Alice is battling lung rejection. She needs our help!

Hi! We are Susan and Soline. We are both educators reaching out on behalf of our dear friend, Alice Atkinson, who taught with us for many years.

In October 2020, Alice was diagnosed with three auto-immune diseases: Systemic Scleroderma, Sjogren’s, and Reynaud’s, all of which are very painful. Scleroderma spread quickly through her body, causing chronic respiratory failure and lack of esophageal motility. She had to unexpectedly retire from teaching preschool girls, due to suddenly being oxygen-dependent. Alice is now in dire need of a double-lung transplant as well as surgery on her esophagus.

Because the transplant is a high-risk surgery, Alice is moving to Houston to be treated at Houston Methodist Hospital. She will need to be there for over a year for two surgeries and post-operative recovery, during which she will require a feeding tube.

Although she hopes most of the surgery will be covered by insurance, there will be other expenses including housing, airline flights for mandated round the clock family caregivers, agency caregivers, and lifetime anti-rejection medications.

Thank you for any assistance that you may be able to give to Alice. Your prayers will also lift her spirits, lessening the fear and stress she is experiencing. The goal is to see our sweet friend, comfortably at home, breathing fresh air into new lungs with ease.

If you are unable to donate, please help by sharing Alice’s story.

Gratefully,

Susan Nichols and Soline Holmes