Breaths for Corey
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Breaths For Corey
In many ways, Corey Temean is a typical 26 year old. He enjoys spending time friends, playing golf, and recently got engaged to his girlfriend of 6 years, Kelly. However, Corey’s story is anything but typical as Corey has Cystic Fibrosis and is in need of a double lung transplant.
Corey and Kelly should be celebrating this exciting time and making plans for a wedding, but their current priority is preparing for the impending surgery. It’s about managing Corey’s daily care to stay healthy enough to receive the lungs and navigating complex health insurance systems to ensure his treatment needs are met. It’s about enduring the ups and downs that accompany the transplant process including submitting to various health evaluations, waiting for the right match, assessing the potential risks of the surgery, and planning to finance the process. While this is a lot to bear for the young couple, they have a strong support network of family and friends, in particular, Corey’s parents, Frank and Christine.
Frank and Christine met in high school and a few years later had Corey. Corey was born 6 weeks premature on September 25,1991. He had a condition called meconium ileus, or a bowel obstruction that occurs when the meconium in a baby’s intestine is thicker and stickier than normal meconium. When Corey was only 4 days old, the young couple was dealt a devastating blow when the doctors informed them that he had Cystic Fibrosis and was only expected to live for 4 years.
They couldn't imagine that this cute, smart, funny little boy would not outlive them. Through pure love and determination, Chris and Frank did everything they could to give Corey the best life possible; believing with each passing year they were closer to a cure for Cystic Fibrosis, or, at the very least, medical advances that would increase his lifespan. And that it did. Corey was able to attend school, play hockey and soccer when he was young, and then golf in high school. However, these childhood experiences were interspersed with countless doctors appointments, surgeries, and tube feedings to manage his Cystic Fibrosis. In true Corey fashion, he’s endured and fought every step of his illness with positivity and humor.
In November 2016, Corey’s illness reached a critical tipping point. His doctors informed him that his lung capacity had decreased to 19% and there wasn't much hope of improvement with a double-lung transplant being his only option for survival.
While the cost of transplantation is typically covered by insurance companies, Corey has state insurance which only covers care in his home state of New Jersey. However, there aren't any hospitals in New Jersey that perform lung transplants for Cystic Fibrosis patients. He was referred to doctors at Johns Hopkins in Maryland with the understanding there would be a large financial burden placed on the family if he was accepted into their program. Out of state patient expenses include costs for transportation to and from the surgery site, to-and-from clinic visits after the transplant, housing, food and living expenses associated with relocation to the transplant site, and more. Corey, Kelly, Chris, and Frank met with the transplant team at John Hopkins and are committed to the transplant journey.
To support Corey, Breaths for Corey for was created. Thank you for being here and for your support. Breathe Easy!
With Grace and gratitude,
Frank,Christine,Corey,Kelly and the entire Breaths For Corey Committee
www.breathsforcorey.com
In many ways, Corey Temean is a typical 26 year old. He enjoys spending time friends, playing golf, and recently got engaged to his girlfriend of 6 years, Kelly. However, Corey’s story is anything but typical as Corey has Cystic Fibrosis and is in need of a double lung transplant.
Corey and Kelly should be celebrating this exciting time and making plans for a wedding, but their current priority is preparing for the impending surgery. It’s about managing Corey’s daily care to stay healthy enough to receive the lungs and navigating complex health insurance systems to ensure his treatment needs are met. It’s about enduring the ups and downs that accompany the transplant process including submitting to various health evaluations, waiting for the right match, assessing the potential risks of the surgery, and planning to finance the process. While this is a lot to bear for the young couple, they have a strong support network of family and friends, in particular, Corey’s parents, Frank and Christine.
Frank and Christine met in high school and a few years later had Corey. Corey was born 6 weeks premature on September 25,1991. He had a condition called meconium ileus, or a bowel obstruction that occurs when the meconium in a baby’s intestine is thicker and stickier than normal meconium. When Corey was only 4 days old, the young couple was dealt a devastating blow when the doctors informed them that he had Cystic Fibrosis and was only expected to live for 4 years.
They couldn't imagine that this cute, smart, funny little boy would not outlive them. Through pure love and determination, Chris and Frank did everything they could to give Corey the best life possible; believing with each passing year they were closer to a cure for Cystic Fibrosis, or, at the very least, medical advances that would increase his lifespan. And that it did. Corey was able to attend school, play hockey and soccer when he was young, and then golf in high school. However, these childhood experiences were interspersed with countless doctors appointments, surgeries, and tube feedings to manage his Cystic Fibrosis. In true Corey fashion, he’s endured and fought every step of his illness with positivity and humor.
In November 2016, Corey’s illness reached a critical tipping point. His doctors informed him that his lung capacity had decreased to 19% and there wasn't much hope of improvement with a double-lung transplant being his only option for survival.
While the cost of transplantation is typically covered by insurance companies, Corey has state insurance which only covers care in his home state of New Jersey. However, there aren't any hospitals in New Jersey that perform lung transplants for Cystic Fibrosis patients. He was referred to doctors at Johns Hopkins in Maryland with the understanding there would be a large financial burden placed on the family if he was accepted into their program. Out of state patient expenses include costs for transportation to and from the surgery site, to-and-from clinic visits after the transplant, housing, food and living expenses associated with relocation to the transplant site, and more. Corey, Kelly, Chris, and Frank met with the transplant team at John Hopkins and are committed to the transplant journey.
To support Corey, Breaths for Corey for was created. Thank you for being here and for your support. Breathe Easy!
With Grace and gratitude,
Frank,Christine,Corey,Kelly and the entire Breaths For Corey Committee
www.breathsforcorey.com
Organizer and beneficiary
Kristin McKnight
Organizer
Swedesboro, NJ
Corey Temean
Beneficiary