<div>We're Jodi and Clint Black, and <strong>we need help fighting Jodi's Interstitial Lung Disease (was Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis see the April 26th Update!).</strong>
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<div><strong>Update: On May 2nd, 2026, Jodi passed from this world to the next. We know her gift of organ donation gave another woman in need of both a liver and kidney a second chance. Jodi's memory was her gift to us.</strong>
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<div>In December of 2024, Jodi began to suffer from what seemed to be a minor persistent cough. Over the course of 2025, <strong>it grew worse until we had to dissolve our business to focus on Jodi's health.</strong>
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<div>Eventually, Jodi was diagnosed with <strong>Interstitial Lung Disease</strong>, which is an umbrella term for over 200 possible causes for inflammation and scarring of the lungs. We began tests to narrow down which type she had and how it could be treated.
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<div>We were informed at the time the worst possible result was <strong>Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis</strong>, but not to expect it as she was younger than the usual demographic for IPF.
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<div>In December of 2025, a year after this all began, we were told she had Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.<strong> It's incurable and terminal with an median life expectancy of two and a half years after diagnosis.</strong>
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<div>The only potential "cure" is a double lung transplant. While of course a transplant comes with it's own complications, IPF stays with the old lungs. It's a potential second lease at life. <strong>At the time, Jodi wasn't at a point to warrant a referral for lung transplant evaluation. </strong>We were going to focus on new medication to slow the progression.
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<div><strong>That changed on March 4th, 2026,</strong> less than three months later. During a follow-up with the pulmonologist to discuss needing a higher oxygen level, the doctor suggested immediate admission to the hospital. The progression was faster than expected, and he wanted tests which could all be done at the hospital. He also said he was putting in the referral for transplant evaluation.
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<div>Those tests became an 11-day hospital stay until she recovered enough to return home. It took time to get resettled, but for a while, we were happy, with Jodi able to do 6-minute walks without needing to stop to catch her breath or coughing. She began to taper off the steroid regime from the hospital.
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<div><strong>Then on Thursday, April 9th, while getting ready for bed, Jodi's O2 level dropped immensely, and she had trouble recovering. </strong>We turned her oxygen concentrator from 4L to 5L, and still she struggled. We added another 4L from an air tank, and she could barely keep it in the 80% range. <strong>Then we called 911.</strong>
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<div>On Friday, Jodi was admitted to the hospital from the Emergency Department. That night, just speaking a few sentences would cause her O2 level to drop below 90%. I asked the nurse if they could turn up her air and was told she was already at the max... 60L. <strong>Fifteen times what her home exertion rate was supposed to be.</strong>
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<div>On Saturday, her O2 level dropped drastically with minor exertion, and it was taking even longer to recover. <strong>The decision was made to move Jodi to ICU, put her on a ventilator, and start strong steroids to combat the inflammation of her lungs.</strong> For those who don't know, a ventilator and intubation means she was put under full sedation.
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<div>On Thursday, April 16th, I arrived home to find the paperwork to begin lung transplant evaluation was delivered overnight from UNC Chapel Hill. I called them on Friday morning to advise of Jodi's current status.
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<div>Without any prompting on my part, the Transplant Nurse Coordinator on call contacted the doctor to see if they recommended transferring Jodi to their location. Literally within a few minutes, that was confirmed. All they needed was a request from the hospital she was currently in. <strong>They made it clear this didn't mean she would be getting a transplant, just that she would be at a hospital specialized to handle the needs of patients who needed transplants.</strong>
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<div>I spoke to the local doctor that afternoon, and at 11:30 that night, I got the call asking for consent to proceed with the transfer. <strong>At 4:30 am on Saturday the 18th, UNC called to say she was there.</strong>
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<div><strong>Jodi is now under the best care we could hope for, but she is still in critical condition.</strong>
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<div>We have two potential positive futures ahead of us. One is Jodi recovering enough to return home and waiting for approval and a future lung transplant. Or two, she's approved for transplant while in the hospital and the process begins directly from there.
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<div><strong>Either way we have two major costs we thought were a year or more off that have now become paramount:</strong>
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<div><strong>First is renovating our basement into an accessible living area for Jodi when she returns from the hospital. </strong>With this severe flare up, Jodi won't be able to use the stairs required to access the upper floor of our house with the main living area.
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<div>So we not only need to move on this soon, but we need to finish it <strong><em>quickly</em></strong>. She can't be in the area with construction going on. We need everything done and fully cleaned before she comes back from the hospital.
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<div><strong>Secondly, we need to be prepared for all of the costs of the actual lung transplant. </strong>Not just base base costs but also secondary and tertiary costs. Transplant patients require two caregivers minimum (myself and someone else). It also requires the patient and caregivers living close to the hospital for up to six months or more.
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<div>It's hard to ask for help, but it was also the last conversation I had with Jodi the Friday night before she went into ICU. She knew our financial situation was dire. The medical costs of 2025 drained our savings and left us in debt while the physical toll made working more and more impossible.
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<div><strong>She told me, "Ask for help."</strong>
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<div>So here I am asking for help. Thank you all for your support and prayers through this. I've been truly moved by the response. <strong>I also plan to use this platform as a point of contact to share updates on Jodi's condition, so please let others know to look her for the latest information.</strong> I understand not everyone can help financially, but just sharing with others is a huge help.
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<div><strong>Jodi has been my bedrock, my muse, and the light of my life for thirty years. I cannot thank you enough for your help.</strong>
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