Terminal is a hard pill to swallow.

Hello everyone, my name is Laura Kunkes. I am the daughter of Douglas (Doug) Brammer. We have lived in Rochelle for 15 years. We have exhausted all other options and came to the conclusion that starting this page would be the best foot forward in helping fund the family in this medical emergency.

Dad (Doug) was admitted into Northwestern Memorial Hospital on 1/22/25. He went in to see a pulmonologist who specialized in deeper issues. We had hoped he would only be in the hospital for around a week. We quickly discovered that Dad was much worse off than we had anticipated. The past year has been long and grueling. Dad had started to decline with breathing and having some heart issues we were monitoring, but they quickly escalated. Since Dad was admitted to the hospital, he has found out that he has a rare lung disease called PVOD-PAD-Group 1.

There is no cure for PVOD, but to have a double lung transplant. It is a terminal diagnosis.

PVOD is pulmonary veno-occlusive disease. It is a rare disease that affects 1 per 10 million people.

Dad, Diane, Josh, Beth, and myself found all this out on 1/25/25. We also met with the transplant team and we started to go over everything that will need to be done. There will be lots. Dad will undergo many tests, procedures, labs, etc., all while his body is on ECMO and fighting for his own life. As for Dad, he will need 3 caregivers. One as a primary, Diane has chosen to take this spot; second will be me (Laura). I will be Diane's cover; third will be my sister-in-law, Beth Anderson. During the time of the transplant for recovery, Diane and I will have to live in Chicago for 12-18 weeks, maybe more. We do not live within the 50-mile radius to stay in our homes. This is going to cost a lot of money. The hospital has informed us they will help with about 5-6 weeks of cost of living; however, the rest is on us, and with the discounts from the hospital, it will cost us $7,000 a month to stay out there and help take care of Dad.

On February 1st, 2025, I received a call saying Dad was being prepped for ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation). This is life support. That night, I stayed with Dad praying for easier times.

Dad is undergoing a colonoscopy, heart cath, ENG, and so many more things to get him to the transplant list.

As if being hospitalized was not traumatic enough on the family, Doug’s wife Diane and all of his children live 81 plus miles away from where Doug is temporarily living. The transplant requires that you live within a 50-mile radius, seeing that Doug will be essentially living in the hospital until further notice. We as a family are reaching out to our community in hopes that we can help support this medical emergency. If we could come together as family, friends, and community and help relieve some of the financial stress during this mournful time, we could focus our attention on helping Dad (Doug) come home to his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and spend all of his time comfortably in his home. Anything and all is greatly appreciated and helpful, even just a share to get the word out.

Please say a prayer for Doug and our family. Thank you.