Shelby Dean, age 48, has spent the last 8½ years bravely battling interstitial lung disease. After a long and difficult journey, Shelby was finally approved for a double lung transplant, and as of RIGHT NOW, she is in surgery receiving her new lungs. It’s an emotional and bittersweet moment for everyone who loves her, and this life-saving gift is really only half the battle.

The good news is that Shelby is in the hands of some of the best medical professionals in the country at UCSF. While insurance covers most of the cost, it does not cover the 8 weeks of critical post-op care. Shelby will need to stay in housing within a block of the hospital during her recovery, and the last thing she should have to worry about right now is how she’s going to pay for it.

Shelby has inspired so many of us with her courage and strength through all of this. With a little help from friends and family, we can take some of that weight off her shoulders and let her focus on healing. Please keep Shelby and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Any amount helps, big or small. Please share this with anyone you think might want to support her. On behalf of all that love her, thank you so much! "Sometimes when we are generous in big, small or barely detectable ways, it can change someone else's life forever."