“A warrior in recovery”

Some community members are calling an Idaho Falls man “a warrior in recovery.” David Moses was diagnosed with Guillian Barre Syndrome at 18 years old, and because of that he developed a kidney disease years later. He’s well on his way to recovery to becoming as healthy as he can be. On Saturday, a local athletic club put on a fundraiser for him to help pay for a kidney transplant.

The 62-year-old has been an apple athletic club member for about six years.

“It’s overwhelming. You know, I’m a child of parents of the 40s — Depression Era parents. You don’t ask people for stuff. Asking people to donate to me is probably the toughest thing I had to do,” Moses said.

He has been battling Guillian Barre Syndrome for years.

“It paralysis you completely It starts from your feet and works its way up,” Moses said.

For some people, the paralysis stops at their knees or chest.

“Me, it went all the way up to my eyebrows. I had to learn how to walk all over again,” Moses said.

To this day Moses still has numbness in his hands and feet. He was then diagnosed with a kidney disease in 2008. He needed to lose a lot of weight so he could be eligible for a transplant.

“I’ve lost 85 pounds. I come to the gym three to four times a week. Plus I’ve been doing the cardio class at the hospital,” Moses said.

His insurance covers the surgery but not the outpatient expenses. One of those costs will be paying more than $200 every month for meds for the rest of his life. But Saturday, the Apple Athletic Club raised over $2,000 to go towards Moses’ hefty medical bills.

“Thank you to everyone at Apple Gym. Ray Gordon and Sandi Gordon, and Shawana Adams. They’ve been great. They’ve helped me a lot and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate these people. Thank you,” Moses said.

Moses had a doctors appointment on Friday — so he will find out if he made it on the kidney transplant list within the next two weeks.

To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/daveskidneyfund?r=96871