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.

Thanks Who Knew. I'll look into these sources. I appreciate your taking the time to do this for me.

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.