October 18, 2024 • 28 mins
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can be life-altering for those living with it. Today, we’ll discuss what lupus is, how it impacts daily life, and the challenges many face in getting proper care. We’ll also explore the hope that ongoing research brings and talk about the 2024 Lupus Loop event with Shawn Triggs, Regional Director for the Lupus Foundation of America Pennsylvania Delaware Valley chapter, and Lynnai Jay, an Ambassador for the Foundation in our region.
Website: www.walktoendlupus.org/philadelphia
Instagram: @lfa_pdvregion
Facebook: Lupus Foundation of America PDV Region
LinkedIn: Lupus Foundation of America PDV Region
Today, we’re also shining a light on Help Hope Live, a national nonprofit that supports individuals facing unmet medical and related expenses due to transplants, catastrophic injuries, or illness. Help Hope Live empowers families and communities to raise funds, providing a vital network of hope, financial relief, and resources for those navigating medical crises. In this interview, we’ll explore the organization’s mission and impact with Executive Director Kelly Green. Plus, we’ll share details about their upcoming Live It Up! 2024 Gala, taking place on Thursday, October 24th.
Learn more at helphopelive.org/event/live-it-up-2024.
First, food, community, and fun await at U.S. Night Market on Saturday, October 26th, from 6-10 PM on South Street (21st to 23rd). This multicultural festival celebrates the rich diversity of Philadelphia through food, music, and more. Oshunbumi Fernandez-West, CEO of ODUNDE, the largest African American festival in the U.S., knows how to create impactful community events.
Learn more at usnightmarket.com
Instagram: @usnightmarket
Website: www.walktoendlupus.org/philadelphia
Instagram: @lfa_pdvregion
Facebook: Lupus Foundation of America PDV Region
LinkedIn: Lupus Foundation of America PDV Region
Today, we’re also shining a light on Help Hope Live, a national nonprofit that supports individuals facing unmet medical and related expenses due to transplants, catastrophic injuries, or illness. Help Hope Live empowers families and communities to raise funds, providing a vital network of hope, financial relief, and resources for those navigating medical crises. In this interview, we’ll explore the organization’s mission and impact with Executive Director Kelly Green. Plus, we’ll share details about their upcoming Live It Up! 2024 Gala, taking place on Thursday, October 24th.
Learn more at helphopelive.org/event/live-it-up-2024.
First, food, community, and fun await at U.S. Night Market on Saturday, October 26th, from 6-10 PM on South Street (21st to 23rd). This multicultural festival celebrates the rich diversity of Philadelphia through food, music, and more. Oshunbumi Fernandez-West, CEO of ODUNDE, the largest African American festival in the U.S., knows how to create impactful community events.
Learn more at usnightmarket.com
Instagram: @usnightmarket
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, and welcome to What's going on? A show
about making a difference in our lives and our communities.
I'm Lorraine Ballotmorrow. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that
can be life altering for those who live with it,
yet it remains largely misunderstood. Today we'll be talking about
what loupus is, how it impacts daily life, and the
(00:21):
challenges many face and getting proper care. We're also shining
a spotlight on Help Hope Live, a national nonprofit organization
dedicated to supporting individuals with unmet medical and related expenses
due to transplant, catastrophic injury or illness. We'll also tell
you about their annual gala, Live It Up twenty twenty four.
(00:43):
But first, food, community and fun. That's the US Night
Market Saturday, October twenty sixth from six to ten pm
on South Street from twenty first to twenty third Street.
And the night Market is all about celebrating all of us,
and someone who knows all about that celebrating all of
us creating amazing events is Ocean Boomy Fernandez West, the
(01:04):
CEO of Odounde, the largest African American festival in the US,
and so she knows how to throw down a big party.
But now she's thrown down this great event. Boomy, tell
us what's happening on the twenty sixth.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Here was the idea that US Night Market about a
year and a half ago, and I sat on the
idea for about a year and a half and then
God moved in me and I said, you know what
I'm going to do this night market. It's a night
market that was created to celebrate all of us. So
that's why it's called US night Market. To celebrate diversity,
to celebrate multiculturalism and all of different cultures because we're
all together here. And so I've put of a lot
(01:39):
of divisiveness among us currently in the national and I
wanted to create an event that could bring all of
us together. So the US Night Market will reflect that.
We will have different vendors, food trucks created and selling
different types of product and on different types of food.
But most importantly, we will have different cultures performing at
the night market. So we have the Three Ox Truck Group,
(02:02):
they're an Indian based group. We have the Pkam Post
Dance Ensemble, we have Dance Institute of Philadelphia, and we
also have Kpek representing the Cambodian community. So I wanted
to have a diverse group of performers at the US
Night Market.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
In addition to the entertainment, I'm sure there's going to
be food and vendors of all kinds.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Right.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yes, We're gonna have an array of food trucks selling
from soul food to Jamaican food to seafood. We're gonna
have a ray of vendor selling candle, selling home group
where selling skincare products, selling jewelry. We're also going to
have a children's tent where the children can come and
make different type of arts and crafts. And we're going
to have a Halloween a pre Halloween costume contest for
(02:45):
children and a pre Halloween contest for dogs because Very's
family oriented, a revery dog oriented night market fantastic.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
If people want more information, Boomi, where do they go?
Speaker 2 (02:54):
If they want more information, they can go to US
Nightmarket dot com. They can follow us on Instagram at
US night Market and it can also calls at two
sixty seven three two four nine nine three two go.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Shoon boom Me Fernandez West, CEO of a Dounde but
also the producer of US night Market, Saturday, October twenty
sixth six to ten on Sath Street, twenty first to
twenty third Street. See you there, Thank.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
You so much, Thank you seeing you there.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
AIDS Fund Philly raises crucial funds to provide emergency financial
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These small grants can literally keep the lights on and
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and stay healthy. Support the most vulnerable among us by
signing up for the thirty eighth annual AIDS Walk Philly
(03:48):
five k Sunday, October twentieth. Go to Aidswalkphilly dot org.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
When you're high, you feel different.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
I think different, talk different, you draw different, you listen
to music different. But you probably knew that. The problem
is you also drive different, and not in a good way.
That's why driving high is illegal everywhere. So if you're high,
just don't drive. Make a plan to get a sober ride,
because if you feel different, you drive different. Brought to
(04:21):
you by NITZA and the AD Council.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
LUPAS is a chronic autoimmune disease that can be life
altering for those who live with it. Yet it remains
largely misunderstood. Today, we'll be talking about what lupas is,
how it impacts daily life, the challenges many face, and
getting proper care, especially in communities of color. And we're
going to talk about the realities of living with lupus
and the hope that ongoing research brings. And we'll be
(04:52):
talking about the upcoming twenty twenty four loopas SLOOP. I'm
speaking with Sean Triggs, Regional director of the Pennsylvania Delaware
Valley for the Lupis Foundation of America. Leni j an
ambassador for the Lupus Foundation of America here in the
Delaware Valley. So let's begin with Sean and tell us
exactly what is lupus and how does it affect the body.
Speaker 6 (05:14):
As you mentioned, Laurie, lupas is a chronic autoimmune disease
which really affects everybody living with lupus differently, really makes
it the mystery disease that we call it here at
Lupus Foundation of America. Common symptoms include chronic fatigue and
joy pain, but can be as severe as affecting vital
organs like your kidneys, your lungs. Those two cases are
(05:35):
the same, which makes it really complicated to diagnose. Right now,
the average diagnosis time for someone to get that finally
get that lupus diagnosis is an average of six years,
which is just crazy to wrap your head around and
something that we really focus on at the Lupus Foundation
of America to bring that average number down.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Lenae, I wonder if you can tell us what are
some of the common symptoms that people with lupas experience
and how can they vary from person to person.
Speaker 7 (06:00):
So, like Sean said, every single person with lupus is
completely different. I would say the majority of us who
have lupus minimally deal with joint pain and fatigue. I
know pretty much every single person who I've ever spoken
to who has lupus. Fatigue is one of the biggest
ones that is concerning. And if you think about, you know, fatigue,
(06:22):
it's not just being tired. It's like, you know, you
stayed up for like two weeks kind of tired, and
that's on a daily basis, and then you know, trying
to live your life being that tired. For me, my
symptoms range from joint pain to my organ involvement is
my heart and lungs and gi so it can affect
any organ like literally head to toe. So some folks,
(06:45):
you know, deal with skin issues only others have more
severe organ involvement, like lupus nephridais which is your kidneys.
I would say minimally everyone deals with that fatigue, but
you know it ranges from each person.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
So Sean, what are the challenges and you refer to
it is the fact that it takes so long for
people to be properly diagnosed, and oftentimes there's mistaken diagnosis
that this misdiagnosed is a different type of disease. So
what is the impact having such a long time for diagnosis?
And in many cases, folks don't often necessarily have symptoms
(07:25):
that are clear. So someone might say, oh, yeah, I'm
really tired, but people around them go, well, okay, just
get some more sleep, right, So getting people to understand
where you're coming from and what you're experiencing has to
be a challenge as well.
Speaker 6 (07:38):
That's such a common conversation that we have on a
daily basis with our glupus warriors and people that have
been diagnosed, hearing about their journeys. I think it really
takes a toll, not only physically, on just the fact
that the more time that goes by, your symptoms can
worsen and can become more severe.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
But also just thinking about the mental health app aspect
of it as well.
Speaker 6 (08:01):
You know, so many people before they're diagnosed are seeing
millions of specialists, you know, what feels like endless doctor's appointments, tests,
you know, and just having these the same conversations with
different healthcare professionals before they are finally realizing that the
diagnosis is lupus. So I think that also, you know,
something we just can't can't get lost on us, is
(08:22):
that that mental health aspect of it as well.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
Of that that.
Speaker 6 (08:27):
Timeline just being so long and just really taking a
toll on a person's physical and mental well being.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Right, And Lenai, I wonder if you can maybe share
with that's your own personal experience. How long did it
take for you to get properly diagnosed and what has
been the impact in terms of not only just the
physical aspect of it, but just the ripple effect that
it has on other aspects of your life.
Speaker 7 (08:50):
Now knowing what lupas is, it took well over ten years,
probably actually more than that.
Speaker 6 (08:55):
Wow.
Speaker 7 (08:56):
I officially got diagnosed in two thousand and six. I
had been having symptoms, I mean since when I was
in high school and probably actually like when I was
even younger, because I just was I had a lot
of health issues growing up. So I got constantly misdiagnosed,
you know, kind of from like I said, like ninety
six to like two thousand and six, I got diagnosed
(09:17):
with everything from lymes disease to just oh, well, you
have bad asthma, which I don't even know if that's
the real thing, to you know, just oh, we don't know.
And you know, there's just several things. I would get
diagnosed with something and then would start treatment for it,
and it would like, you know, disappear or get better.
Then they're like, oh, okay, it wasn't that. So I
(09:38):
mean I saw I don't even know how many specialists
before I was finally diagnosed. Like for the longest time,
I thought it was like I had endometriosis. It just
was like, you know, a whole range of things because
lupus really does mimic so many other diseases, so there
is that misdiagnosis. So when I finally got my diagnosis,
I was like, oh, great, now I know what I have.
(09:59):
But I I know anything about lupus, and I had
this just like you know, really old school doctor, and
he just didn't really make the prospect of life very
He kind of was just like, oh, well, you probably
should have done this. Then the the third already and
I got, you know, diagnosed that I think twenty four
twenty three around there, and I'm like, how was I
(10:20):
supposed to know that I needed to, you know, do
all these things. Yeah, so it took a while, you know,
to kind of wrap my head around, you know, what
lupus is. And then of course I was like googling things,
which I tell people now like when you get your
loopus diagnosis, do not google because it's not very well.
Maybe now it's a little more positive, but it really
(10:42):
was just like, oh, well, you're you're going to die essentially. Yeah,
it was really kind of rough back then.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yeah, that's tough, and it has to have a real
impact on your mental wellness.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Right, definitely, yes.
Speaker 7 (10:53):
And so you know, with lupus, I was working and
my loopus symptoms just got to be too much. I
was having like flares, like for a while, I was
like in the hospital every year. I actually had to
stop working. And when I stopped working. I didn't have money,
so I actually had to move back home with my parents,
which is not something I wanted to do. And you know,
(11:13):
my late twenties thirties, you know, losing that independence was
really tough. And that has happened to I know several
people that I know, some people who I know have
lost relationships because of the loopus. So it does really
take a mental toll. And that is something that I'm
a support group leader as well as an ambassador. And
that's one thing that we talk about a lot, is
(11:36):
our mental health. I would say, you know, like you
have to take care of your mental health just as
much as you take care of your physical health. There
are some effects of having a positive outlook or you know,
taking that time to pause and to breathe. And I
will not say that my I'm like, you know, on
top of things all the time, because lupus is a cycle,
and you know, sometimes I'm like, oh, this is you know,
(11:57):
just breezing through dealing with things, and then I'll get
like a new diagnosis and it's you know, just right
back down. So it's a cycle. And just having support
of the loopus foundation of family and I think it's
so important, and not everybody has a fit, great family
support system or a friend system, and so having something
(12:19):
like the Lupis Foundation is really vital to our lives
as Lupus warriors.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Yeah no, I think to being an advocate and taking
an active, engaged control of your situation and making a
difference in helping other people has to be very, very
helpful in terms of your own mental well being. I
want to talk about the Loopis Loop because I have
attended the Loopis Loop for many many years. COVID kind
(12:46):
of got in the way of that a little bit,
but it was always the last walk that I ever did,
and sometimes it would snow, and it was always dark
at the very beginning of it. But the spirit and
the energy of the advocates who are there, those living
with lupus, those family members who are in support, it's
just such a wonderful, wonderful event. And of course everyone
(13:09):
is dressed in purple, which is the official color. So
Sean tell us about the Loopis Loop, the.
Speaker 6 (13:14):
Lupas Sloop, our Walk to end Lupis now in Philadelphia.
This is its thirty third year in existence, which is
something that we are really really proud of. That our
volunteers are really proud of having been part of something
so important and impactful for so many years. So this
year we are at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, which is
a brand new location for us.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
The event is on Saturday, November ninth.
Speaker 6 (13:35):
So it's really just a way that we bring our
work and our passion to the local communities.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Our Walk to End loopis.
Speaker 6 (13:42):
Now program is across the country, across the Foundation, and
it's really our way to bringing Lupus warriors together, bringing
caregivers together. So many people living with lupus, we hear
over and over, have never met someone else living with lupus,
so to come out and see that they're not alone,
even though that their their journey may you know, be
(14:02):
different than the next person that they may meet. At
the Loopus Loop, we see people form these bonds. We
see this sense of community really coming out to support
our work and seeing that sea of purple of those
that you know, all of our our loved ones that
where they're walking for, raising money, for raising awareness for
and really just rallying around.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Well, there's been slow progress in terms of finding a cure,
but I understand that there are some breakthroughs and what's
interesting is that there are researchers in other types of
diseases that are cross benefiting some of the work that's
being done with lupus. So what's happening with the possibility
of treatment and cure.
Speaker 6 (14:40):
Currently there are there's three approved medications that can that
can treat lupus, and that of course again varies from
from case to case and conversations.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
That that lupus warriors are having with their physicians.
Speaker 6 (14:53):
You know, if that's the best in terms of research,
I mean, that's that's something that's come out of research
in the past, you know, but you're right now we
are seeing similarities between treatments of things like cancer and
different interventions for someone living with the cancer diagnosis that
are also working for someone with lupus.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
So a lot of these are in you know, very
early stages.
Speaker 6 (15:14):
You hear about car te therapy is sort of a
hot topic right now in both the cancer and loopis space.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
We're waiting for more research.
Speaker 6 (15:22):
It's where we know a lot of Lupus's focused researchers
are putting a lot of their time into. So we're
just excited to continue to see what comes of that
for us. At the Lupus Foundation of America research is
at the forefront of what we're doing. We are always funding,
you know, up and coming researchers. We are looking for
folks to participate in clinical trials so we can gather
(15:46):
information from people that are living with loopus every day,
who know it better than anyone else, really gathering their information,
making sure that we have the right representation in these
clinical trials where you know, we want women and then
people of color who are far more affected by loopus
to be active participants so we can really then have
(16:06):
those accurate results on the other end of everything, Yes.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Well, we're certainly hoping for some great breakthroughs. If people
want more information about signing up for the Walk to
End loopis, but also for all the great supports and
information that the Loopus Foundation provides, letna where do they go?
Speaker 7 (16:25):
They can go on to lupus dot org slash PDV
and you can click on right on our front page
is the walk, so you will see the link right
there for the Walk to End Loopus now the Loopus Loop,
and there's lots of lots of additional information on there.
You can join support groups, and then there's also our
(16:46):
resource library where you can just search for a variety
of topics LUPUS related, so there's a lot of good
information on the website.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
I'd like to thank you both for joining us here
today and hope that folks out there support the Loopus
Loop on November ninth at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. John Triggs,
Regional Director Pennsylvania Delaware Valley for the Loopis Foundation of
America and Leni Jay is an ambassador for the Lupus
Foundation of America right here in the Delaware Valley. Thank
you both for joining us today.
Speaker 8 (17:24):
I'm Chris jack McK I serve in the United States
Air Force and I've deployed three times. Being a veteran,
it's interwoven into your DNA. Is really the absence of
the connection and the purpose that can really drive a
lot of veterans to some negative thoughts. For those who
are in a suicidal crisis, the window of time to
save somebody's life is very short. Our duty is to
protect ourselves and protect our families. And one way you
(17:46):
can do that is store your weapons safely. Store all
your guns securely. Help stop suicide.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Brought to you by End Family Fire and the AD Council.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Well. Today we're shining the spotlight on Help Hope Live,
a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals with unmet
medical and related expenses due to transplant, catastrophic injury or illness.
By empowering families and communities to raise funds, Help Hope
Live provides a vital network of hope, financial relief, and
(18:25):
practical resources for those navigating life changing medical crisis. So
we're going to talk about Help Hope Live with its
executive director, Kelly Green.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Hey, Kelly, Hi, Loreen, how are you?
Speaker 1 (18:36):
I am good? I wonder if we can start by
sharing the story behind the founding of Help Hope Live
and the mission that drives the organization right now.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Thank you for inviting me to be here today, and
Help Help Live is a really wonderful organization. This we're
celebrating our forty first anniversary. We were founded by a
heart transplant surgeon out of Temple Hospital who he and
his wife recognized it. At that time, heart transplants were experimental,
(19:05):
so the out of pocket expenses were pretty astronomical since
insurance wouldn't cover it. So he started this organization for
a few of his patients and had this wonderful foresight
that he could start a charity and allow people to
give to this charity that would inspire a community of
support so that they could help one another and help
these patients specifically. Since then, forty one years later, we're
(19:29):
still doing the same thing. Our core mission really hasn't
changed and we are continuing to help people meet their
out of pocket expenses when facing catastrophic illnesses or injuries.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
So what's the difference between something like go fund me
and help Hope Live.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
That is a great question and a really important piece
of information. Go fund Me is amazing. It's an incredible
tool that brings together communities of support for people who
need it most, but for people who are facing catastrophic
injuries and illnesses, it's a very detrimental time. What happens
is when you bring together communities of support like a GoFundMe,
(20:04):
the funds that are donated, they're potentially taxable. It depends
on how much you raise and what you're using them for.
But the reality is it is asset based fundraising. What
that means is it raises their asset threshold, and when
that happens, oftentimes they stop being able to qualify for
medicaid or any kind of government assistance. Not only that,
(20:27):
but with Help Hope Live, we do a very similar process,
but we allow people to make a donation where they
can feel confident that it is fraud free, that it
is protected, and it will only be used for medical
and medical related purposes. Not only that, but it's tax
deductible and it is not an asset to the patients
(20:50):
that we serve. It is not their money, It is
not the reportable or taxable income. It is donated funds
that are then made available toy out of pocket medical expenses,
and we pay the vendors direct.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
So what are some of the biggest challenges that individuals
and families face when dealing with catastrophic medical conditions and
how does Help Hope Live address those challenges.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
So, you know, you just don't know how much it's
going to cost to have a catastrophic condition until it happens,
and then you're thrust into a complete and utter chaotic world.
And what you learn quickly is that health insurance only
provides so much, so you can have the Cadillac of
all insurance plans, and yet the out of pocket expenses
(21:38):
are astronomical. So what happens is sometimes if you're facing
a transplant and you need to move closer to the hospital. Right,
not everybody lives in Philadelphia, and not everybody lives so
close to a hospital, So oftentimes families have to stay
nearby the hospital for three months. That relocation expense is
(22:00):
a painful expense, and it is not covered by insurance.
You start to learn about rehab and copays and deductibles
and how many days you're allowed to go to rehab.
You start to realize that if you have a spinal
cord injury and you want to get back into your home,
insurance doesn't cover a ramp and there's nowhere to turn.
(22:21):
If you want to start learning independence again after a
traumatic injury and you need a wheelchair adaptive vehicle, they
can run upwards of eighty thousand dollars, of which nothing
is covered by insurance. So these are kind of the
expenses that we help people to access, that we help
people to meet those financial needs, and we bring together
(22:43):
communities of support to do just that.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
So, Kelly, how does the organization support individuals in launching
fundraising campaigns and what resources do you make available to them?
Speaker 3 (22:53):
So, the one thing that we do, and I love
this about help op Live is that we assign a
client service coordinator to everybody who to us. So the
first thing they do is they get a point of contact.
That person will walk them through a really difficult system
of what they have to prepare for for their future.
So they get a one to one assistant. That one
(23:15):
to one person will walk them through the paperwork and
the process that it takes to be accepted into our program.
And in order for somebody to be accepted into our program,
they have to one have out of pocket medical expenses.
Two have a condition that we cover and that we
can verify with a medical professional that that condition exists.
(23:37):
In three, they have to be willing to tell their story,
and they have to be willing to allow us to
help them build a community of support so that there's
a place where people can make a donation and support
their efforts so that we can get those bills paid.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Can you offer some examples of how community involvement plays
a role in supporting those in need through help Hope
Live campaigns?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Sure? So you know, we all know about GoFundMe, and
we're all very familiar with GoFundMe, So we operate very similar.
We set up a website so that they can tell
their story and people can write messages of hope and support.
We have the ability to connect that campaign to social media.
We have the ability to kind of get to know them.
(24:19):
Like I said, we have a one to one coordinator
for every person, so that one to one coordinator gets
to know that individual. So if somebody likes to have
a party, or if they want to have an art auction,
or if they're a wonderful artist, we can figure out
what works for that particular person. So if we can
set up an online auction using all the bells and
(24:40):
whistles to show off their and showcase their work and
their materials, and then people can make donations for that art,
or we can teach them how to have an in
person fundraiser, because what happens is you have all of
a sudden this diagnosis and you're then told and by
the way, this is expensive. If you're in any medication
(25:01):
and tools and equipment, and all of a sudden, you
realize you have to become a fundraiser. And the reality
is not everybody knows how to do that. So we
have fundraising experts at our office and that's that one
to one coordinator that works with every individual, so they
walk them through what works best for them, and it
could be simply that we have relationships with local restaurants
(25:23):
and maybe they do a percentage of sale night and
we can connect them to those restaurants. We also do
public relations for each individual if they're willing to allow
us to do that. We will send out media alerts
and sometimes there's attention to that particular condition or that family,
and somebody will take a hold of that story and
(25:44):
once it goes out and oftentimes becomes viral, or at
the very least somebody a miracle donors sees that story
and they give. We have these things happen all the time.
We had one particular family who gentlemen's wife was had als.
(26:05):
They had three kids and not much of a community
of support. We were able to set them up with
the website and the one to one coordinator and get
to know them, and then we did a press release
about them, and once somebody from the local media came
and did a story on them, and it was so
compelling that complete and utter strangers started to give. And
they were trying to get a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Within
(26:28):
forty eight hours, over fifty four thousand dollars came in
to support that family. Wow, these are the kind of
things we do well.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
These are wonderful things that you do. And it's an
opportunity apparently coming up for us to celebrate the great
work of Help Hope Live. So tell us about the
gala that's coming up.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
So exciting. So Thursday October twenty fourth, at six pm
to nine pm, we are hosting a gala at the
Drexel Brook in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, and we're really excited.
It's called Live It Up. It's our annual gala. This
is our twelfth annual gala, and we have really spectacular
honorees and everybody comes together. We get you know, we
(27:08):
get dressed up, We enjoy really amazing food. There's an auction.
The most important we support the charity and we come
together to make sure we are the community of support
so that Help Hope Live can continue to operate to
make sure that other people have access to what they
need to survive and thrive.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Fantastic. So if people want more information not only about
the gala, but certainly about all the great work that
help Hope Live does for those individuals who have those
catastrophic medical expenses. How do we find out more?
Speaker 3 (27:40):
We make it very easy. Simply go to www dot
help Hopelive dot org, where you can call the office
at one eight hundred six four to two eight three
nine nine.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Well, thank you so much for joining us. Kelly Green,
Executive director of Help Hope Live.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
Thank you, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Listen to all of today's interviews by going to our
station website and typing in keyword Community. You can also
listen on the iHeartRadio app Keywords Philadelphia Community Podcast. Follow
me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine
Ballard MOREL and I stand for service to our community
and media that empowers. What will you stand for? You've
(28:20):
been listening to what's going on, and thank you
Good morning, and welcome to What's going on? A show
about making a difference in our lives and our communities.
I'm Lorraine Ballotmorrow. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that
can be life altering for those who live with it,
yet it remains largely misunderstood. Today we'll be talking about
what loupus is, how it impacts daily life, and the
(00:21):
challenges many face and getting proper care. We're also shining
a spotlight on Help Hope Live, a national nonprofit organization
dedicated to supporting individuals with unmet medical and related expenses
due to transplant, catastrophic injury or illness. We'll also tell
you about their annual gala, Live It Up twenty twenty four.
(00:43):
But first, food, community and fun. That's the US Night
Market Saturday, October twenty sixth from six to ten pm
on South Street from twenty first to twenty third Street.
And the night Market is all about celebrating all of us,
and someone who knows all about that celebrating all of
us creating amazing events is Ocean Boomy Fernandez West, the
(01:04):
CEO of Odounde, the largest African American festival in the US,
and so she knows how to throw down a big party.
But now she's thrown down this great event. Boomy, tell
us what's happening on the twenty sixth.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Here was the idea that US Night Market about a
year and a half ago, and I sat on the
idea for about a year and a half and then
God moved in me and I said, you know what
I'm going to do this night market. It's a night
market that was created to celebrate all of us. So
that's why it's called US night Market. To celebrate diversity,
to celebrate multiculturalism and all of different cultures because we're
all together here. And so I've put of a lot
(01:39):
of divisiveness among us currently in the national and I
wanted to create an event that could bring all of
us together. So the US Night Market will reflect that.
We will have different vendors, food trucks created and selling
different types of product and on different types of food.
But most importantly, we will have different cultures performing at
the night market. So we have the Three Ox Truck Group,
(02:02):
they're an Indian based group. We have the Pkam Post
Dance Ensemble, we have Dance Institute of Philadelphia, and we
also have Kpek representing the Cambodian community. So I wanted
to have a diverse group of performers at the US
Night Market.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
In addition to the entertainment, I'm sure there's going to
be food and vendors of all kinds.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Right.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yes, We're gonna have an array of food trucks selling
from soul food to Jamaican food to seafood. We're gonna
have a ray of vendor selling candle, selling home group
where selling skincare products, selling jewelry. We're also going to
have a children's tent where the children can come and
make different type of arts and crafts. And we're going
to have a Halloween a pre Halloween costume contest for
(02:45):
children and a pre Halloween contest for dogs because Very's
family oriented, a revery dog oriented night market fantastic.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
If people want more information, Boomi, where do they go?
Speaker 2 (02:54):
If they want more information, they can go to US
Nightmarket dot com. They can follow us on Instagram at
US night Market and it can also calls at two
sixty seven three two four nine nine three two go.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Shoon boom Me Fernandez West, CEO of a Dounde but
also the producer of US night Market, Saturday, October twenty
sixth six to ten on Sath Street, twenty first to
twenty third Street. See you there, Thank.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
You so much, Thank you seeing you there.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
AIDS Fund Philly raises crucial funds to provide emergency financial
assistance to people living with HIV disease in the Philadelphia area.
These small grants can literally keep the lights on and
keep people safely housed, which helps them continue their treatment
and stay healthy. Support the most vulnerable among us by
signing up for the thirty eighth annual AIDS Walk Philly
(03:48):
five k Sunday, October twentieth. Go to Aidswalkphilly dot org.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
When you're high, you feel different.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
I think different, talk different, you draw different, you listen
to music different. But you probably knew that. The problem
is you also drive different, and not in a good way.
That's why driving high is illegal everywhere. So if you're high,
just don't drive. Make a plan to get a sober ride,
because if you feel different, you drive different. Brought to
(04:21):
you by NITZA and the AD Council.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
LUPAS is a chronic autoimmune disease that can be life
altering for those who live with it. Yet it remains
largely misunderstood. Today, we'll be talking about what lupas is,
how it impacts daily life, the challenges many face, and
getting proper care, especially in communities of color. And we're
going to talk about the realities of living with lupus
and the hope that ongoing research brings. And we'll be
(04:52):
talking about the upcoming twenty twenty four loopas SLOOP. I'm
speaking with Sean Triggs, Regional director of the Pennsylvania Delaware
Valley for the Lupis Foundation of America. Leni j an
ambassador for the Lupus Foundation of America here in the
Delaware Valley. So let's begin with Sean and tell us
exactly what is lupus and how does it affect the body.
Speaker 6 (05:14):
As you mentioned, Laurie, lupas is a chronic autoimmune disease
which really affects everybody living with lupus differently, really makes
it the mystery disease that we call it here at
Lupus Foundation of America. Common symptoms include chronic fatigue and
joy pain, but can be as severe as affecting vital
organs like your kidneys, your lungs. Those two cases are
(05:35):
the same, which makes it really complicated to diagnose. Right now,
the average diagnosis time for someone to get that finally
get that lupus diagnosis is an average of six years,
which is just crazy to wrap your head around and
something that we really focus on at the Lupus Foundation
of America to bring that average number down.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Lenae, I wonder if you can tell us what are
some of the common symptoms that people with lupas experience
and how can they vary from person to person.
Speaker 7 (06:00):
So, like Sean said, every single person with lupus is
completely different. I would say the majority of us who
have lupus minimally deal with joint pain and fatigue. I
know pretty much every single person who I've ever spoken
to who has lupus. Fatigue is one of the biggest
ones that is concerning. And if you think about, you know, fatigue,
(06:22):
it's not just being tired. It's like, you know, you
stayed up for like two weeks kind of tired, and
that's on a daily basis, and then you know, trying
to live your life being that tired. For me, my
symptoms range from joint pain to my organ involvement is
my heart and lungs and gi so it can affect
any organ like literally head to toe. So some folks,
(06:45):
you know, deal with skin issues only others have more
severe organ involvement, like lupus nephridais which is your kidneys.
I would say minimally everyone deals with that fatigue, but
you know it ranges from each person.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
So Sean, what are the challenges and you refer to
it is the fact that it takes so long for
people to be properly diagnosed, and oftentimes there's mistaken diagnosis
that this misdiagnosed is a different type of disease. So
what is the impact having such a long time for diagnosis?
And in many cases, folks don't often necessarily have symptoms
(07:25):
that are clear. So someone might say, oh, yeah, I'm
really tired, but people around them go, well, okay, just
get some more sleep, right, So getting people to understand
where you're coming from and what you're experiencing has to
be a challenge as well.
Speaker 6 (07:38):
That's such a common conversation that we have on a
daily basis with our glupus warriors and people that have
been diagnosed, hearing about their journeys. I think it really
takes a toll, not only physically, on just the fact
that the more time that goes by, your symptoms can
worsen and can become more severe.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
But also just thinking about the mental health app aspect
of it as well.
Speaker 6 (08:01):
You know, so many people before they're diagnosed are seeing
millions of specialists, you know, what feels like endless doctor's appointments, tests,
you know, and just having these the same conversations with
different healthcare professionals before they are finally realizing that the
diagnosis is lupus. So I think that also, you know,
something we just can't can't get lost on us, is
(08:22):
that that mental health aspect of it as well.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
Of that that.
Speaker 6 (08:27):
Timeline just being so long and just really taking a
toll on a person's physical and mental well being.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Right, And Lenai, I wonder if you can maybe share
with that's your own personal experience. How long did it
take for you to get properly diagnosed and what has
been the impact in terms of not only just the
physical aspect of it, but just the ripple effect that
it has on other aspects of your life.
Speaker 7 (08:50):
Now knowing what lupas is, it took well over ten years,
probably actually more than that.
Speaker 6 (08:55):
Wow.
Speaker 7 (08:56):
I officially got diagnosed in two thousand and six. I
had been having symptoms, I mean since when I was
in high school and probably actually like when I was
even younger, because I just was I had a lot
of health issues growing up. So I got constantly misdiagnosed,
you know, kind of from like I said, like ninety
six to like two thousand and six, I got diagnosed
(09:17):
with everything from lymes disease to just oh, well, you
have bad asthma, which I don't even know if that's
the real thing, to you know, just oh, we don't know.
And you know, there's just several things. I would get
diagnosed with something and then would start treatment for it,
and it would like, you know, disappear or get better.
Then they're like, oh, okay, it wasn't that. So I
(09:38):
mean I saw I don't even know how many specialists
before I was finally diagnosed. Like for the longest time,
I thought it was like I had endometriosis. It just
was like, you know, a whole range of things because
lupus really does mimic so many other diseases, so there
is that misdiagnosis. So when I finally got my diagnosis,
I was like, oh, great, now I know what I have.
(09:59):
But I I know anything about lupus, and I had
this just like you know, really old school doctor, and
he just didn't really make the prospect of life very
He kind of was just like, oh, well, you probably
should have done this. Then the the third already and
I got, you know, diagnosed that I think twenty four
twenty three around there, and I'm like, how was I
(10:20):
supposed to know that I needed to, you know, do
all these things. Yeah, so it took a while, you know,
to kind of wrap my head around, you know, what
lupus is. And then of course I was like googling things,
which I tell people now like when you get your
loopus diagnosis, do not google because it's not very well.
Maybe now it's a little more positive, but it really
(10:42):
was just like, oh, well, you're you're going to die essentially. Yeah,
it was really kind of rough back then.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yeah, that's tough, and it has to have a real
impact on your mental wellness.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Right, definitely, yes.
Speaker 7 (10:53):
And so you know, with lupus, I was working and
my loopus symptoms just got to be too much. I
was having like flares, like for a while, I was
like in the hospital every year. I actually had to
stop working. And when I stopped working. I didn't have money,
so I actually had to move back home with my parents,
which is not something I wanted to do. And you know,
(11:13):
my late twenties thirties, you know, losing that independence was
really tough. And that has happened to I know several
people that I know, some people who I know have
lost relationships because of the loopus. So it does really
take a mental toll. And that is something that I'm
a support group leader as well as an ambassador. And
that's one thing that we talk about a lot, is
(11:36):
our mental health. I would say, you know, like you
have to take care of your mental health just as
much as you take care of your physical health. There
are some effects of having a positive outlook or you know,
taking that time to pause and to breathe. And I
will not say that my I'm like, you know, on
top of things all the time, because lupus is a cycle,
and you know, sometimes I'm like, oh, this is you know,
(11:57):
just breezing through dealing with things, and then I'll get
like a new diagnosis and it's you know, just right
back down. So it's a cycle. And just having support
of the loopus foundation of family and I think it's
so important, and not everybody has a fit, great family
support system or a friend system, and so having something
(12:19):
like the Lupis Foundation is really vital to our lives
as Lupus warriors.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Yeah no, I think to being an advocate and taking
an active, engaged control of your situation and making a
difference in helping other people has to be very, very
helpful in terms of your own mental well being. I
want to talk about the Loopis Loop because I have
attended the Loopis Loop for many many years. COVID kind
(12:46):
of got in the way of that a little bit,
but it was always the last walk that I ever did,
and sometimes it would snow, and it was always dark
at the very beginning of it. But the spirit and
the energy of the advocates who are there, those living
with lupus, those family members who are in support, it's
just such a wonderful, wonderful event. And of course everyone
(13:09):
is dressed in purple, which is the official color. So
Sean tell us about the Loopis Loop, the.
Speaker 6 (13:14):
Lupas Sloop, our Walk to end Lupis now in Philadelphia.
This is its thirty third year in existence, which is
something that we are really really proud of. That our
volunteers are really proud of having been part of something
so important and impactful for so many years. So this
year we are at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, which is
a brand new location for us.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
The event is on Saturday, November ninth.
Speaker 6 (13:35):
So it's really just a way that we bring our
work and our passion to the local communities.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Our Walk to End loopis.
Speaker 6 (13:42):
Now program is across the country, across the Foundation, and
it's really our way to bringing Lupus warriors together, bringing
caregivers together. So many people living with lupus, we hear
over and over, have never met someone else living with lupus,
so to come out and see that they're not alone,
even though that their their journey may you know, be
(14:02):
different than the next person that they may meet. At
the Loopus Loop, we see people form these bonds. We
see this sense of community really coming out to support
our work and seeing that sea of purple of those
that you know, all of our our loved ones that
where they're walking for, raising money, for raising awareness for
and really just rallying around.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Well, there's been slow progress in terms of finding a cure,
but I understand that there are some breakthroughs and what's
interesting is that there are researchers in other types of
diseases that are cross benefiting some of the work that's
being done with lupus. So what's happening with the possibility
of treatment and cure.
Speaker 6 (14:40):
Currently there are there's three approved medications that can that
can treat lupus, and that of course again varies from
from case to case and conversations.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
That that lupus warriors are having with their physicians.
Speaker 6 (14:53):
You know, if that's the best in terms of research,
I mean, that's that's something that's come out of research
in the past, you know, but you're right now we
are seeing similarities between treatments of things like cancer and
different interventions for someone living with the cancer diagnosis that
are also working for someone with lupus.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
So a lot of these are in you know, very
early stages.
Speaker 6 (15:14):
You hear about car te therapy is sort of a
hot topic right now in both the cancer and loopis space.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
We're waiting for more research.
Speaker 6 (15:22):
It's where we know a lot of Lupus's focused researchers
are putting a lot of their time into. So we're
just excited to continue to see what comes of that
for us. At the Lupus Foundation of America research is
at the forefront of what we're doing. We are always funding,
you know, up and coming researchers. We are looking for
folks to participate in clinical trials so we can gather
(15:46):
information from people that are living with loopus every day,
who know it better than anyone else, really gathering their information,
making sure that we have the right representation in these
clinical trials where you know, we want women and then
people of color who are far more affected by loopus
to be active participants so we can really then have
(16:06):
those accurate results on the other end of everything, Yes.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Well, we're certainly hoping for some great breakthroughs. If people
want more information about signing up for the Walk to
End loopis, but also for all the great supports and
information that the Loopus Foundation provides, letna where do they go?
Speaker 7 (16:25):
They can go on to lupus dot org slash PDV
and you can click on right on our front page
is the walk, so you will see the link right
there for the Walk to End Loopus now the Loopus Loop,
and there's lots of lots of additional information on there.
You can join support groups, and then there's also our
(16:46):
resource library where you can just search for a variety
of topics LUPUS related, so there's a lot of good
information on the website.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
I'd like to thank you both for joining us here
today and hope that folks out there support the Loopus
Loop on November ninth at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. John Triggs,
Regional Director Pennsylvania Delaware Valley for the Loopis Foundation of
America and Leni Jay is an ambassador for the Lupus
Foundation of America right here in the Delaware Valley. Thank
you both for joining us today.
Speaker 8 (17:24):
I'm Chris jack McK I serve in the United States
Air Force and I've deployed three times. Being a veteran,
it's interwoven into your DNA. Is really the absence of
the connection and the purpose that can really drive a
lot of veterans to some negative thoughts. For those who
are in a suicidal crisis, the window of time to
save somebody's life is very short. Our duty is to
protect ourselves and protect our families. And one way you
(17:46):
can do that is store your weapons safely. Store all
your guns securely. Help stop suicide.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Brought to you by End Family Fire and the AD Council.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Well. Today we're shining the spotlight on Help Hope Live,
a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals with unmet
medical and related expenses due to transplant, catastrophic injury or illness.
By empowering families and communities to raise funds, Help Hope
Live provides a vital network of hope, financial relief, and
(18:25):
practical resources for those navigating life changing medical crisis. So
we're going to talk about Help Hope Live with its
executive director, Kelly Green.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Hey, Kelly, Hi, Loreen, how are you?
Speaker 1 (18:36):
I am good? I wonder if we can start by
sharing the story behind the founding of Help Hope Live
and the mission that drives the organization right now.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Thank you for inviting me to be here today, and
Help Help Live is a really wonderful organization. This we're
celebrating our forty first anniversary. We were founded by a
heart transplant surgeon out of Temple Hospital who he and
his wife recognized it. At that time, heart transplants were experimental,
(19:05):
so the out of pocket expenses were pretty astronomical since
insurance wouldn't cover it. So he started this organization for
a few of his patients and had this wonderful foresight
that he could start a charity and allow people to
give to this charity that would inspire a community of
support so that they could help one another and help
these patients specifically. Since then, forty one years later, we're
(19:29):
still doing the same thing. Our core mission really hasn't
changed and we are continuing to help people meet their
out of pocket expenses when facing catastrophic illnesses or injuries.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
So what's the difference between something like go fund me
and help Hope Live.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
That is a great question and a really important piece
of information. Go fund Me is amazing. It's an incredible
tool that brings together communities of support for people who
need it most, but for people who are facing catastrophic
injuries and illnesses, it's a very detrimental time. What happens
is when you bring together communities of support like a GoFundMe,
(20:04):
the funds that are donated, they're potentially taxable. It depends
on how much you raise and what you're using them for.
But the reality is it is asset based fundraising. What
that means is it raises their asset threshold, and when
that happens, oftentimes they stop being able to qualify for
medicaid or any kind of government assistance. Not only that,
(20:27):
but with Help Hope Live, we do a very similar process,
but we allow people to make a donation where they
can feel confident that it is fraud free, that it
is protected, and it will only be used for medical
and medical related purposes. Not only that, but it's tax
deductible and it is not an asset to the patients
(20:50):
that we serve. It is not their money, It is
not the reportable or taxable income. It is donated funds
that are then made available toy out of pocket medical expenses,
and we pay the vendors direct.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
So what are some of the biggest challenges that individuals
and families face when dealing with catastrophic medical conditions and
how does Help Hope Live address those challenges.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
So, you know, you just don't know how much it's
going to cost to have a catastrophic condition until it happens,
and then you're thrust into a complete and utter chaotic world.
And what you learn quickly is that health insurance only
provides so much, so you can have the Cadillac of
all insurance plans, and yet the out of pocket expenses
(21:38):
are astronomical. So what happens is sometimes if you're facing
a transplant and you need to move closer to the hospital. Right,
not everybody lives in Philadelphia, and not everybody lives so
close to a hospital, So oftentimes families have to stay
nearby the hospital for three months. That relocation expense is
(22:00):
a painful expense, and it is not covered by insurance.
You start to learn about rehab and copays and deductibles
and how many days you're allowed to go to rehab.
You start to realize that if you have a spinal
cord injury and you want to get back into your home,
insurance doesn't cover a ramp and there's nowhere to turn.
(22:21):
If you want to start learning independence again after a
traumatic injury and you need a wheelchair adaptive vehicle, they
can run upwards of eighty thousand dollars, of which nothing
is covered by insurance. So these are kind of the
expenses that we help people to access, that we help
people to meet those financial needs, and we bring together
(22:43):
communities of support to do just that.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
So, Kelly, how does the organization support individuals in launching
fundraising campaigns and what resources do you make available to them?
Speaker 3 (22:53):
So, the one thing that we do, and I love
this about help op Live is that we assign a
client service coordinator to everybody who to us. So the
first thing they do is they get a point of contact.
That person will walk them through a really difficult system
of what they have to prepare for for their future.
So they get a one to one assistant. That one
(23:15):
to one person will walk them through the paperwork and
the process that it takes to be accepted into our program.
And in order for somebody to be accepted into our program,
they have to one have out of pocket medical expenses.
Two have a condition that we cover and that we
can verify with a medical professional that that condition exists.
(23:37):
In three, they have to be willing to tell their story,
and they have to be willing to allow us to
help them build a community of support so that there's
a place where people can make a donation and support
their efforts so that we can get those bills paid.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Can you offer some examples of how community involvement plays
a role in supporting those in need through help Hope
Live campaigns?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Sure? So you know, we all know about GoFundMe, and
we're all very familiar with GoFundMe, So we operate very similar.
We set up a website so that they can tell
their story and people can write messages of hope and support.
We have the ability to connect that campaign to social media.
We have the ability to kind of get to know them.
(24:19):
Like I said, we have a one to one coordinator
for every person, so that one to one coordinator gets
to know that individual. So if somebody likes to have
a party, or if they want to have an art auction,
or if they're a wonderful artist, we can figure out
what works for that particular person. So if we can
set up an online auction using all the bells and
(24:40):
whistles to show off their and showcase their work and
their materials, and then people can make donations for that art,
or we can teach them how to have an in
person fundraiser, because what happens is you have all of
a sudden this diagnosis and you're then told and by
the way, this is expensive. If you're in any medication
(25:01):
and tools and equipment, and all of a sudden, you
realize you have to become a fundraiser. And the reality
is not everybody knows how to do that. So we
have fundraising experts at our office and that's that one
to one coordinator that works with every individual, so they
walk them through what works best for them, and it
could be simply that we have relationships with local restaurants
(25:23):
and maybe they do a percentage of sale night and
we can connect them to those restaurants. We also do
public relations for each individual if they're willing to allow
us to do that. We will send out media alerts
and sometimes there's attention to that particular condition or that family,
and somebody will take a hold of that story and
(25:44):
once it goes out and oftentimes becomes viral, or at
the very least somebody a miracle donors sees that story
and they give. We have these things happen all the time.
We had one particular family who gentlemen's wife was had als.
(26:05):
They had three kids and not much of a community
of support. We were able to set them up with
the website and the one to one coordinator and get
to know them, and then we did a press release
about them, and once somebody from the local media came
and did a story on them, and it was so
compelling that complete and utter strangers started to give. And
they were trying to get a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Within
(26:28):
forty eight hours, over fifty four thousand dollars came in
to support that family. Wow, these are the kind of
things we do well.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
These are wonderful things that you do. And it's an
opportunity apparently coming up for us to celebrate the great
work of Help Hope Live. So tell us about the
gala that's coming up.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
So exciting. So Thursday October twenty fourth, at six pm
to nine pm, we are hosting a gala at the
Drexel Brook in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, and we're really excited.
It's called Live It Up. It's our annual gala. This
is our twelfth annual gala, and we have really spectacular
honorees and everybody comes together. We get you know, we
(27:08):
get dressed up, We enjoy really amazing food. There's an auction.
The most important we support the charity and we come
together to make sure we are the community of support
so that Help Hope Live can continue to operate to
make sure that other people have access to what they
need to survive and thrive.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Fantastic. So if people want more information not only about
the gala, but certainly about all the great work that
help Hope Live does for those individuals who have those
catastrophic medical expenses. How do we find out more?
Speaker 3 (27:40):
We make it very easy. Simply go to www dot
help Hopelive dot org, where you can call the office
at one eight hundred six four to two eight three
nine nine.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Well, thank you so much for joining us. Kelly Green,
Executive director of Help Hope Live.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
Thank you, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Listen to all of today's interviews by going to our
station website and typing in keyword Community. You can also
listen on the iHeartRadio app Keywords Philadelphia Community Podcast. Follow
me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine
Ballard MOREL and I stand for service to our community
and media that empowers. What will you stand for? You've
(28:20):
been listening to what's going on, and thank you
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