Hi, my name is Naomi, and I’m fundraising for my 24 year old little sister Estel.
Ten years ago, Estel was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune condition which causes inflammation and scarring in her lung tissue. According to the doctors, there is no known cure and the damage that is already done is irreversible. The best they can do is prescribe drugs to slow the progression.
Since her diagnosis, Estel has experienced a slow decline in lung function due to the scarring and lives most of her life with supplemental oxygen.
Two months ago Estel completed the Lung transplant evaluation process. This evaluation indicated that she was a good candidate for a transplant and was placed on the lung transplant list. She was informed by her doctor that once placed on the lung transplant list, recipients will typically wait anywhere from 1 year to 5 years.
After completing the evaluation Estel went home and resumed life as normal. She had a lot of information to process regarding the transplant. For several years, Estel knew she would need a double lung transplant in the near future. The evaluation was the first step in making it a reality. The reality of a lung transplant was difficult for her to grapple with, but the 1-5 year wait time still meant that she had time to process it.
However, she didn't have a year to process her new reality of a double lung transplant. Less than 3 months after getting on the list (September 1st), Estel received a phone call from the Mayo clinic. When she answered, she assumed they were calling to remind her of her six month check-up in October.
Instead, the nurse on the call told Estel “You got some new lungs”. Estel was in complete disbelief of how quickly the call came, but she was ready for the next phase of her new life. On September 2nd Estel had a successful double lung transplant.
Estel will remain at the Mayo clinic for at least 3 months where she will go through intensive physical therapy to insure that her lungs are functioning properly, and work with the team to help manage her anti-rejection medication.
Although insurance will pay for her procedure, the recovery time is anywhere from 3-6 months. She will require family support in Rochester which is four hours away from her home. We are
asking for financial support to help cover living expenses while we support her recovery in Rochester, MN.
We are so proud of Estel. She is strong and brave. As I write this, she is only on day 2 of recovery and she is already walking and talking.
She spent the last year and a half on a strict diet and regimen of supplements and regular exercise aimed at minimizing the inflammation caused by her condition. We believe that her commitment to her health and faith in God has given her the strength to undergo this surgery and will continue to serve her as she recovers.
We are so excited for her to resume singing and hiking and doing so many other things that have slowly been taken away from her over the past 10 years.