Support Laubachs After Cancer Diagnosis

Hello everyone! Our names are Elliot and Meredith Laubach, and we are raising funds to help support our family following our youngest sister, Caroline, heart transplant and recent cancer diagnosis.

For those of you unfamiliar with Caroline's story: Caroline fell ill in early February with what had been misdiagnosed several times as a respiratory infection and pneumonia, until early March, when she was admitted to the ER at Lehigh Valley Hospital and diagnosed with liver, kidney, and heart failure. She was then medevaced to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where she was put on ECMO, the highest form of life support, and a ventilator, for several weeks as she waited for a life-saving heart transplant. While awaiting her transplant she suffered from an incomplete spinal stroke (a result of the ECMO cannula pressure) which caused her to become paralyzed from the waist down. She received a heart transplant on March 21, 2022 and her heart has had zero rejection since her surgery! The diagnosis for her heart was known as left-ventrical noncompaction cardiomyopathy- a genetic heart condition that often doesn't present itself unless provoked by a random virus or cold. After nearly two months at HUP, she was transferred to an inpatient rehab for another two months, where she worked on adjusting to life in a wheelchair and regaining her strength and sensation in her legs. On October 29th, about seven months from her transplant, she was diagnosed with PTLD, a form of lymphoma that can be caused by immunosuppression drugs taken to prevent organ transplant rejection.

The funds raised will go towards medical, transportation/toll/parking (which can be upwards of $10-20 a day to park at HUP), and any other necessary expenses.

Caroline has remained strong, courageous, and optimistic through this whole experience! She is truly an inspiration to everyone that knows her! Any donation we are so grateful for and ask that you kindly share with family and friends and spread the word.

We promise to pay the kindness forward to others in the future!