Lungs Stem Cell Procedure
Donation protected
Dear gofundme and FB family and friends:
Only selected family and friends have know that I have pulmonary fibrosis.
It is an incurable aliment and requires, in my case, both lungs to be transplanted. As a Vietnam War veteran I am under the care of the Veterans Administration Health Care system in Ft. Worth and Dallas. There is no cure for pulmonary fibrosis. The mortality rate for it is inevitably fatal. The solution is a lung transplant and in my case both lungs. The specialist team cannot pinpoint how I got pulmonary fibrosis. If you see “pulmonary fibrosis wiki” you can be informed. I was also treated in Puebla, Mexico where it got worst at a 6500 ft. altitude and lacked sufficient oxygen. Presently I am at 50% capacity in breathing. By cupping your hand over your nose and mouth you can get a sense of the limitations of my breathing. I am on oxygen all night and during activities in the day. I can send Dr. Patel's diagnosis from the VA Clinic in Ft. Worth for those of you interested in seeing it.
From WIKI: “Pulmonary fibrosis (literally "scarring of the lungs") is a respiratory disease in which scars are formed in the lung tissues, leading to serious breathing problems. Scar formation, the accumulation of excess fibrous connective tissue (the process called fibrosis), leads to thickening of the walls, and causes reduced oxygen supply in the blood. As a consequence patients suffer from perpetual shortness of breath.”
End WIKI quote
Five-year survival rates after lung transplantation are estimated at between 50% to 56%.There is also the complication of the body rejecting the new organs. Sometimes patients need two operations for the lungs to be accepted by the body. As I am a frequent visitor of the Pulmonary Unit at the Dallas VA Hospital I can see the quality of life is diminished for some of these patients.
The first symptoms appeared in 2009 while working on my post-doc appointment in Basque County Spain but I wasn’t diagnosed until 2013 a week before I went to Singapore on a two-year contract and with a side project in Malaysia. Because of health complications and after four months I left Asia to the NYC VA Hospital for a series of comparative analysis testing which continue today. The window for the lung transplantation the specialist team looks for is a perfectly healthy body and that my condition is getting worst. I have been placed on the waiting list for the operation. I prefer not to agree to a lung transplantation even if the Veterans Administration pays the bill of $500,000.USD.
I have greater confidence in the alternative treatment which is a stem cell research and its procedure. I am also exploring Gene Therapy, the treatment of disorder or disease through transfer of engineered genetic material into human cells. Least expensive Gene Therapy
clinics being in Sweden. The stem cell procedure I prefer needs private payment because it is outside the VA Health Care System. Although the VA pays for kidney stem procedure is doesn’t pay for the stem cell procedure for lungs because that requires five years of proof and application. The testimonials on the Lung Institute site are encouraging.
From The Lung Institute brochure:
“Cell Replication – Stem cells are able to renew and replicate through cell division. In the beginning, stem cells are undifferentiated, however, they have the unique ability to specialize as whatever type of cell they are near. This means that if stem cells are extracted from the patient’s blood, bone marrow or fat tissue and are reintroduced to the lungs of the patient with a progressive lung disease, the stem cells can become healthy lung cells. Rebuilding of Damaged Tissues — Since stem cells can replicate indefinitely, the healthy lung cells will continue to produce more healthy lung cells. This allows for the molecular cuing of regenerative pathways in the lungs. As a result, the transplantation of stem cells into damaged areas of lung tissue can help rebuild the diseased structures.”
END Lung Institute quote
The Lung Institute in Tampa, Florida has a three-year track record in the transplantation of stem cells for lungs.The three-day procedure to extract cells from my blood cost $6500.USD at the Lung Institute in Tampa. A marrow extraction of cells cost $12,500 at the same facility. In additional there are cost for flight, room and board from Ft. Worth to Tampa. If I go to Sweden the cost travel is higher.
I will need the funds within the next three months as my condition is worsening. Once I am in a financial position to fund my own procedure I can resist the strong nudge from the pulmunary team at the VA Hospital in Dallas to do the lungs transplant.
I am grateful for the support both on gofundme and FaceBook. My life depends on it! I would be very thankful to get back on track with my career in developing social entrepreneurship
labs worldwide to benefit communities.
I am set on raising $7500.USD by selling paintings on paper at $20.USD for two. I am posting the works on FaceBook. Select works in a comment under the image.
Dr. Greg Rivera
Only selected family and friends have know that I have pulmonary fibrosis.
It is an incurable aliment and requires, in my case, both lungs to be transplanted. As a Vietnam War veteran I am under the care of the Veterans Administration Health Care system in Ft. Worth and Dallas. There is no cure for pulmonary fibrosis. The mortality rate for it is inevitably fatal. The solution is a lung transplant and in my case both lungs. The specialist team cannot pinpoint how I got pulmonary fibrosis. If you see “pulmonary fibrosis wiki” you can be informed. I was also treated in Puebla, Mexico where it got worst at a 6500 ft. altitude and lacked sufficient oxygen. Presently I am at 50% capacity in breathing. By cupping your hand over your nose and mouth you can get a sense of the limitations of my breathing. I am on oxygen all night and during activities in the day. I can send Dr. Patel's diagnosis from the VA Clinic in Ft. Worth for those of you interested in seeing it.
From WIKI: “Pulmonary fibrosis (literally "scarring of the lungs") is a respiratory disease in which scars are formed in the lung tissues, leading to serious breathing problems. Scar formation, the accumulation of excess fibrous connective tissue (the process called fibrosis), leads to thickening of the walls, and causes reduced oxygen supply in the blood. As a consequence patients suffer from perpetual shortness of breath.”
End WIKI quote
Five-year survival rates after lung transplantation are estimated at between 50% to 56%.There is also the complication of the body rejecting the new organs. Sometimes patients need two operations for the lungs to be accepted by the body. As I am a frequent visitor of the Pulmonary Unit at the Dallas VA Hospital I can see the quality of life is diminished for some of these patients.
The first symptoms appeared in 2009 while working on my post-doc appointment in Basque County Spain but I wasn’t diagnosed until 2013 a week before I went to Singapore on a two-year contract and with a side project in Malaysia. Because of health complications and after four months I left Asia to the NYC VA Hospital for a series of comparative analysis testing which continue today. The window for the lung transplantation the specialist team looks for is a perfectly healthy body and that my condition is getting worst. I have been placed on the waiting list for the operation. I prefer not to agree to a lung transplantation even if the Veterans Administration pays the bill of $500,000.USD.
I have greater confidence in the alternative treatment which is a stem cell research and its procedure. I am also exploring Gene Therapy, the treatment of disorder or disease through transfer of engineered genetic material into human cells. Least expensive Gene Therapy
clinics being in Sweden. The stem cell procedure I prefer needs private payment because it is outside the VA Health Care System. Although the VA pays for kidney stem procedure is doesn’t pay for the stem cell procedure for lungs because that requires five years of proof and application. The testimonials on the Lung Institute site are encouraging.
From The Lung Institute brochure:
“Cell Replication – Stem cells are able to renew and replicate through cell division. In the beginning, stem cells are undifferentiated, however, they have the unique ability to specialize as whatever type of cell they are near. This means that if stem cells are extracted from the patient’s blood, bone marrow or fat tissue and are reintroduced to the lungs of the patient with a progressive lung disease, the stem cells can become healthy lung cells. Rebuilding of Damaged Tissues — Since stem cells can replicate indefinitely, the healthy lung cells will continue to produce more healthy lung cells. This allows for the molecular cuing of regenerative pathways in the lungs. As a result, the transplantation of stem cells into damaged areas of lung tissue can help rebuild the diseased structures.”
END Lung Institute quote
The Lung Institute in Tampa, Florida has a three-year track record in the transplantation of stem cells for lungs.The three-day procedure to extract cells from my blood cost $6500.USD at the Lung Institute in Tampa. A marrow extraction of cells cost $12,500 at the same facility. In additional there are cost for flight, room and board from Ft. Worth to Tampa. If I go to Sweden the cost travel is higher.
I will need the funds within the next three months as my condition is worsening. Once I am in a financial position to fund my own procedure I can resist the strong nudge from the pulmunary team at the VA Hospital in Dallas to do the lungs transplant.
I am grateful for the support both on gofundme and FaceBook. My life depends on it! I would be very thankful to get back on track with my career in developing social entrepreneurship
labs worldwide to benefit communities.
I am set on raising $7500.USD by selling paintings on paper at $20.USD for two. I am posting the works on FaceBook. Select works in a comment under the image.
Dr. Greg Rivera
Organizer
Paloma Kunze
Organizer
Fort Worth, TX