Family thanks community for saving daughter’s life

Medford, Ore.- A local family is thanking the community for helping them raise thousands of dollars to pay for their daughter’s medical expenses.

Earlier this month, NBC5 News talked to David Meyer, who was looking to collect bottles and cans to help save his daughter, Ashley’s life. At the time, they had $6,456 out of their $20,000 goal. The money raised would help get Ashley’s name on the organ transplant list and pay for part of her surgery.

Now, more than three weeks later, the Mayer family has raised more than $31,000.

“I don’t know how to tell people thank you,” Ashley Mayer said. “I don’t know how to repay them.”

Ashley only has one operating kidney and is on dialysis three times a week.

“It wipes you out,” she said.

But she’s hoping that’s all about to change. Ashley says thanks to the generosity of her community and strangers she is finally back on the transplant list.

“It’s overwhelming, it’s definitely a lot to take in,” she said. “I didn’t realize how big our community was.”

After surpassing their goal by more than $11,000, her family wants to donate that money to someone else in need.

“We have a friend of my daughter’s that has just been diagnosed with kidney failure and we are going to pay it forward and give him some money,” David Mayer, father said.

The Mayer’s say it’s the least they can do after so many helped them.

“If there is anything I can do, I would like to volunteer and be able to help anybody else who is in need,” David said.

Ashley is still waiting for a match. However, two of her friends have sent off blood work to hopefully be her donor.

They Mayer’s say none of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for David’s employer, Lithia Volkeswagen who helped them start the fund.

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