UPDATE:

Tony received the wonderful gift of a heart & double lung transplant in the early hours of June 4th.

He did great the first week out of surgery and even got to have a Fathers Day visit with Sophia!

He recently had some post surgical complications. Luckily, he has not one, but two teams of Doctors and healthcare staff that are treating these complications so that he can continue to recover.

Any help you can give is greatly appreciated! All money is going directly to covering costs of travel and lodging in NYC for Tony and his family. He still has a few more weeks of healing before we can expect him to be discharged. Tony will then be expected to return to NYC weekly for appointments for 6 months.

Almost two years ago, my brother, Tony, was diagnosed with an interstitial lung disease after a long stay in the hospital, which included time on a ventilator.

Over a month ago, a trip to the ER discovered he had an infection. Not only did they admit him, but during the next few days of evaluation, they found he was in acute heart failure.

This led to a transfer to Rochester General's Advanced Heart Failure Center and several days later, to New York Presbyterian Hospital in NYC for an evaluation for a transplant. Only now, it wasn't just new lungs he needed, but also a new heart.

He and most of his support system live in WNY. Travel to NYC is about 5-6 hours away for us. Tony also has an 11-year-old daughter who has not been able to see him since his move to NYC, and his older daughter lives in Arizona. Without family and loved ones nearby, Tony will be isolated in the ICU until he receives his transplant.

The costs of travel to and from and lodging in or around NYC can be expensive. Two trips back and forth have already been made since his arrival there. After surgery, he and a caregiver will be required to travel for weekly appointments for 6 months.

Please help us with travel expenses prior to his transplant and with weekly aftercare travel to and from NYP. Unfortunately, he is not able to receive packages in the mail either. The distance between him, his family, and loved ones has been very difficult.

We thank you so much for your support!