HISTORY:

In 2009, at the age of twenty, Bill Coon was diagnosed with end-stage heart and kidney failure. The diagnosis was sudden. Bill and his family were not prepared for what would quickly ensue.

Bill was rushed by ambulance to a hospital after experiencing several seizures. He  was placed in an Intensive Care Unit, where Bill and his family would later spend the next seventy days.

Throughout the extended hospital stay, the Coon family not only dealt with the emotional stress of waiting for Bill's second chance at life, but they were forced to shoulder the financial burden of having a loved one require close medical supervision. Between parking, bedside meals, additional gas used during the trips to-and-from the hospital and occasional nights in a nearby hotel room, the Coon family spent over $7,500 in addition to Bill's medical expenses.

On October 21, 2009, the Coon family received the call that a matching organ donor had been located. Both transplants were successful and Bill went on to become an organ donation advocate and speak publicly about his experiences in the hospital.

Throughout his travels, Bill encountered many families facing financial hardship due to a loved one undergoing an extended hospital stay. The realization that so many families encounter similar financial stress led to the creation of Keep Swimming Foundation in 2017.

Click here to learn how you can play a role in aiding families during their darkest hours.