Help Linda - Lung Transplant
Donation protected
As most of the people reading this know, Linda has been struggling with respiratory issues for many years, especially acute asthma and bronchial pneumonia. As a young person, this impacted her ability to live a normal life, and it became progressively worse so that by the time she reached her early teens, strenuous activities such as participating in sports became very difficult. Ignoring the early warning signs Linda smoked most of her life, and in early 2012 tragedy struck. Unable to breathe on her own, she was placed in a medically induced coma and in the end, the diagnosis was Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Linda was left with a 36% FEV1 level and an oxygen tank to assist her breathing.
Since then, there have been multiple trips to the hospital, her lung capacity has decreased to 18% FEV1 and day to day tasks have become nearly impossible. Simple things that we take for granted – such as vacuuming or doing the dishes - require multiple breaks to prevent further complications with her lungs. As a result, in 2013 Linda was forced to quit work, leaving the household one salary short.
However, in October Linda was given a reason to hope that things would change for the better: She was nearing the top of the list for a double lung transplant. While this was the greatest news of her life, there are still some challenges to overcome … Due to the severe nature of the surgery and the intensity of the aftercare, it means that she would need to move 700 kilometers from home to somewhere within 30 minutes of Toronto General Hospital.
We all know that relocating is never easy, and in this case, the significant difference in cost of living in Toronto combined with the medical costs not covered by OHIP makes that burden all the higher. We would like to raise enough to give Linda a head start with rent (approximately $1,500 a month), to provide her with a couple of months of medication (almost $1,000 a month), and to purchase a micro spirometer to help monitor her progress.
While acknowledging the cause of this diagnosis is smoking, 56 is far too young and giving Linda as much time as possible with her children and grandchildren is why we decided to create this GoFundMe.
Since then, there have been multiple trips to the hospital, her lung capacity has decreased to 18% FEV1 and day to day tasks have become nearly impossible. Simple things that we take for granted – such as vacuuming or doing the dishes - require multiple breaks to prevent further complications with her lungs. As a result, in 2013 Linda was forced to quit work, leaving the household one salary short.
However, in October Linda was given a reason to hope that things would change for the better: She was nearing the top of the list for a double lung transplant. While this was the greatest news of her life, there are still some challenges to overcome … Due to the severe nature of the surgery and the intensity of the aftercare, it means that she would need to move 700 kilometers from home to somewhere within 30 minutes of Toronto General Hospital.
We all know that relocating is never easy, and in this case, the significant difference in cost of living in Toronto combined with the medical costs not covered by OHIP makes that burden all the higher. We would like to raise enough to give Linda a head start with rent (approximately $1,500 a month), to provide her with a couple of months of medication (almost $1,000 a month), and to purchase a micro spirometer to help monitor her progress.
While acknowledging the cause of this diagnosis is smoking, 56 is far too young and giving Linda as much time as possible with her children and grandchildren is why we decided to create this GoFundMe.
Organizer and beneficiary
Lorraine Shook
Organizer
Airdrie, AB
Linda Lamirande-Gibbs
Beneficiary
