I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who has contacted me, and who is praying for my family and I during this time. Your messages have not gone unnoticed, and I appreciate all of the love and support that has come my way.
Many of you have asked what you can do to help, and as much as my prideful self would love to say we don't need any help, we do indeed need some assistance for this transplant.
A surgery of this magnitude has a long recovery process that involves a lot of monitoring of my new lungs and my body as a whole. After the transplant has taken place and I am deemed "healthy enough" to be discharged from the hospital, Tom and I are required to live within 30 minutes of the hospital, and that must include the awful traffic we have here in the Bay Area. Right now we live over an hour away. This means that we will need to relocate to temporary, fully furnished housing accommodations when I leave the hospital. The doctors have given us an estimate of 3 to 4 months living near the hospital. This is necessary partly in case an emergency arises, but also because I will have to be at Stanford at least 3 days a week for those initial few months. I will be participating in another pulmonary rehab program after transplant to get my new lungs and body back in shape. I will also have doctors appointments and blood tests on a weekly basis.
Another condition of transplant is nominating two caregivers to help with my recovery process. I have nominated Tom and my mom to take care of me for those 3 to 4 months. This means my mom will also have to relocate to the Bay Area.
Transplant is a very expensive surgery, but we are thankful that we have insurance to cover the surgery part of this life-changing experience. Unfortunately, accommodations and living expenses are not covered and we are responsible for covering any and all expenses during the relocation. Tom and I and my parents will be trying to cover our bills and living expenses for two residences. This will be very costly and a heavy burden for us all. Also, during this time my mom will not be able to work and therefore will have lost wages.
This is where I need your help. We need to raise funds to help lower the cost of our expenses during my recovery process. Last minute, temporary housing accommodations are more expensive than your average housing rental. Other costs will include flights for my family to be by my side during my hospital stay, a rental car for my parents to get around, and overall living expenses like groceries and gas.
We have created a website to help us raise the funds necessary for my transplant recovery :
Any donation you are able to make will be very gratefully received. If you can't make a donation, but would like to help in other ways, please share my blog and my fundraising website with your friends and family. You can use the "share" functions provided on the GoFundMe site to spread the word on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Or, if you prefer, please pass on the link itself which is http://www.gofundme.com/maggiesmiracle. Many small donations can make a big impact, and spreading the word is just as helpful as a donation.
If you would like to receive updates on my progress and to be notified when "the call" finally comes, please make sure you are subscribed to this blog using the "Subscribe By Email" option on the right hand side of this page (mobile users, you will need to click "View web version" at the bottom of the blog to see this option). Tom will be posting updates once I am called for surgery.
I can't thank you enough for your support thus far. I am looking forward to the day my miracle finally happens!
No comments:
Post a Comment