Anna Jeter's Transplant Fund

On July 29th, Anna Jeter and her mother, Laurie, moved from their home in Minnesota to Palo Alto, California, so that Anna could be listed for a lifesaving heart-lung transplant. This is the only option left to Anna, after 19 years of living with Pulmonary Hypertension (PH). PH is a progressive and terminal illness that impacts both the lungs and the heart, growing more severe with time. Despite a daunting prognosis at the age of four, Anna was responsive to intravenous therapies, which are delivered directly to her heart through a central line 24/7. Although her health has instilled many significant limits upon her life, Anna’s days have been filled with faith, wonder, and community. After finishing high school, Anna’s illness continued to progress, and it became clear that her medications would no longer be enough to sustain her long term. At this time, she was accepted as a candidate for heart-lung transplant at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Without knowing what would come next, Anna began college and continued to push forward. Through four years of hard work and frequent doctor’s visits with her transplant team, Anna was able to graduate in 2017 with a nursing degree from Bethel University.

Since finishing college last year, Anna’s health has continued to decline. After a full year spent developing a plan of care with her transplant team, Anna and her family have decided that her best chance for organs is at Stanford Medical center, in California. Now that Anna is listed at Stanford, it is unknown how long she will have to wait for the right match. In this time before surgery, Anna and her family are facing months of many overwhelming financial burdens, including rent and medical costs associated with care prior to transplant. After surgery, the financial pressure will only increase as they face the cost of hospital bills, many new medications, flights for family members so that relief support can be provided, and additional assistance for Anna so that she may lead an independent and productive life as she recovers in the year following transplant. ANY help during this time is incredibly appreciated. 

Unfortunately, transplant is not a cure-all for Anna’s condition. While she will no longer be living with PH, she will be a transplant patient for the rest of her life. This will bring forth a whole new set of risks and concerns. With that said, Anna’s new organs will allow her to live life in a new way. Her physical endurance will hopefully be greatly improved, so that Anna will be able to travel, hike, and exercise in ways that have never been an option to her in the past 19 years. Ultimately, Anna and her family are optimistic about the second chance at life that a heart-lung transplant could provide.

Despite the chaos of this year, Anna’s faith in God throughout this process is unwavering, and she is fortified to know that He is walking with her always. If you are not able to contribute financially, please know that prayer is just as precious to Anna and her family in this season. Please lift her name up, and please share her story so that she can continue to be an outlet of light and hope for others. While Anna has been unable to begin pursuing a career as a nurse, she has instead chosen to push towards her calling as an artist and a writer. If you are looking for another way to support Anna, her artwork can be found for purchase on her website (www.annalisabeth.co), or at GOLDEN RULE in Excelsior, MN.