Hello! I am Jojo! I am the proud daughter of Jack and Amanda Gardner! I am reaching out today because they need your help! My parents' faith has been such an inspiration to me and my sister! They are fighting their hardest battle yet, but their faith has been their foundation! They are constantly reminding us and others that God is in control and our trust is in Him no matter what happens. He gets all the Glory!

My father was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis this past April ('25). There is no cure for this disease and my dad will need a double lung transplant. My dad went from being the strongest man I know, to needing to rest and catch his breath just walking to the car and needs supplemental oxygen just to function. Just a year and a half ago, my dad was rock climbing with us! IPF causes scarring on the lungs and makes the scarred areas useless. He describes the feeling like slowly drowning. He has uncontrollable coughing episodes that cause him to start turning blue because he can’t catch his breath. There have been times we have had to call paramedics. He can no longer take deep breaths or even yawn. Have you ever tried to do a half yawn or not yawn at all when you have the need to? Have you ever felt the panic set in because you feel/are suffocating? This is what my dad goes through every day… And my mom has been by his side every step of the way!

Due to the nature of the disease, the only chance for him to ever take a deep breath again is that he receives a double lung transplant. My dad is currently working with the Lung Transplant team at Duke University, and they have set a mandatory fundraising goal for him to have in place so he can be added to the transplant list when (not if) the time comes. They have given my parents 6 months (till Nov 21) to come up with the funds needed to cover expenses during the transplant window and immediately after transplant to ensure his pre/post-transplant care that insurance does not cover. This means they need to come up with enough to cover temporary housing in Durham (needs to be within 30 min of the hospital) for anywhere from 3 months to 1 year, the ability to maintain their permanent residence (our home in Bedford), meals, travel expenses, loss of income when my mom needs to take FMLA (3 months unpaid leave), and any unforeseen medical expenses needed that insurance may not cover.

I am going to take this a step further. My father hasn't been able to work since November. He has always been the primary income for our family. My mom had put her education/career goals on hold to be a stay-at-home mother/wife, while my dad traveled for his job (up to 6-9 months a year) for the past 18+ years. Since my dad’s diagnosis, my mother has been working 2 jobs (Missionary with The Fellowship of Christian Athletes & Admissions Counselor for Liberty University), but this doesn't come close to making up for the loss of my father's income. We know my father may never be able to work again due to the nature of this horrible disease. So, in addition to my mom working 2 jobs, overseeing my little sister's homeschool education, taking care of my dad, and maintaining the home, she has recently gone back to college. I don't know how she does it, but she is trying to further her education so she can become a Licensed Psychologist/Counselor as soon as possible. (Anyone that knows my mom knows she would be AMAZING at this!) This will put her in a position to provide 100% for our family and my father's continued medical needs in the future BUT, this will take time.

They have been able to maintain the basic bills but are slowly falling behind. I would like to raise enough support to not only meet the minimum required fundraising amounts needed for the lung transplant that the Duke Transplant Team has put in place, but to help get my parents caught up and assist with the future needs as well. My goal is to help with at least the needs for the remainder of 2025. My parents have discussed selling our home to help with expenses, but right now that is not a task my mom needs to be adding to her already overflowing responsibilities. This transition would also be hard on my father, and he doesn’t need to stress about where we will live during a time where he is just trying to take his next breath.

Would you pray with us and consider supporting my parents on this journey to take the next breath? With Every Breath – YhWy! I will be updating this page regularly so please share and visit often!