Jen has spent more than 300 days waiting for a heart transplant.

She has spent more than a year fighting a serious heart condition, watching her strength, independence, and financial security slowly disappear.

Now, she needs help making it to the other side.

For a long time before Jen was diagnosed, she knew something was wrong. The fatigue kept getting worse. Everyday life became harder. Working became harder. Eventually, that worsening exhaustion became part of what led doctors to discover how serious her heart condition really was.

Since then, her entire life has changed.

Jen now requires continuous IV medication through a pump 24 hours a day while she waits for a donor heart.

She cannot work the way she once did. Her health simply will not allow it.

And because Jen was an independent contractor, she did not have employer provided short term or long term disability coverage to replace her income when she became too sick to work.

She does receive a small amount of disability income, but it does not even cover her basic food and medical needs.

That leaves everything else.

Her mortgage.

Utilities.

Car insurance.

Transportation.

Medical expenses.

Groceries.

Household bills.

And all of the unexpected costs that come with being seriously ill.

Jen is not married and does not have a partner helping support the household. There is no second adult income coming in to absorb what she has lost.

Her youngest daughter is the only child currently living at home with her. She attends school full time and works part time, but her earnings primarily go toward education and transportation for school. She is not in a position to take over the household expenses Jen can no longer afford.

For a long time, Jen survived by using the savings and financial cushion she had built over the years.

That cushion is now gone.

This is not someone who suddenly found herself short on money.

This is what happens when a serious illness lasts month after month, then year after year.

Income disappears.

Savings disappear.

Bills keep coming.

And eventually, there is nowhere left to pull from.

Jen has already done the things people often suggest.

She has worked with her mortgage lender and completed a loan modification.

She has reached out to programs and resources that have been recommended to her.

Some are no longer able to provide assistance. Others do not apply to her situation.

She is also actively trying to sell her home so she can downsize, reduce her monthly expenses, and hopefully eliminate or greatly reduce the mortgage burden altogether.

She is trying to solve this.

But selling a home takes time.

Her bills are due now.

And right now, the community is becoming the safety net that no longer exists anywhere else.

We are asking for help covering Jen’s immediate needs while also giving her something she desperately needs just as much as money for this month’s bills: breathing room.

If her transplant wait continues for months longer, we do not want every new week to bring another financial emergency.

We want to help her build even a small safety net so she can focus on staying healthy enough for transplant instead of constantly wondering which bill she can afford to pay.

Donations are helping with:

• Mortgage and housing costs

• Utilities

• Medical expenses

• Food and everyday necessities

• Car insurance and transportation

• Other household expenses

• Building a small emergency cushion for the months ahead

There is another part of this journey that does not show up on a medical chart.

Having no extra money has made an already isolating illness even more isolating.

Jen is often housebound because of her health, but finances have also made it difficult to do even normal, simple things that might give her something to look forward to.

Sometimes support can look like helping with the mortgage.

Sometimes it can look like covering a medical bill.

And sometimes it can be as simple as a restaurant gift card or enough for a meal out so that for one evening, life feels a little less like doctors, medications, bills, and waiting.

Those moments matter too.

This fundraiser is not about one bad month.

Jen has been fighting this for more than a year.

She has been on the transplant list for more than 300 days.

She has lost the ability to earn the income she once relied on.

She has used the resources she had trying to keep herself afloat.

And she is still waiting.

We cannot control when a donor heart becomes available.

But we can help make sure Jen does not lose everything while she waits for it.

If you are able to donate, please do.

If you cannot donate, sharing this page can be just as important.

One share can reach someone we never could.

One donation can pay a utility bill.

One larger gift can buy Jen another month of stability.

And enough people choosing to help can give her something she has not had in a long time:

Room to focus on surviving instead of surviving financially.

Thank you for helping carry Jen toward the day she finally gets the call.

All future updates about Jen will be posted here on GoFundMe.

We will no longer be updating CaringBridge because there has been repeated confusion about donations made through that site. Donations made directly to CaringBridge support the CaringBridge organization and website rather than going to Jen.

To make everything as clear as possible, this GoFundMe will now be the central place to follow Jen’s journey, see what she currently needs, and support her directly.