Hope Russo This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Alaska Real Estate, Home Loans, Mortgages by Kelstar Alaska Mortgage

   www.kelstaralaska.com/Find-Hom - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/23/2007   Last Visited: 11/23/2007

   Hope Russo ~ Realtor
   
   (907) 232-9961
   
   (907) 352-2000
   
   russosrealestate@msn.com

2. 2. Anchorage Daily News | Gift of life

   www.adn.com/life/story/3504063 - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/22/2003   Last Visited: 7/23/2003

   LaVonne Vogt, left, donated a kidney to Hope Russo.
   ...
   Hope Russo and LaVonne Vogt look through photos from their time in the hospital. (Photo by Marc Lester / Anchorage Daily News)
   ...
   Almost a month after the operation that gave Russo a second chance at a healthy life, they look back over events and know it was meant to be.
   
   SOMETHING AMISS
   
   Most of Russo and Vogt's story could be attributed simply to happenstance or a heightened awareness of the issue of organ donation. But neither woman thinks it is that simple. Russo, 36, had been waiting two years for a kidney to replace the ones she had, damaged by an unusual autoimmune disorder called Wegener's granulamatosis.
   
   In spring 2000, Russo began noticing something wasn't right. Her joints swelled. She ached all over. Once active and out on in-line skates or her bike whenever possible, Russo was struggling to climb a flight of stairs.
   
   She went to the doctor, who eventually diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis. But even after going on medication, she didn't feel better. A few months later, Russo became so anemic she ended up in the hospital and had more tests. Then doctors diagnosed Wegener's, and damage to Russo's kidneys was already done.
   
   The next few months were a blur as Russo went into chemotherapy to get the disease into remission. She spent most of her time at home because the medications made her sick. The family-owned janitorial business had to go on without her.
   
   "There were some days that I could only drag myself out of bed long enough to do payroll, then my dad would pick it up and I'd go right back to bed," Russo said. "It was horrible. Terrible."
   
   Next came dialysis, a daily routine in which Russo used an at-home device to cleanse her system, doing the job her failing kidneys could not. For 71/2 hours every night, she stayed hooked to the machine. It worked while she slept, but she never slept well. Once hooked to the cumbersome machine, Russo couldn't get up and move around. It was like being jailed in her own home.
   
   CHANGE AHEAD
   
   As life-threatening events tend to do, the disease prompted Russo to rethink her priorities. This, she believes, is where fate comes in.
   
   "Throughout this whole thing, I thought if I get out of this I'm going to sell the janitorial business and go into real estate because I've always been interested in it," Russo said.
   
   So, while homebound with chemo and dialysis treatment, she threw herself into her studies and eventually became licensed to sell real estate.
   
   "Some people stop working," Russo said. "I think (work) helps you heal; to keep working, it makes you feel like you're still involved in life."
   
   When Russo felt well enough to try working outside of home, she started at Prudential Jack White Real Estate. But in June 2002, she had an opportunity to work at Coldwell Banker Fortune. She liked her previous job, she said, but for some reason she felt drawn to the new position.
   
   "It was almost like I was meant to go (to Coldwell)," she said.
   ...
   "She was so nice and so sweet," Vogt said of Russo.
   ...
   A few months later, in October, a group of women at the office decided to go to lunch and invited Russo. It was then, during a conversation about being tired, that Russo revealed to co-workers what she was going through. Yes, she was on the donor list waiting for a kidney, she told them. No, her family members are not a proper match. Yes, the dialysis is exhausting.
   
   And then this question: What is your blood type?
   
   O positive, Russo said.
   ...
   Russo broke into tears of hope.
   
   THE PROCESS BEGINS
   ...
   Russo knew not to get her hopes too high after Vogt's offer to help, but she was profoundly grateful that someone had stepped forward.
   
   "I would never, ever ask anybody to do something like that for me," Russo said. "I just wouldn't. It's a big decision, and it's just something I could not do."
   
   Russo gave Vogt the number for Jessica Buck, an organ donation coordinator at Virginia Mason Medical Center's transplant office in Seattle, and over the next few months Vogt went through the process of being tested for compatibility.
   ...
   "We were in my hotel room, and my sister, Faith, had just arrived late from Florida," Russo said.
   ...
   At the same moment, Russo said, Vogt's phone rang.
   ...
   Russo doesn't care what other people think. While it could have been just a fluke switchboard glitch, to her it was a sign that all was going to be OK.
   
   "For me, it was a special moment," Russo said.

3. 3. Coldwell Banker Fortune - Alaska's Real Estate Experts!

   www.coldwellbankerfortune.com/ - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/13/2004   Last Visited: 4/13/2004

   Hope Russo Coldwell Banker Fortune - Alaska's Real Estate Experts!
   ...
   Hope is a relocation specialist and USAA Certified.
   
   Awards:
   
   More about Hope
   
   Hope has lived in Alaska for over 22 years. She specializes in the Anchorage, Eagle River, Chugiak and Valley areas. She has experience in New Construction, Resale, Single Family, Multi Family, Condos & Commercial property and also Land (residential, commercial & recreational). She is hard working and dedicated.
   ...
   Hope Russo