Help for Heid Zoethout’s liver transplant

Jennifer-Lynn Draper is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Hi, my name is Jen (she/her) and I am Heid’s (they/them) partner of 26 years. We live in Goderich, Ontario. We met in college and fell in love instantly. It was simply meant to be. (HA!) We were married in Montreal, QC when it became legal in Canada for same-sex marriage.

Welcome to what our friends call our "Country Western song."

During our relationship we have survived discrimination, illness, moving provinces, family crisis, and career change. We felt the need to help others so we started a chapter of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) support group in Huron County in the early 2000's (Now closed).

We have been foster parents for the local Children's Aid, where we met our future son. We have also fostered kittens from the Humane society. Having kittens destroy your house is more fun than it sounds. Which shows you how much we love animals. We believe in giving back to the community.

Now we are in a battle we need help with.

Heid is waiting for a liver transplant for Wilson’s disease and cirrhosis and is unable to work. I also have been on medical leave for Fibromyalgia. When a liver becomes available we will have to live near the hospital for a month during Heid’s recuperation in London, ON. This fundraiser is for when Heid is in hospital to pay for hotel, travel, and food.

To complicate things, Heid's employer fired them after 14 years. This means that we no longer have private health insurance. Until today we were going to have to pay out of pocket for their meds.

However, the Provincial Government drug program has just agreed to pay for Heid's medication, which was going to cost us $4220. Thank-you to the Transplant team at University Hospital for getting that approval.