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Foundation looks to fight kidney disease BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE Kidney disease is one of America's most deadly afflic tions. claiming more than three million lives in the United States in 2006 alone, accord ing to the National Center for Health Statistics. Millions more depend upon regular dialysis treatments for their survival. These statistics hit home for Charlie Williams last sum mer, when his friend and cousin, Tabitha M. Dobson, 30, succumbed to her illness after a four-year battle with kidney disease. Dobson, an elementary school bus driver from Boone ville, North Carolina, left behind a 10 year-old son, Daylan. "We grew up together," related Williams, a Collections and Audit coordinator at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. "We went to school together; we knew everything about each other." Williams left Booneville in 2000 to attend college at Winston-Salem State University, but says the two kept in touch and remained close. "(Tabitha) and her mother, they are just the most lovable people," he said. Throughout her struggle with her illness, Dobson remained optimistic, Williams says. He was inspired by her strength and unflinching faith. "She was on the transplant list for quite some time (but) she went through the whole process with joy," he reported. "She continued to sing in the . . . choir up until a week before her passing." 6 In the wake of Dobson's death, Williams, a devout Christian and member of Submitted Photos Charlie Williams before Saturday's Christmas Parade. Agape Faith Church in Clemmons. felt compelled to reach out to others who suf fered as his cousin had. He .founded the Tabitha M. Dobson Kidney Foundation in her honor this fall. The Christian-focused nonprofit, which will serve Davidson, Forsyth. Guilford, Surry and Yadkin counties, is slated for launch in January. Fellow church member Michelle Jordan serves as COO for the organi zation. "We stand on embracing, 'enhanc ing and empowering the Triad communi ty," Jordan declared. My thing is to creativity in giving out the Word (of God), just letting them know that you can do anything." Jordan,, an administrative assistant at Winston-Salem State University, has also watched a loved one battle kidney disease. "I have a father who suf fers from kidney disease. He has undergone a transplant and Dobson it has gone bad," she explained. "He's very blessed to have family support, but my heart cries out for those who don't." Plans are still in the works with regard to the scope of the organization, but Jordan and Williams have identified sev eral areas where they hope to make an immediate impact. Providing transportation to and from dialysis treatments for those who are in need ts" a corner stone of the pro gram. The organization has already worked with a handful of tam ilies.-Jordan says. The founda tion hopes to be able to pro vide a more comprehensive approach to the illness down the road. "Our vision is to have a center where (people with kid ney disease) can come and get any kind of healing that they need," she revealed. "(We want people to know) God ere ates miracles; He is the mira cle worker. He can do any thing." So far, the organization has raised more than $400 through coupon book sales, which will go towards serving the needs of local families that are affected by kidney disease. A Gospel concert tentatively scheduled for February 2009 will also benefit the founda tion. On Saturday, the founda tion took part in the Christmas Parade, hoping to get its name out as much as possible. Generating revenue has been challenging, Williams says, but he is confident the foundation will gain steam over time. At the very least, it has already enriched the lives of its leaders. "This has been a wonderful experience." Williams declared. "I've enjoyed meet ing new people and just open ing up my ministry." For more information about the Tubitha M. Dobson Kidney Foundation, email tmd_kf@ yahoo .com . Jessie Draft & Associates LLC Jessie Draft/Broker CRS, GRI. REALTOR RNJDRAFT@MSN COM 3750 Beeson Dairy Rd Winston-Salem. NC 27105 (336) 403-1254 Business (336) 748-0871 Fax MULTIMILLION DOLLAR PRODUCER Donald K. Huir BANKRUPTCY .egal Help For Your Debt Problems DONALD R. BlIE, Attorney At Law . www. tlonaldrbuie.com The Law Office of IHinald K. liuir is a Federal!) designated Debt Relief \|ien< ? under Title II I niled Slate* Code Section^, 52th at. We help peo ple file Tor bankrupt! > relief under the bankruptn code. Free Initial Consultation 1 IfkO Slop Kifiovsvviion & Foredonirv / /?J"lO>'0 8 W. 3rd St.. Stc. MM) S. Wayne Patterson Mtorne) At I aw and Certified \I>K Mediator ?Immigration "Social Security "Civil Rights ?EEOC Claims ?Non-Prnnt/50lc(3) ?Employment Discrimination 235 Peachtree St. Suite 4(K) Atlanta. GA 3030? 8 West Third Street Suite 220 WinMon-Salem. NC 27101 1-877-SWP-4LAW or local number <336)714-8858 ynvyv.swayneputierson4luw.com Rep. Larry Womble NC House of Representatives 71st District Tel (336) 784-9373 Fax (336) 784-1626 E-Mail: LWistm@aol.com Home Address 1 294 Salem Lake Road Winston-Salem, NC 27107 Cobell from pa A 1 o The lawsuit, which is still ongoing, asks for an account ing of the trust money, fairs compensation to the land owners and reform of the sys tem. There are an estimated half a million people who inherited ownership of the trust lands. Collectively, they may be owed up to $100 bil lion by some estimates. Cobell is a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, which used to control all of Montana. Her great grandfather. Mountain Chief, was the tribe's last hereditary chief. During his rule, she said, their was an effort to make the Blackfeet dependent on the government and to make them "civi lized." But Mountain Chief refused to conform to the government, even though offi cials pursued him relentlessly. "I always think some of his genes sprinkled down into me and made me fight, stand up for individual Indian people," said Cobell. Cobell grew up on a poor reserva tion in Montana. When the only bank there closed down, she used her business back ground and opened one her self. It was the first bank owned by an American Indian tribe. When she decided to look into where all the trust money was going, she ended taking on a fight so big that it scared even her. "I hadn't sued anyone in my entire life. ever, let alone filing the largest class action lawsuit in the history of the United States," said Cobell. When Qhe first went to Washington. D.C., as part of the lawsuit, she called a friend and confessed her doubts. Her friend asked her "If you don't do it, who will?" She hasn't looked back since. In 1999, a court ruled that the U.S. secretaries of Interior and Treasury had breached their trust obliga tions to American Indians. The court also ordered an < Gingold Dorris Smith accounting of what happened to the trust money, which Cobell's lawyers have been trying to force the govern ment to comply with. "What we have in this sit uation is the government got away with not even paying attention to the law, breaking the law constantly, and no one was holding them accountable," said Cobell. Several of Cobell's lawyers were also there. One is David Smith, a local lawyer with Kilpatrick Stockton and a law professor at Wake. He said the land in question is extremely lucra tive, with much of it used ' for timber opera tions, mining, gas and oil wells. "Some of this land is the most productive land in the country," said Smith. "You go to Navaho land, it's oil wells pumping night and day, 24 hours and you've got the beneficiary liv ing in a shack next to the oil well, not receiv ing the money." Dennis Gingold was one of the first lawyers on the case. He told the audience - many of whom were law stu dents who had learned about the case in their classes - that the government had used underhanded tactics, includ ing lies and intimidation, to obstruct the case. "What you're learning in law school isn't what hap pens when you're dealing with a major case with the White House involved," said Gingold. Bill Dorris, a managing partner at Kilpatrick Stockton and another member of Cobell's legal team, said that his client was like a rock star in the American Indian com munity. He said that so many in that community follow the case and hope for a favorable outcome. "You go to Indian country and you realize their hopes and dreams are tied to her like you wouldn't believe." said Dorris. Anesthesiology Cardiothoracic Surgery Cardiology " Dermatology Emergency Medicine Endocrinology Family Medicine Gastroenterology General Surgery Geriatrics Hernatology/Oncology , , ?? . I Infectious Diseases Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Neurosurgery Obstetrics and Gynecology Ophthalmology Orthopaedics Otolaryngology Pathology Pediatrics Plastic Surgery J Psychiatry Pulmonary Medicine Radiation Oncology Radiology Rheumatology Urology VASCULAR SURGERY OUR EXPERTS PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE CARE FOR YOUR VASCULAR DISEASE THE DEPARTMENT OF VASCULAR AND ENDOVASCULAR SURGERY has the region's most comprehensive program for managing disorders of the arteries, veins and lymph vessels. Our unique team of vascular surgeons and vascular medicine specialists work together to provide individualized patient care. Few centers in the U.S. offer the same breadth of expertise and services under one umbrella - all dedicated to treatment, education and research in vascular disease. Common vascular problems include: ? Hardening of the arteries ? High blood pressure and cholesterol ? Blockages of the arteries in the neck, legs and abdomen ? Aneurysms and other diseases of the aorta ? Varicose veins and venous insufficiency ? Clotting problems such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT)' ? Circulation problems from diabetes Our doctors offer state-of-the-art diagnostic testing in our fully accredited vascular laboratory and treatments ranging from counseling, risk-factor modification and medications to surgery and newer less-invasive endovascular procedures. All of this means the best possible care for you. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 336-716-4151. Or, visit our website at wfubmc.edu/vascular And whatever your insurance, chances are we take it. KNOWLEDGE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE. Front Row: Randolph Geary, M.D., Kimberley Hansen, M.D., Christopher Godshall, M.D. Back Row: Pavel Levy, M.D., George Plonk, M.D., Matthew Edwards, M.D., Penny Crisp, A N.P Since 1993, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has been consis tently ranked as one of America's best hospitals by US News & World Report i Wake Forest University Baptist MEDIC A L CENTER Wake Forest University Physicians
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Dec. 11, 2008, edition 1
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