Help Ann Get the Gift of Breath — Double Lung Transplant Support

Hello, my name is Matthew, and I’m reaching out on behalf of my incredible mother, Ann, who is preparing for a double lung transplant.

For the past three years, my mom has been living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) — a progressive and debilitating lung condition that makes it extremely difficult to breathe. Despite being on home oxygen, her condition has worsened with time. In the last couple of years alone, I’ve received emergency calls from the hospital multiple times. She’s been rushed by ambulance to the ICU on three separate occasions because she couldn’t breathe — usually during the hot and humid summer months, which make her symptoms even more severe. Each stay lasts around 5 days and is both emotionally and physically draining for her.

Over the last year and a half, we’ve been traveling back and forth between Ottawa and Toronto for transplant assessments and appointments. The costs — gas, food, and hotel stays — have added up quickly. My mother is on a fixed income and disability, and it's been a struggle to keep up with these increasing expenses.

When the time comes for the transplant, the surgery will take place in Toronto, and she will need to remain in the city for at least 3 months of recovery — with a full-time caregiver (family members like myself) by her side. This means we’ll need to cover the cost of accommodations, meals, transportation, and other day-to-day expenses while temporarily relocating.

While the exact date of the surgery is unknown, we’ve been told it will happen within the next 3 to 6 months, once a suitable organ becomes available.

This is why I'm reaching out for support. Any donation — no matter how big or small — will go directly toward helping cover the costs of:

Travel and accommodations in Toronto

Post-surgery recovery support

Living expenses while we stay by her side

Medical and emergency-related costs

If you’re unable to donate, please consider sharing this campaign to help us reach others who might be able to help.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading, donating, and supporting my mother on her journey to breathe freely again.