Our family is facing something we never thought we’d have to go through. Our dad, Bill, has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung disease called: Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) - a form of Pulmonary Fibrosis, a serious lung disease that slowly takes away the ability to breathe and creates scar tissue in the lungs. Over the past year, we’ve watched him fight every single day just to do the things most of us take for granted—walking across the room, talking without losing his breath, traveling and enjoying time with his loved ones.

Now that this awful disease has progressed, his doctors believe a lung transplant is his only chance at more years with his family. This is both hopeful and terrifying. Please note, he is still in the evaluation phase and doctors have determined this is his only option as there is no cure. While a transplant gives him a second chance at life, it also comes with an incredibly long, difficult, and expensive road to recovery.

Even with insurance, there are so many costs that fall on our family:

Other costs such as food (Burger King Whoppers specifically - dads favorite), gas, medical supplies, mental health support, medical equipment, co-pays & deductibles, etc. that also aren’t covered.

On top of this, our mom might be forced to retire earlier than planned so she can care for our dad full-time. She is his rock, his caregiver, and his advocate — but that also means their household income has taken a big hit right when expenses are higher than ever. She would lose her own health insurance and does not qualify for Medicare/aid for a few more years, which means health insurance for her would be around $1,000-$1,500 a month out of their pocket until she reaches 65.

Our parents have always been the ones to help others without asking for anything in return. Now, they’re the ones who need help. We want our dad to be able to focus on healing and fighting, not worrying about how to cover the costs that come with this life-saving transplant if he is approved and receives new lungs.

If you can donate, know that you’re giving my dad the chance to breathe again—to laugh, to make more memories with his family & friends, and to even play golf again - and to live the life he still has so much love for.

There is a chance that next round of tests may cause our dad to lose his candidacy for a transplant & if you choose to donate - you still will have helped give him and our family with the funds for any end of life care that we might need as we enter that possible next phase of this disease.

If you can’t give, sharing this page means the world to us too.

Thank you for walking alongside us in this journey. Every prayer, every dollar, and every word of encouragement makes a huge difference & we can't thank you enough for all your love and support during this incredibly difficult time we are about to face.

With gratitude & love,

Katie & Allie (daughters of Bill & Sue)