Update on Tony’s Kidney

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.
~Napoleon Hill.

Dear friends,

Adversity has hit us once again. Just when we thought everything was in the clear—that we would be blessed with a donor– we received disheartening and disappointing news yesterday. We were told that the surgery was cancelled and “not moving forward…three weeks before the operation, which was to take place on May 25th.

We were informed that our Tony’s and Taylor’s surgical teams met and decided that it was not in Tony’s best interest to proceed with the transplant operation.

According to Taylor, the surgical teams decided in their final preparations that the chances of Tony keeping his kidney long- term would be affected with this operation and would altogether eliminate his chances of getting another kidney should he need it again down the road.

It is a shocking setback to our hope for a bright future for Tony. We feel as if a rug has been pulled from underneath our feet. For the past 24 hours, we have been struck by tidal waves of hopelessness and despair. It was a one in a millionth chance that we would find a heroic friend who was willing to get tested and courageous enough to part with one of his kidneys so that Tony could live a normal life. Now, that “one in a millionth chance” evaporated like the morning mist.

However, we have had travelled down this road before. This is just a temporary setback and heartache. We learned that, “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” Even though we are now back to the drawing board, we know that there is a better plan for Tony. We will not sit in idleness and drown ourselves in sorrow and despair. We will keep moving and with your help we will keep on searching until we find a donor who will be a perfect match–hence the bright future for our son.

We are grateful to our friend and hero, Taylor Tagg, his family and their friends for their kindness, love and their continued support for our family.

In addition, we would also like to thank our friends, neighbors and strangers alike, near and far, who have sent us their love, support, and donations. We are truly blessed and humbled. We also like to extend our appreciation to the media outlet that broadcasted our voices. Together, as a community, we have created more awareness on kidney diseases; the importance of being a donor, and the financial and emotional burden that a family may face when encountering such adversities.

At this point in time, we have decided to put the fund that we have raised and will continue raise (https://www.youcaring.com/anthonyachhim-794666) into a “Kidney for Anthony Chhim” Fund account, which will be untouched until we find a new kidney donor. For any money unused, we pledge to donate it to the National Kidney Foundation.

If you would like to help, please get tested to see if you are a match; Tony’s blood type is “O.” If your blood type is “O” and you want to be tested further, please contact me at 845-642-3232 or at timothychhim@aol.com. Any other questions can be addressed to me as well.

Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and thoughts as our family overcome this hardship. We wish you and your family love, health, wealth and happiness.