Friends raising money for Lopez's transplant

By Rose Hooper

Legally blind, Lopez struggles to read through a magnifying glass. He has end-stage renal disease, along with Addison's Disease, which causes his adrenal glands not to function.

His blood sugar causes him to become disoriented and he loses feeling in his lower limbs. Three times a week he goes through the slow process of dialysis at the Mountain Kidney Association.

His doctors tell him that his condition could improve, however, with a kidney/pancreas transplant. To be placed on the transplant waiting list at Emory Hospital, Lopez must first raise $6,600.

His close friends Gerald and Karen Lindsay are assisting Lopez's wife, Ann Forrest, in fund-raising efforts, which kick off Monday, April 1.

Everyone, quilters or not, are invited to Bessie May and Co. on Main Street in Sylva to help stitch a quilt to be raffled for Lopez. A group of local quilters will be on the scene all day, dressed in long skirts and bonnets, volunteering their time and expertise to help in Lopez's cause.

"You don't have to have any equipment or any prior experience. All the equipment has been donated by Dogwood Crafts and Dr. Guy Karcher's office. Just bring your expectation to meet new friends and enjoy a sense of community," said Karen Lindsay. "I know there are people out there in the community thinking, ŒWhat can I do to make a difference?' Well, this is something they can do."

"It's the value of a life," she added. "Chris is really needed. Right now he and Ann are raising their two grandchildren."

The Lindsays are working through the National Foundation for Transplants to help raise the money for Lopez. All funds collected locally go to the NFT, which will administer it on Lopez's behalf.

After Lopez is placed on the transplant list, Medicare will pay for the surgery. But Medicare does not pay for all the immuno-suppressant drugs Lopez will require following surgery, according to the Lindsays.

When it is completed, the morning star pattern quilt will be raffled.

"Tickets are available for a $1 donation, and for every five, you get an extra ticket. For instance, for $50, you get 60 tickets," said Gerald Lindsay, noting this is the first of many fund-raising efforts planned to help Lopez, who is too ill to do his own fund-raising.

"We want to help Chris have a life," said the Lindsays. "He's such a great guy. Up until recently, he has worked all of his life and his dream is to be able to go back to work."

Donations, payable to National Foundation for Transplants, can be left at Bessie May & Co. or mailed to P.O. Box 716, Sylva, N.C. 28779.

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