JellyRoll Gift of Life Tailgating Fundraiser

1 West Pennsylvania Avenue,Towson MD 21204

05 December, 2021

Description

JellyRoll Gift of Life Tailgating Fundraiser Come out and watch the Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Sunday night away game that will not only be a good time, but will also benefit "Jellyroll Gift of Life." General Information: Known as Jelly Roll throughout the NFL, Lional Dalton was a force to be reckoned with. For nine seasons he played on five teams throughout the National Football League, winning one Super Bowl, and recognized as one of the best defensive tackles in the league. At his biggest, Lional weighed 315 pounds. 315 pounds working tirelessly for nine years on the football field took its toll on Lional’s health. Dalton was forced to retire after a spinal injury, but it was years later that his body really started to suffer after decades of playing the game. Lional started to have high blood pressure, arthritis and kidney issues. He says “a lot of that comes from all the medication and blows to the body.” Those blows eventually led him to be in chronic pain, and in January 2020, Lional was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure. He was immediately put on dialysis and started looking for a kidney donor. In August 2021, a donor was found, ultimately saving Lional's life. While going through dialysis and all of his treatments, Lional knew he wanted to do more for those going through what he was. Immediately after his transplant surgery, JellyRoll’s Gift of Life was founded. JellyRoll Gift of Life is a 501 c3 non-profit organization that is focused on supporting organ donors and recipients who may need support, both financially, and otherwise, along their journey. While Gift of Life is a nationwide organization, its focus is primarily on the great need of residents living in and around the Baltimore area. Medical expenses associated with living donor evaluations are typically covered by the recipients insurance, however, anything that falls outside of the transplant center’s donor evaluation is not covered These costs could include annual physicals, travel, lodging, lost wages and other non-medical expenses. These costs are sometimes difficult if not impossible for living donors, which can deter some from donating a life-saving organ. Jelly Roll Gift of Life wants to help ensure that every donor, has every cost associated with donating covered. No matter what that cost might be. Gift of Life’s mission is to have donors worry less about financial strain and focus more on staying healthy and strong for their procedure.