Life has a funny way of testing your limits. Mine came with a one-two punch: Stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer and end-stage renal disease.

Three years. That’s how long I’ve been showing up to dialysis. Three times a week, four hours a session. It keeps me alive—but it’s not living. Not the kind of life where you can breathe deeply, plan freely, or dare to dream past the next appointment.

As many of you already know, I’ve dedicated over 40 years to the book publishing industry. I’ve helped authors find their voices, guided manuscripts into the world, and written passionately about this ever-evolving business on my blog The Book Kahuna Chronicles. But now, I’m stepping out from behind the curtain and asking for help in a way I never imagined.

I need a kidney transplant to survive. And I need help to afford the care that comes with it.

Why I Turned to Help Hope Live

When you’re up against not one, but two major illnesses, the costs are staggering—emotionally, physically, and financially. Medicare doesn’t cover everything. Not the anti-rejection meds I’ll need for life. Not the travel to and from the transplant center. Not the hotel stays. Not the living donor screening. And not the support I’ll need during post-op recovery, when I won’t be able to work.

So I’ve launched a Help Hope Live campaign to raise the funds I need just to stay in the game.

🔗 Visit My Campaign Page Here :   helphopelive.org/campaign/25165

This isn’t easy to write. I was raised to stand on my own two feet. But when those feet are tethered to a dialysis machine and your future depends on a donor and a transplant team, pride has to step aside. Survival takes center stage.

What Your Support Will Do

Every donation goes directly toward:

  • Transplant-related medical expenses
  • Long-term prescription medications not fully covered by insurance
  • Travel and lodging costs for pre- and post-surgery evaluations
  • Donor testing, which is essential to even move forward with transplant planning
  • Basic living expenses while I’m recovering and unable to earn an income

Help Hope Live is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so every donation is tax-deductible, and funds are used solely for verified medical needs.

One Share Can Save a Life

If you can give, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you can’t, please consider sharing the campaign with your network. You never know who might feel moved to step up—who might just be the difference between “holding on” and “moving forward.”

This campaign is more than a fundraiser. It’s a chance. A shot. A way back to a life where I’m not tethered to a machine but instead walking, writing, and living freely again.

I’ve still got stories to tell. I’ve still got more to give.

Will you help me get there?

🙏 Here’s the link again: helphopelive.org/campaign/25165

With deep gratitude,
Don Schmidt
The Book Kahuna