To Run Again
Donation protected
Hey everybody!
I am extremely saddened that it has had to come to this and that we're forced to ask for external help.
But we've started this page for literally the strongest, most loving, pure, compassionate and generous woman I've ever had the privilege of knowing. The kind of woman who always took care of everyone else first and herself last and would always give you the shirt off her back if you needed it.
I also have the privilege of being able to call her my mom.
Others call her Brenda.
Here's her story.
She was diagnosed with PH (Pulmonary Hypertension) a number of years ago. So basically that just means her lungs don't work the way they should and essentially creates more work for her heart which led to a very unhealthy right side heart enlargement.
It's a terrible, terrible disease and it just so happens that there really isn't much known about it in the medical world. Therefore the doctors weren't able to catch it until it was almost too late when she was already in the first stages of heart failure.
Immediately she was put on the waiting list to receive a double lung transplant and about three years later (December 9th, 2016) she finally caught a break and received the call that we had all been praying for, saying that they had a match!
She was flown that night from Kelowna to Edmonton and the very next morning they started the surgery that would completely change her life for the better.
But just like any other big surgery, there are always risks... and unfortunately those risks came to light very quickly.
It was complication after complication... No one knew just how bad her condition had gotten prior to the surgery.
But honestly how could they? She never complained, never let on just how much pain she was really in every, single, day. She never let this disease hold her back from living life even though she had to carry around oxygen tanks everywhere she went, but most importantly she never let it define her.
THAT is also when we all realized just how strong and independent she really is.
Then our worst nightmare happened;
Her body ended up rejecting one of the new lungs, then more complications and uncontrollable bleeding arose.
It was not looking good at all, to the point where the only thing keeping her alive were two different life support machines.
It even got so bad that the discussion of having to pull the plug had come up on several different occasions.
Can you imagine what it feels like to have the doctor look you in your eyes and tell you 'it's time' because they've done all they could possibly do medically and she just wasn't improving?
We couldn't accept that though, i physically could not accept the thought of her leaving me, my daughter/her grand daughter, her soulmate, her parents, her siblings, her nieces/nephews, etc.
We prayed harder than we've prayed before.
By God's grace, those prayers were answered.
She started getting stronger.
It is now June 8th 2017.
She and my step dad have been in that hospital every single day for the last 6 months.
We literally owe everything to my step dad... he has been the rock, the support and has been there right by her side every single step of the way.
He learned about every possible thing he could in order to help make the decisions that led to saving my mom's life.
And although he wouldn't have it any other way, the sad truth is that it has really put them into a deep financial hole.
On top of the rent from their home in Kelowna, a mortgage on her house in Grand Forks, rent for the place he's been living at right beside the hospital and a ton of bills, their house was just affected by the floods in Kelowna.
They have absolutely no income coming in and are now in copious amounts of debt...Tens of thousands already.
But it's not over yet, although she's slowly getting there; no one knows when she'll get better or just how long they'll be there, or how much more debt will accumulate, or how long she has until they decide whether or not she needs another transplant.
That is why I'm sending this message asking for help.
Every penny counts.
Anything and everything is so much help and so gratefully, deeply appreciated.
My family cannot do it on our own, we've tried and it's way beyond us.
There are no more savings any of us can dip into.
But if everyone came together I know we can make this happen so my mom has a good fighting chance and can just strictly focus on healing her tired body.
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about this courageous woman's story and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for any donations or prayers to help with her fight.
She is so loved and has so many people that need her.
Please, Let's help her run again!
Brenda's PH documentary.
I am extremely saddened that it has had to come to this and that we're forced to ask for external help.
But we've started this page for literally the strongest, most loving, pure, compassionate and generous woman I've ever had the privilege of knowing. The kind of woman who always took care of everyone else first and herself last and would always give you the shirt off her back if you needed it.
I also have the privilege of being able to call her my mom.
Others call her Brenda.
Here's her story.
She was diagnosed with PH (Pulmonary Hypertension) a number of years ago. So basically that just means her lungs don't work the way they should and essentially creates more work for her heart which led to a very unhealthy right side heart enlargement.
It's a terrible, terrible disease and it just so happens that there really isn't much known about it in the medical world. Therefore the doctors weren't able to catch it until it was almost too late when she was already in the first stages of heart failure.
Immediately she was put on the waiting list to receive a double lung transplant and about three years later (December 9th, 2016) she finally caught a break and received the call that we had all been praying for, saying that they had a match!
She was flown that night from Kelowna to Edmonton and the very next morning they started the surgery that would completely change her life for the better.
But just like any other big surgery, there are always risks... and unfortunately those risks came to light very quickly.
It was complication after complication... No one knew just how bad her condition had gotten prior to the surgery.
But honestly how could they? She never complained, never let on just how much pain she was really in every, single, day. She never let this disease hold her back from living life even though she had to carry around oxygen tanks everywhere she went, but most importantly she never let it define her.
THAT is also when we all realized just how strong and independent she really is.
Then our worst nightmare happened;
Her body ended up rejecting one of the new lungs, then more complications and uncontrollable bleeding arose.
It was not looking good at all, to the point where the only thing keeping her alive were two different life support machines.
It even got so bad that the discussion of having to pull the plug had come up on several different occasions.
Can you imagine what it feels like to have the doctor look you in your eyes and tell you 'it's time' because they've done all they could possibly do medically and she just wasn't improving?
We couldn't accept that though, i physically could not accept the thought of her leaving me, my daughter/her grand daughter, her soulmate, her parents, her siblings, her nieces/nephews, etc.
We prayed harder than we've prayed before.
By God's grace, those prayers were answered.
She started getting stronger.
It is now June 8th 2017.
She and my step dad have been in that hospital every single day for the last 6 months.
We literally owe everything to my step dad... he has been the rock, the support and has been there right by her side every single step of the way.
He learned about every possible thing he could in order to help make the decisions that led to saving my mom's life.
And although he wouldn't have it any other way, the sad truth is that it has really put them into a deep financial hole.
On top of the rent from their home in Kelowna, a mortgage on her house in Grand Forks, rent for the place he's been living at right beside the hospital and a ton of bills, their house was just affected by the floods in Kelowna.
They have absolutely no income coming in and are now in copious amounts of debt...Tens of thousands already.
But it's not over yet, although she's slowly getting there; no one knows when she'll get better or just how long they'll be there, or how much more debt will accumulate, or how long she has until they decide whether or not she needs another transplant.
That is why I'm sending this message asking for help.
Every penny counts.
Anything and everything is so much help and so gratefully, deeply appreciated.
My family cannot do it on our own, we've tried and it's way beyond us.
There are no more savings any of us can dip into.
But if everyone came together I know we can make this happen so my mom has a good fighting chance and can just strictly focus on healing her tired body.
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about this courageous woman's story and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for any donations or prayers to help with her fight.
She is so loved and has so many people that need her.
Please, Let's help her run again!
Brenda's PH documentary.
Organizer and beneficiary
Ally Olsen
Organizer
Brenda Larwill
Beneficiary
