Aloha,

Many of you might know Lauren Butcher from her time working in Waimea, Kona, and Hilo as an APRN. Lauren has been a strong contributor to our Big Island communities, serving as a healthcare provider offering care and compassion to our island’s most vulnerable. She has been an advocate in her role and mentor to other developing providers. Now Lauren needs our help.

For the past two years, Lauren's health has taken a toll from a serious lung disease called Pulmonary Fibrosis. Because Pulmonary Fibrosis worsens over time, eventually, Lauren needed to stop working. This September, Lauren visited the Cleveland Clinic Lung Transplant Center in Ohio where she was told to prepare for a lung transplant by gathering finances to pay for transplant related expenses. She is currently looking into transplant facilities in California since they are closer to Hawaii and awaiting evaluations and acceptance into their programs.

This is where we need your help. We are trying to gather the funds needed for the following:

-Airfare for Lauren and her designated caregiver to fly from Hawaii to the transplant facility.

-Medications

-Lodging for a possibility of six months

-Ground transportation

-Food

-Airfare to get back home and oh, let’s not forget…

-Bills that need to be paid while she’s focusing on taking care of herself.

Unfortunately, the costs are overwhelming for a single income earner that now cannot earn her regular income. If you can, please consider donating to help Lauren achieve her goal of having this procedure in order to rebuild her strength and quality of life so that she can get back to normal life again.

Any contribution, no matter the size, would mean the world to Lauren and will bring her one step closer to her care goal. Thank you for your kindness, compassion, and support during this trying time.