Long Time Soccer Coach, Cal Skate Milpitas Coach Needs Transplant

I am writing to spread the word about the plight of a long time Milpitas resident, who was a dedicated volunteer, youth mentor and public school volunteer for decades.
Jonathan “Coach Kelly” Ford lived in Milpitas for over 30 years, raised his three children there, and spent countless hours spanning 20 years as a volunteer with the PAL Soccer organization as an assistant coach, head coach of multiple simultaneous teams, board member, and referee. Over the decades Mr. Ford was a dedicated and tireless coach and mentor to hundreds of local Milpitas, Fremont and San Jose children.
In addition to his public service through the Police Activities League, Mr. Ford was also a volunteer speed skating coach for the Milpitas Inline Speed Team, coaching skaters from beginner level through national competition levels. His skaters have received national gold medals and some have achieved world class status and placements. Additionally, Mr. Ford was a staple of the floor staff at Cal Skate Of Milpitas since the rink opened in 1977 until it’s closure in 2011; he could usually be found there most weekends volunteering to teach patrons of all ages the joys of skating, and training the hard working floor staff who were employed by the rink.
Mr. Ford and his wife Didi, who worked as the General Manager of Cal Skate Milpitas for 16 years, were instrumental in creating fundraisers that were implemented under the platform that the generous owners of Cal Skate provided. These fundraisers provided holiday meals and gifts delivered to local families in need, over a span of several years.
On a personal level, Mr. Ford and his family opened their home at various times over the years to half a dozen young people who were, in his words, “in need of a home and a family.” Mr. Ford is quite proud to have been part of these children’s lives, and is even more proud to note the successes that each of his “adopted” kids have achieved in their now-adult lives.
Two years ago Mr. Ford was diagnosed with a rare genetic and incurable illness, TTR Amyloidosis, which has caused his heart to fail. Within a year of his diagnosis he was unable to continue working as a Senior Account Manager for a Bay Area tech firm, forcing him to leave the industry in which he had spent more than 30 years. Doctors at UCSF Medical Center have told him the only chance he has to live is to receive a heart transplant.
Please help to spread Coach Kelly’s story; there are generations of children and adults whose lives he has positively impacted, who will surely want to know of his health struggle. Mr. Ford, working through UCSF, has registered with the non-profit National Foundation For Transplant (NFT). NFT is working on Mr. Ford’s behalf to spread the word of the vital importance of organ donor programs and also to raise funds to subsidize the incredibly costly but critical heart transplant surgery that is the last and only option for those afflicted with TTR Amyloidosis, like Coach Kelly.
Individuals who would like to reach out to Coach Kelly can do so in the following ways

FaceBook page "Friends Of Jonathan Kelly Ford" OR

give.transplants.org/goto/jonathanford