Support Vicki's Lung Transplant

Hello. My name is Catherine and I am fundraising for my cousin, Vicki Nygaard, who is facing a life-or-death health crisis. Since just last June, 2024, Vicki has gone from being healthy, active and completing 400 hours of intensive training to become a yoga instructor, to having difficulty breathing on her own and requiring oxygen support 24/7. She is now on the transplant list for a new set of lungs as hers are rapidly failing.

Vicki has been diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, a critical lung disease that can be brought on by chemo and radiation treatment, which Vicki had while fighting triple negative breast cancer 7 years ago. That’s right, she’s already fought one serious health battle and now she’s facing another, out of the blue!

Vicki lives on Vancouver Island. She is a wise, wonderful woman, a mother to two amazing kids, contract faculty in the Sociology department at Vancouver Island University, someone who believes in the power of meditation, healthy eating, and active living, a dear friend and a social spark plug. Financially, Vicki is on her own, with no partner or family to support her. Sadly, Vicki lost both her mother and brother within this past year.

Vicki is required by BC Transplant to live in Vancouver, fairly close to Vancouver General Hospital, for three to six months following the transplant surgery, in order to comply with their rigorous follow up schedule and, let’s face it, in case anything goes wrong. While, thankfully, the transplant is covered by our publicly funded health care system, living expenses for Vicki and her mandatory 24/7caregiver – close friend and nurse Karin – are not. This includes the cost of renting an apartment in very expensive Vancouver.

So here’s the ask: Vicki needs at least $35,000 in order to undergo life-saving lung transplant surgery and recover in Vancouver. Anyone who has met Vicki knows that she’d much rather give than ask for help. If you saw her now, hooked up to oxygen and barely able to move, you would, like me, want to do whatever you are able to assist. No one can do everything but we can all do something to help my cousin in her dire time of need. No amount is too small.

I’d love to give Vicki the gift of having one less (but very large) thing to worry about! Thank you in advance for joining me in this endeavour.