Back

Valentine’s pageant in honor of Lindsay Ainsworth

Lindsay Ainsworth’s Christmas wish didn’t come true, so now she’s hoping for a special gift for Valentine’s Day: a new kidney.

Contact:

Publish Date: 05:26PM 01/27/10

In 2003, Ainsworth, 27, was rushed to the emergency room after a severe asthma attack. During her hospital stay, she learned she was suffering from kidney failure. In 2008, she began 14 months of dialysis before she was finally diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disorder affecting her kidneys. She currently requires nine hours of peritoneal dialysis every day. Doctors have said a kidney transplant is her only hope. Her cousin, 24-year-old Michelle Lucas, is a match and will donate a kidney to save Ainsworth’s life. A kidney transplant costs approximately $250,000, and that’s only the beginning. Even with health coverage, Ainsworth will face significant expenses related to her transplant. She will require follow-up care and anti-rejection medications for the rest of her life. These medications can cost as much as $5,000 a month, and they are as critical to her survival as the transplant itself. Ainsworth must temporarily relocate to Nashville to be closer to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 250 miles from her home. She will incur travel and lodging expenses, adding to her financial strain. To overcome these financial challenges, Ainsworth turned to the National Foundation for Transplants (NFT) for assistance. NFT is a nonprofit organization that helps transplant patients raise funds to pay for medical expenses. Volunteers are planning a Valentine’s beauty pageant for Saturday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. The pageant will take place in the auditorium at Trumann Intermediate School, 221 Pine St. Pre-registration is $25, and completed entry forms must be postmarked by Feb. 11. Contestants may also register at the door for $35, beginning at 3 p.m. General admission for spectators is $4, $2 for students, and children 5 and younger are free. Each contestant and one guest will be admitted for free. The pageant will include age categories from infants to 21 years. Participants may also choose to compete in a variety of specific categories, including Best Eyes, Best Smile, Best Hair, Best Dress and Best Personality. Each additional category is $5, or $20 to participate in all five additional categories. The event also will include a photo contest, separate from the pageant entry. Individuals do not have to participate in the pageant to enter the photo contest. Participants may submit up to five photos in color or black and white, and sizes must be 5x7 or 8x10. Glamour shots and photos in frames will not be accepted. Please include contact information on the back of the photo, and all photos must be mailed by Feb. 11. Entry fees for the photo contest are $10 for the first photo and $3 for each additional photo. A silent auction will be held in the lobby during the pageant until 7 p.m. Cookbooks and t-shirts will be available for purchase. Charlotte's Flowers and Gifts in Bay, Ark. will provide the flowers for the event. To register or for additional information, please contact Pageant4Lindsay@live.com or 870-284-4533. To make donations in honor of Ainsworth, please visit www.transplants.org and click on “patients we help” to search for her. If you prefer to mail your contribution, please send your gift to the NFT Arkansas Kidney Fund, 5350 Poplar Avenue, Suite 430, Memphis, TN 38119. Be sure to write “in honor of Lindsay Ainsworth” in the subject line. About NFT NFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Memphis, Tenn. that has been helping transplant patients overcome financial obstacles since 1983. NFT provides fundraising expertise and advocacy to transplant patients by organizing fundraising campaigns in the patients’ own communities. In the past 26 years, NFT’s fundraising campaigns have generated nearly $56 million to assist patients. NFT currently assists more than 1,000 transplant candidates and recipients nationwide. For more information about NFT, please call 800-489-3863 or visit www.transplants.org. ###