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    • Tulare County community supports GoFundMe for captain’s operation
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    Tulare County community supports GoFundMe for captain’s operation

    Harry Posted on

    The support will help alleviate the burden Tulare County Sheriff’s Capt. Harold Liles and his family will face if his son, an El Diamante football graduate, donates a kidney to him on Nov. 8.

    Locals continue to rally around a Tulare County Sheriff’s Department captain who will undergo a kidney transplant on Nov. 8.

    A. GoFundMe page was founded for Captain Harold Liles(52), to cover the financial burden he and his family would face after the procedure.

    As explained on the website, “Accommodation costs and the spouse’s unpaid leave place a significant financial burden on the family. Any support during this difficult time would be greatly appreciated.”

    The goal was to raise $25,000 and that goal has already been exceeded.

    “This is so heartwarming,” Liles said. “I’m so proud to see the support from the community and everything everyone has done. This is great for me, my family, and my son who donated a kidney to me. There are not enough words to describe what a wonderful community we have.

    “Not just the community in Visalia, but everywhere from family members in North Carolina to organizations like Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department, and all the agencies and other communities in this area.” he said.

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    Liles expressed gratitude to Tulare County Sheriff’s Deputy Tom Sigley, who set up the GoFundMe page, KXEX TalkRadio 1550, which announced the fundraising effort, and Scoops on Main, which held the fundraiser on Nov. 3.

    He also thanked kidney patient advocate Maria Elena Grijalva, recently honored by the National Kidney Foundation, who kept in touch with him and provided him with information and emotional support.

    Initially, Liles was reluctant when Sigley suggested a GoFundMe campaign.

    “He wanted to arrange this because he knew the situation and what I was going through. “He knew my son would be flying in from out of state to do this, and he would be taking time off work for a while, and my wife would be taking time off work for a while,” Liles said. “He knew what it would cost me to stay there for the length of time I was required to be there.”

    Plans call for Liles to be at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills for a kidney transplant on Nov. 8.

    As for his 28-year-old son Darius, who donated his kidney to him, he said, “Both my son and I will be there.”

    “He’s in very good health,” Liles said of his son. “He was a player for El Diamante here… He was selected as Visalia-Times’ ‘Defensive Player of the Year’ while he played here. He went on to play on the (college) Idaho Vandals football team. He graduated from college and now works in Boise, Idaho.”

    Liles hopes a kidney transplant will save him from needing dialysis. He plans to continue his duties with the sheriff’s department after he recovers.

    GoFundMe campaign

    “It all started because he had to stay there for five to six weeks after the transplant,” Sigley said of the GoFundMe page. “So I started helping him find an Airbnb or a place to stay. “They were all between $8,000 and $9,000 for four weeks.”

    The operation will result in loss of wages as well as large expenses.

    “His wife doesn’t have that much time off, so he’s going to take unpaid leave from work,” Sigley said. “The donor is obviously his son who’s flying into town from out of state. I know he has to stay there for at least a week. I don’t know how long he’ll be away from work, so I thought we should do something to help them all.

    Sigley was surprised when the $25,000 goal was exceeded.

    “I initially set the goal at $15,000 because we were trying to get it done before he left,” he said. “It got to $15,000 in like four days, so I said, ‘We’ll put your son’s name in there, get him some help, and raise it to $25,000.’ And it reached $25,000.”

    According to Sigley, once the goal is achieved, the money received will be put to good use.

    “He needs to worry about recovery and healing after this transplant and not worry about whether he can pay the bills because his wife is on leave,” he said.

    Liles told Sigley he wants people to consider making another type of donation.

    “When I asked Captain Liles if he cared if I spoke to the media, he said, ‘No, but focus on the importance of organ donation,’ because he says there is not enough supply for the need. ” said Sigley. “I don’t think people are very aware of organ donation and how it can be a living legacy for some.”

    Ice cream fundraiser

    A fundraiser was held Nov. 3 at Scoops on Main downtown. The ice cream shop donated half of all ice cream sales to support Liles.

    215 W. Main St. The ice cream parlor located at is owned by a friend of Liles’ daughter Tanisha.

    “We’ve been friends with Tanisha since high school,” said Brandy Hickman, co-owner of Scoops on Main. “I would always go to their house for sleepovers and she was always so nice and so friendly to us. We were wild, crazy teenagers and he was great for us.

    “You always see his face at community events and you see all the good things he does,” she added. “So we’re happy to help in whatever way we can. “We hope today will bring him a good crowd and that we can do as much as possible to support the family.”

    Hickman’s husband and other co-owner, Justin Kaufman, said his wife sent him a link to Liles’ GoFundMe page and asked how much they should donate.

    “I said if we held an event in the store, we could probably raise more money than we could donate in person,” he said, adding that they announced the event on social media.

    “We didn’t expect him to buy so much stock and material,” Kaufman said. “Our post reached nearly 17,000 people… I’m really surprised it got this far, but when I hear great stories about it from my wife, I understand why someone would want to come and support. This.”

    Harry
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