Two Area Businesses Hosting Fundraiser for Transplant Recipient

Fired Up Pottery and its Peters Township neighbor, Swirlie Whirlie, plan to donate 20 percent of their sales between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday to a fund for a local transplant recipient.

The local woman, Geri Whalen, is a recent kidney transplant recipient.

On her page on the National Foundation for Transplants, it indicates that Whalen—a mother of three—seeks to raise $25,000 to help pay for her medical bills.

So far, she has raised almost $11,500.

She underwent the transplant in January.

"In 2007, after the birth of her third child, (Whalen) learned she had developed kidney disease. Although she has no family history of this illness, she has battled diabetes since she was 9. Doctors said a kidney/pancreas transplant was essential to her survival," her page reads. "Despite her health challenges, Geri remains positive about her future. She sees herself as a normal wife and mom who is facing a difficult situation, but she is confident she can overcome this battle. Geri and her best friend, Adam, have been married for 11 years, and they have three wonderful children—Eve, Elle and Ian—who mean the world to them both."

To read more about her story, click here.