Help Jenny Peck with Medical Costs
Donation protected
Hey everyone! I’m Jenny — born in Glens Falls, NY, and from Greenville, SC (go Eastside!), now at home in my beloved Charleston, SC. Many of you are familiar with my story. I’m returning to GoFundMe because a recent shift in my prognosis has resulted in life-or-death expenses that I just can't meet on my own.
In 2014, I received the second-best gift of my life — a double lung transplant, at age 37. A decade after being diagnosed with a rare, crippling, and fatal condition (called LAM), the gift of organ donation reunited me with the first and brightest light of my life: my teenage daughter, Morgan. My new lungs are amazing! I went from 10% functioning and 24/7 oxygen, to over 60% lung function on my worst day! I have a life free of oxygen tanks, tubes, and worry about how far I'm able to walk for mundane tasks. I have moments of gratitude daily, and have had some truly joyful experiences that never could have happened before my transplant.
Despite the success of the transplant itself, my 3 1/2 years post-transplant have been riddled by a life threatening complication. Fluid accumulates in my abdomen, causing debilitating discomfort and leaving me bed ridden or hospitalized. This fluid, and complications from countless attempts to control it, have left me at times: malnourished, in chronic pain, with chronic nausea, even on life support.
For 3 years we hoped a solution to the fluid problem might be just around the corner -- the right diet, surgery, treatment, or procedure. But now my medical teams have concluded there is no cure. I'm accepting my new reality, which is that regular surgeries at out-of-state hospitals are required several times per year to keep me alive.
I already travel to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville once a month to visit with my transplant team and receive immune therapy treatments to prevent rejection of my donor lungs. I have procedures locally, up to 3 times a week, to remove the fluid. This gives respite from the pain and allows enough mobility to care for Morgan and maintain our home. I've had 5 surgeries at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia over the last 15 months, attempting to seal leaks in my lymphatic system.
The biggest change in my care plan is these continued surgeries at Penn. Instead of hoping each surgery will "fix" me, I now understand I'll need 4 to 6 of them per year. I'm incredibly grateful for my health insurance, but it doesn't cover any travel or hotels, and still leaves me responsible for copays, prescription costs, and premiums.
I’ve been able to scrape together funds for monthly trips to Mayo ($500 each) and the occasional trip to Penn ($1,000). But there's just no way to cover 4-6 trips to Philly -- which has increased my monthly out-of-pocket medical expense to more than $1,700 a month. This doesn’t include rent, groceries, gas, utilities, or Morgan’s medical bills and needs...
I have an urgent need to raise $5,000 now. This will get me back and forth to Penn for the third time this year, keep us sheltered and fed, and cover any additional travel through the end of September. Put bluntly, these expenses are more than my income. I'll need continued support after September, but much less because I'll be able to plan the trips and schedule efficiently and go to work between surgeries.
I know everyone’s feeds are full of stories like mine. It’s difficult for me to ask for help…and, I’m trying to learn that asking for what we need is also part of what keeps us all connected. I’m just trying to live my best life after being given this second chance!
Thank you for giving what you’re able, whether it’s the time to read my story, well wishes and prayers, or financial support.
We’re forever indebted to my donor, donor’s family, and to all of you who have helped us along this journey. I can’t possibly repay you in this lifetime, but I’m committed to living every minute of this borrowed time to the fullest. I promise to pay your generosity forward.
With all my love and gratitude,
Jenny Peck❤️
In 2014, I received the second-best gift of my life — a double lung transplant, at age 37. A decade after being diagnosed with a rare, crippling, and fatal condition (called LAM), the gift of organ donation reunited me with the first and brightest light of my life: my teenage daughter, Morgan. My new lungs are amazing! I went from 10% functioning and 24/7 oxygen, to over 60% lung function on my worst day! I have a life free of oxygen tanks, tubes, and worry about how far I'm able to walk for mundane tasks. I have moments of gratitude daily, and have had some truly joyful experiences that never could have happened before my transplant.
Despite the success of the transplant itself, my 3 1/2 years post-transplant have been riddled by a life threatening complication. Fluid accumulates in my abdomen, causing debilitating discomfort and leaving me bed ridden or hospitalized. This fluid, and complications from countless attempts to control it, have left me at times: malnourished, in chronic pain, with chronic nausea, even on life support.
For 3 years we hoped a solution to the fluid problem might be just around the corner -- the right diet, surgery, treatment, or procedure. But now my medical teams have concluded there is no cure. I'm accepting my new reality, which is that regular surgeries at out-of-state hospitals are required several times per year to keep me alive.
I already travel to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville once a month to visit with my transplant team and receive immune therapy treatments to prevent rejection of my donor lungs. I have procedures locally, up to 3 times a week, to remove the fluid. This gives respite from the pain and allows enough mobility to care for Morgan and maintain our home. I've had 5 surgeries at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia over the last 15 months, attempting to seal leaks in my lymphatic system.
The biggest change in my care plan is these continued surgeries at Penn. Instead of hoping each surgery will "fix" me, I now understand I'll need 4 to 6 of them per year. I'm incredibly grateful for my health insurance, but it doesn't cover any travel or hotels, and still leaves me responsible for copays, prescription costs, and premiums.
I’ve been able to scrape together funds for monthly trips to Mayo ($500 each) and the occasional trip to Penn ($1,000). But there's just no way to cover 4-6 trips to Philly -- which has increased my monthly out-of-pocket medical expense to more than $1,700 a month. This doesn’t include rent, groceries, gas, utilities, or Morgan’s medical bills and needs...
I have an urgent need to raise $5,000 now. This will get me back and forth to Penn for the third time this year, keep us sheltered and fed, and cover any additional travel through the end of September. Put bluntly, these expenses are more than my income. I'll need continued support after September, but much less because I'll be able to plan the trips and schedule efficiently and go to work between surgeries.
I know everyone’s feeds are full of stories like mine. It’s difficult for me to ask for help…and, I’m trying to learn that asking for what we need is also part of what keeps us all connected. I’m just trying to live my best life after being given this second chance!
Thank you for giving what you’re able, whether it’s the time to read my story, well wishes and prayers, or financial support.
We’re forever indebted to my donor, donor’s family, and to all of you who have helped us along this journey. I can’t possibly repay you in this lifetime, but I’m committed to living every minute of this borrowed time to the fullest. I promise to pay your generosity forward.
With all my love and gratitude,
Jenny Peck❤️
Organizer
Jenny Sarah Peck
Organizer
Mt. Pleasant, SC