Hello GoFundMe community, friends, and family,

For the past 10 years, my wife, Norma Espinoza, has treated her second chance at life as a gift, also knowing it wasn't a guarantee. After receiving her life-saving lung transplant in 2016, she didn't step back into a quiet life. She stepped forward. She poured nearly every bit of her energy into giving back to the organ donation community that gave her more time. She has volunteered for almost a decade with Donate Life Texas and the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA). She's spoken at hospitals and conferences, stood on stages and in front of cameras, and shared her story with anyone who would listen. She's appeared in commercials, shown up at events, and spent countless hours comforting families, thanking donor families, and encouraging others to register as organ donors.

She never took her gift of life for granted. She honored it every day. Right now, that same woman—who has spent years lifting others—is fighting for her own life again.

My wife is currently in ICU, 4 hours away from home, in chronic rejection of her transplanted lungs. We are now facing the reality that she needs a second lung transplant. This is something we never wanted to imagine, but we are walking it together. I have been by her side as her primary caregiver the past few months, staying in our RV so I can be there for her countless trips to the hospital, doctor's appointments, physical therapy, and endless blood work. There have been long, sleepless nights changing out her oxygen tanks in the middle of the night so she can get a night of peaceful sleep. Being away from home, work, and any kind of normal routine has taken a huge toll emotionally, physically, and financially.

Like many families in medical crisis, we're facing multiple fronts at once:

• Temporary lodging and meals near the hospital that is willing to transplant her lungs to better her odds of survival.

• Unpaid time away from work and loss of income.

• Ongoing household bills that don't pause just because I am unable to work.

• Medical and related expenses that stack up quickly.

I've always been the type to figure things out quickly and not ask for help. I am used to telling myself, "I'll handle it, I just need to work harder." But this season of our life has humbled me. There is only so much one person can carry alone. The truth is: I can't do this alone. We can't.

We are asking for help so my wife can keep fighting with the support she needs, and so I can stay present with her—without every moment being overshadowed by panic about money, gas, or where I'm going to sleep that night.

Your support will go directly towards:

• Travel and lodging costs while she is in ICU and through her transplant.

• Everyday living expenses while I am away from home and work caring for her.

• Medical-related costs and gaps not covered elsewhere.

If you know my wife, you know her strength and courage. You know she’s the one who checks in on others, makes you smile in the middle of chaos, and somehow has room in her heart to care about everyone in the room—even when she's the patient. Her courage has carried not just our family, but many others, through their own dark and uncertain moments. She has shown so many people what it looks like to take a terrifying experience and turn it into a reason to help others. Right now, I'm asking—on her behalf and mine—for that same community care to surround her. If you're able to give, any amount is deeply appreciated. Even a small donation helps cover one more tank of gas, one more night near the hospital, one more bill that doesn't have to keep me up at night. If you can't donate, sharing this page or saying a prayer means more than you know. Thank you for taking the time to read or share our story.

Jesse Espinoza