Cheryl's Medical and Final Expenses

Hi, our names are Michelle and Matty Kienitz and we are fundraising on behalf of our mother, Cheryl Kienitz.

Cheryl was diagnosed in 2017 with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. There is currently no cure for IPF. A lung transplant is the only option for extending life significantly. When Cheryl was diagnosed, she decided lung transplant was something she wanted to pursue.

Cheryl's disease began to progress this year. An appointment to be evaluated for lung transplant was set for June. Unfortunately, the disease began to progress at a rapid rate. On May 17th, Cheryl was admitted to the hospital in Marinette, WI for shortness of breath. As her oxygen needs grew worse, she was admitted to the ICU in Green Bay, WI on May 19th. While in Green Bay, Cheryl's oxygen needs were significant and medical staff were not sure she would make it to that appointment at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, WI for transplant evaluation. Our mom kept us on our toes, and despite medical opinions of some, continued to fight to get to Froedtert.

On June 11th, after 25 days in Green Bay the ICU Dr. said "Merry Christmas" and let us know Froedtert was accepting her transfer and that she would be going to Milwaukee that day. Family followed her down there to be by her side through the process. The team worked with urgency on the transplant evaluation which is very extensive. They had a process that can take weeks done in days. The tests were looking good, and they were about to do the final review of her case before listing her with UNOS - until another bump in the road..

On June 20th, the kind staff moved our mom into a different room with a better view. During this time, she was fairly independent, able to move around the room on her own with the oxygen. Well, she tripped and broke her hip. She now needed hip surgery and to recover from the broken hip before she could be listed. She had hip surgery on June 23rd.

On June 26th her oxygen needs began to be significant again, and the equipment she was on was not meeting her body's needs. The disease had progressed and totally took over both of her lungs. They could no longer oxygenate on their own and her body was trying to use the energy it had to heal her hip.

At this time the medical team had decided she was a fighter and they wanted to give her a fighting chance to rehab her hip and be a candidate for a lung transplant. On June 29th, our mom was placed on VV ECMO. This machine provides lung support oxygenating the blood for the body but doesn't come without major risks and complications. The diseased lungs are still in your body and don't keep quiet.

While this machine was keeping our mom awake, and able to rehab, it can be a very painful and challenging process to go through. Our mom Cheryl started the rehab process. For her to walk on this machine would take a minimum of 6 staff members. The tubes coming out her neck pulling oxygenated blood in and out had to be carefully managed. Our mom worked so hard on her physical therapy despite many side effects of the machine and medications she was on.

We had a Facebook support group set up and would keep close friends and family updated on her accomplishments. On July 10th, mom was finally listed with UNOS. We were all so happy to finally be on the road of reaching my mom's goal, a lung transplant. Every day she would ask her transplant team if there had been any offers. They would keep her updated but were waiting on the perfect lung. Given the severity of her illness, she was likely in the top 1% of the country for listing status. We were so hopeful something would come any day, but mindful of what this meant for another family.

There were challenges with the symptoms and medications used and Cheryl had lost some of her strength. At this time the transplant team no longer felt she was strong enough to survive the transplant and they decided to pause her listing status on July 26th to allow her time to rehab further.

Over the course of the next days the medical team focused on optimizing her medication so she would be able to continue rehab with ECMO support. In order to have the best chance of surviving a transplant you want the rest of your body strong so you can recover post-transplant.

My mom was not happy to hear this news but once again said okay I am going to keep fighting, as much as my body can do, we have come this far. So that week she was back to rehab pushing as hard as she could. She had made some progress, but it wasn't without immense pain.

On August 7th, mom decided the pain and suffering had become too much and she was ready to pass. Family and friends accepting her decision gathered for her final breath.

For those that know our mother, know she's selfless. She spent much of her time caring for those around her. She spent most of her free time volunteering at the local animal shelter and helping everywhere she could. I know she pushed so far in this journey for her daughters, so she could be there for us.

We have had a lot of people reach out and ask how they can help. This journey has not been easy and comes with financial hardships. Our mother was hospitalized for 82 days, and her daughters and sister were by her side for the majority of the time. Any donations will go towards covering medical, travel, or final expenses.