In February of 2000, our son was suddenly diagnosed with having Acute Liver Damage and was given 24 to 48 hours to live. There were no real symptoms to the seriousness of his prognosis other than flu like symptoms. There was only one possible way to save this young man’s life. He needed a new liver!!
God must have been watching over him and our family because he received a new liver from a donor in Ohio the day after his prognosis was given. If he did not receive this donor’s liver within the 24 to 48 hour timeframe, Anthony would have died. Anthony is now living a very happy and healthy life due to the transplant. Because of this life-altering situation, Anthony along with our family and friends decided to give something back to society in order to help others in similar situations. Hence, the Anthony Picarello Foundation was created.
The Anthony Picarello Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the financial needs of families coping with pre and post transplantation, the prevention and treatment of liver disease, as well as promoting public awareness of organ and tissue transplantation through research and education. Our goal is to be a support service for families while they await a life-saving transplant, and a resource for the local medical community. The Foundation is dedicated to educating and exposing the organ donation and transplant process to as many people as possible.
We created the “Peace of Mind Fund” to provide financial assistance to qualified individuals and their families who are awaiting a lifesaving transplant and experiencing financial distress. This fund is the first of its kind. In 2007, the Foundation provided an overwhelming 67 families with financial assistance. Over the past year a total of $60,000 was distributed in grants. The Foundation relies solely on donations. Transplantation is lifesaving. However, it is also extremely expensive, and can be an enormous financial burden on a family. Patients and their families often struggle with the numerous financial aspects of transplantation including medical costs, transportation, housing, and daily hospital parking. Patients are also challenged with meeting the costs of daily living, which becomes increasingly difficult for the disabled.
The Anthony Picarello Foundation has the support of local businesses and local and state politicians, including former Senate President Robert Travaglini, Board Member, and State Treasurer, Timothy Cahill. The former Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson is also a supporter of the Foundation. In addition, the Foundation is affiliated with the seven major local hospitals: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham & Women’s, Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Lahey Clinic, Tufts-New England Medical Center, and the Boston Medical Center. These institutions work directly with the Foundation. Social Workers refer eligible transplant patients and their families to the Foundation for financial assistance. The Foundation also meets with the local Kiwanis, Sons of Italy, public and private schools and the New England Organ Bank.
We ask that you help us give hope to those dealing with chronic illness/transplantation. Currently, there are 92,000 Americans waiting for an organ transplant. Each day approximately 74 receive a transplant, yet each day approximately 19 individuals on waiting lists die because there are not enough organs available. We are committed to expanding the Foundation, so that we can broaden our abilities to help those in need. A future hope/goal of the Foundation is to further expand the “Peace of Mind Fund”. With your financial assistance we can reach these goals and give hope to those in need.
Since National Organ Donor month is in April, we decided to have our Annual Fundraiser every April.
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