Area Family Seeking Kidney For Mom

Norristown residents may remember Aretha Swift from her years of work with the Weed and Seed program, but Swift's family is hoping folks will remember her name for another reason – Aretha Swift needs a new kidney.

The 51-year-old mother of three is in renal failure and on dialysis at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Her children – Jaimee, Joshua and Alainna – are hoping a billboard campaign will help find a donor quickly and are raising money to pay for the advertisements to go up in the Montgomery County and Philadelphia areas.

A fundraiser is planned for Thursday, Jan. 26, at The Gathering Place, 6755 Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia. Tickets are $40 and will proceeds will go to pay for the billboard campaign.

“Everyone is welcome," Swift's daughter Jaimee told The Times Herald in a recent article. "My siblings and I will talk and my mom will talk. It will be a celebration of her life and how she’s come a mighty long way from where she started until now.”

For more information or to purchase tickets, call 215-277-5647. If you can't attend the event and would still like to help, all donations will be greatly appreciated.

If you'd like to learn more about Aretha Swift and her condition, her family have set up a Facebook page to spread the word about her situation and have even put together a brochure you can download in our PDF section. You can also read more about it in this Times Herald story about the Swift family.

More importantly, if you or anyone you know would consider donating a kidney to Swift, call Jean Berte, Transplant Coordinator for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, at 215-955-6486. She'll help you set up an appointment for a blood test to see if you're a possible match. Types O and B would be considered good matches.

Aretha Swift has done some nice things for Norristown, let's return the favor.