National Foundation for Transplants (NFT) for over a year now, and was recently named Treasurer.

The organization improves the quality of life for those individuals and their loved ones who are navigating an exceptionally challenging time. I am always amazed at how effectively the NFT achieves its objectives of connecting patients to resources to facilitate a transplant, while also providing tools to alleviate the seemingly insurmountable burden of paying for one. It is a pleasure and an honor to work for an organization with a meaningful purpose.

I plan to be a Board Member and the Treasurer for the NFT for the foreseeable future. I would urge you to begin the journey of learning how you might help a person in need of an organ transplant through use of NFT’s many resources.

My community decided to use NFT as the coordinator for my fundraising campaign, in 2006. NFT guided this group through a vast number of organizational and reporting task, with great compassion and effectiveness. Once the funds were solicited, and received; NFT kept us completely informed of the monies collected, and spent. They worked with us on a monthly basis (or more often, if required), to disperse the money that we were in need of - using clearly specified guidelines. My family and I are grateful for their professionalism and success.

In December 2009 my daughter was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. After seven rounds of chemo therapy, she was not improving and was referred to the City of Hope for a bone marrow transplant. The transplant took and my daughter is now in remission, however the cost of the transplant, pre-transplant chemo and radiation, follow up doctor's visits, and over 35 different medications, along with the previous four hospital stays and chemo treatments was astronomical. NFT assisted us with ways to raise money to pay out of pocket expenses, co-pays, medications not covered by insurance, and transportation and housing. NFT assisted us every step of the way, but supplying a tax free format for donations to be submitted and managed. They also provide hundreds of ideas on campaigns to raise money, and assist with the banners, provide preformatted letters to buisnesses, and private parties, and are their to encourage you along the way. In only five months my team of volunteers has raised over $30,000 to assist my daughter in paying her medical and pharmacy bills.