Breathe again: New Lungs for GG

Garrett Greene is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Victoria Greene.

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I call this picture "Blow me"...a sentiment shared by all Cystic Fibrosis patients worldwide since the beginning of time.

My name is Garrett Greene, I'm a 24yr old existing in South Florida. Now, I say existing because living hasn't been something I've gotten to do much of as of late. To get a taste of my reality, take a straw, place it to your lips, and breathe in and out. Now imagine a thick, brown/green mucus further clogging that airway every moment of every, single day. That is Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Well... an extremely shortened version of a very complex and detailed disease that only gets worse over time. When I was 9 months old I was diagnosed with CF. That disease title has been sewn next to my name for as long as I can remember, & growing up I never quite understood it because symptomatically, I was ok. I did my six breathing treatments a day, & was a healthy young boy. From the time I turned 18, things began to take a slow turn downhill in the form of blood clots, a collapsed lung, & many surgeries to keep me alive. Prior to my 18th birthday, I was extremely fit and built considering my condition and even had dreams of pursuing bodybuilding one day. I'd watch the Olympia and the Arnold Classic and sit in awe. I made connections with incredibly knowledgable and supportive people in the gym world and became so aware of my body and how it operated. Then before my eyes my sickness began to control me rather than me controlling it. I lost my appetite, muscle mass deteriorated, and to be completely real, raw, and give it to you straight; I hate what my disease has managed to do to me. I was informed by doctors when I was little that this disease would be the death of me one day, & I never believed it. But in the position I'm in now, I understand how that can be a feasible statement. The past two years have been trial filled & have beaten me into the floor. I've been hospitalized over twenty times in the past two years at about 14 days an admission & more than ten of those admissions have been since January of 2015. Little by little as my life crumbled around me, my lung function decided to follow suit. I'm now in a position where I will require a double lung transplant to save my life. If I continue on in the state that i'm in, I can almost guarantee you that I won't live to see 25. My days are filled with endless pain, shallow breaths, & for some reason a heart that refuses to die in the face of this monster I'm dealing with. I'm no fortune teller, but I know my purpose isn't to die yet. I'm now faced with the daunting task of a life altering surgery with many risks, but can ultimately save me & keep me around to drive my friends & family crazy for years longer down the line. I've accepted my mission, & now I need an army to back me up. If you know me, I'm extremely prideful & dont ask for much of anything, but in order for me to receive the proper care, I'll need to leave the state & relocate to North Carolina for my eventual procedure at Duke University. They are among the best in the nation at this surgery, & I trust them to get the job done. Insurance doesn't cover the full cost of the surgery, & taking into account living expenses on the medical grounds while I wait for surgery day makes this hard to accomplish, but I believe it can be done. I can't quit on this life, leaving my sister behind is something that breaks me at my core, & I need to survive for her. I have people to meet, inspire, touch & show them that if you believe in nothing else, just keep believing in yourself. I want to get the Garrett back that was in control of his body. All donations will go towards medical & living expenses pre & post surgery. Any donation will help and I appreciate any and all of you who further pass my story along. I'll update this account regularly with blog style posts, getting very in depth with the process to keep you all updated, as well as filming occasional YouTube videos talking about living, & coping with CF & the hell it brings to my daily life.

This is the fight that fate has prepared me for. The clots, lung collapsing, blood transfusions, etc..those were all warmups for this big dance. This is the fight for my life, & whether I'm ready or not, its fastly approaching. This fight is built for me, & I accept it. I believe my goal is to pull through for you all supporting me, but I can't do it without your help. So I ask with the last bit of love remaining in my heart that you help me live, not merely exist.