Fatal Pulmonary Fibrosis (Lung) - Please Help Gary - URGENT!

Hello, my name is Ross Muzichuk.

I implore all of you to give me just a couple moments of your precious time to review my request for aiding a most dear family member. I am embarking on a mission for my brother, Gary, who is in a fight for his life! As I plead with each and everyone of you to contribute to Gary's plight, allow me to briefly share the circumstances so that you may have a better understanding of the situation and of the person being impacted.

Gary was diagnosed with Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a terrible disease which causes scarring (fibrosis) of the lungs, eventually choking off the oxygen supply from the lungs to the body. The word "idiopathic" means it has no known cause. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive, and ultimately a terminal disease, unless a successful lung-transplant is conducted. Gary has gone through extensive testing in order to qualify to be a recipient/candidate for a lung-transplant. Recently, his oxygen levels had dropped to critical levels and he now requires the assistance of portable oxygen, just to conduct daily tasks. Because his oxygen levels have dropped to critical levels, the specialists have approved that Gary be "placed" on a lung-transplant list. However, in order for Gary to actually be on a lung-transplant list, he's had to take up a second residence in Toronto, within a short drive of the designated hospital at which the lung-transplant will be conducted. Until Fri-Nov-03-2023, Gary was living with his wife, Nicole in Triton, Newfoundland. Gary is now staying at his second residence in Toronto, and will be on 24/7 "standby" in the event that a new set of lungs become available. There is no estimate as to how long he will be on "standby"...It might be three months, it could be a year. The surgeons have cautioned Gary that even if a new set of lungs were to come in, and they were to prep him for the operation, there is a high likelihood that the new lungs may NOT be a match and/or may be DAMAGED, rendering the incoming, new lungs useless. If that were the case, then Gary would have to leave the hospital, go back to his temporary residence and continue to be on "standby" until another set of lungs makes its way to the hospital.

The logistics of making all this work is mind-boggling and the stress to Gary and his family is gut-wrenching, to say the least. Besides Gary being a terrific brother, he is also a fantastic father of four children and a grandfather of six children. Gary is one of the most kind-hearted, unselfish individuals that you will ever come across, always willing to help anyone in whatever capacity he can. God provided us with Gary, who I would define as the perfect son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, and friend. Anyone who knows Gary would surely agree with me. What Gary is going through right now tears the heart right out of me. He is the last person on this planet that deserves to be afflicted with this dreadful disease, IPF.

Being empathetic will go a long way to helping Gary cope. So, if you have the inclination, please reach out to Gary and his family and let them know that they are included in your prayers.

Unfortunately, being empathetic is only one piece of the pie in helping Gary cope. As you may appreciate, an enormous part of Gary's struggle will be financial. The cost of his family travelling to & from Toronto in order to help support Gary, in what will be some of the darkest hours of his life, is a small part of the cost of having to deal with the dire situation he is in. A much higher cost is having to maintain a second residence in Toronto, which is a staggering figure for anyone to absorb. Then, once the lung-transplant is complete, Gary will be incapacitated for an undetermined amount of time, with a high probability for the need of a home-care person. The likelihood of Gary ever being able to hold a job again is slim-to-none. The doctors have advised Gary, that because of this operation, he will be on medication for the rest of his life. The cost for this medication has been estimated to cost between $3,000 to $5,000 per month. Yes, a portion of these costs may be absorbed by the system, but there are no guarantees.

I am doing everything I can, within my power, to help Gary ease some of his stress. The financial goal which I am seeking to help Gary and his family out with, is reasonable and with your generosity, the goal is attainable. Contributions that exceed the goal, or any contributions that become unused for whatever the reason, will be donated to the Canadian Lung Association.

As I said at the onset of this request, I plead with each and everyone of you to please contribute to Gary's plight. Donate as much as you can afford in order to make this campaign a success. Together, we can make a difference in Gary's predicament and unburden him of a potential financial calamity. May God bless all of you for your prayers and contributions. I thank you all in advance, inclusive of my prayers, that your giving will come back to you ten-fold!

Once again, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for the precious moments that you spent reading this page. I would ask that you contribute with a "giving heart", and please share this story with all of those close to you.

Thank you.

Yours truly,

Ross Muzichuk