Get Andria home for transplant
Donation protected
The Story
My sister Andria was diagnosed in December of 2008 with a rare but serious and progressive condition know as Pulmonary Hypertension. According to Wikipedia definition, this is “increased blood pressure within the arteries of the lungs”. Her condition was originally caused by an atrial septal defect (ASD), which is a hole in the wall the separates the top two chambers in the heart. Google could explain it better than me; but essentially the oxygenated and un- oxygenated blood become mixed and all the extra build up of blood gets pumped into the arteries of the lungs causing the increased pressure that causes damage over time. This has caused her to have right sided heart failure which comes with many unpleasant symptoms including limited activity, swelling, and need for constant oxygen supplementation.
She’s been on a Remodulin pump that has had increasing dosages over time to help control her condition, along with many other medications. She has also been on a blood thinner, but despite that, she still managed to get blood clots in her lungs which lead to her most recent decline. In addition, she went out of normal sinus rhythm and into atrial fibrillation ( an irregular heart rhythm) which has also contributed to this most recent hospitalization.
She is currently in the ICU at a hospital in Dallas Texas. Her doctors have stated that they have “maxed out” her medical treatment options for her PH and the only option left is a heart/lung transplant. Her heart is too weak to sustain a normal blood pressure at this point and she is on several different IV drips to help try and get her stabilized.
The Goal
The transplant team here in Texas started their evaluation and agree that she needs to have her transplant performed back in Arizona, as this is where her support system is as well as her PH specialist doctor who has been following her care for the past 10 years. Currently, she needs to be stabilized before we can get her on a medical flight back home.
Unfortunately, Medicare is not going to cover this very expensive medical flight to get her home.
How you can help
We are hoping to raise as much money as possible to help cover some of these medical expenses so we can get her back to her primary doctors and family who can care for her. If you’re able to donate, even the smallest amount can help out.
We are also hoping you will “share” this story with as many people as possible to help us reach our goal.
Our family has a long road ahead and we greatly appreciate all of the love and support from all of you ❤️
My sister Andria was diagnosed in December of 2008 with a rare but serious and progressive condition know as Pulmonary Hypertension. According to Wikipedia definition, this is “increased blood pressure within the arteries of the lungs”. Her condition was originally caused by an atrial septal defect (ASD), which is a hole in the wall the separates the top two chambers in the heart. Google could explain it better than me; but essentially the oxygenated and un- oxygenated blood become mixed and all the extra build up of blood gets pumped into the arteries of the lungs causing the increased pressure that causes damage over time. This has caused her to have right sided heart failure which comes with many unpleasant symptoms including limited activity, swelling, and need for constant oxygen supplementation.
She’s been on a Remodulin pump that has had increasing dosages over time to help control her condition, along with many other medications. She has also been on a blood thinner, but despite that, she still managed to get blood clots in her lungs which lead to her most recent decline. In addition, she went out of normal sinus rhythm and into atrial fibrillation ( an irregular heart rhythm) which has also contributed to this most recent hospitalization.
She is currently in the ICU at a hospital in Dallas Texas. Her doctors have stated that they have “maxed out” her medical treatment options for her PH and the only option left is a heart/lung transplant. Her heart is too weak to sustain a normal blood pressure at this point and she is on several different IV drips to help try and get her stabilized.
The Goal
The transplant team here in Texas started their evaluation and agree that she needs to have her transplant performed back in Arizona, as this is where her support system is as well as her PH specialist doctor who has been following her care for the past 10 years. Currently, she needs to be stabilized before we can get her on a medical flight back home.
Unfortunately, Medicare is not going to cover this very expensive medical flight to get her home.
How you can help
We are hoping to raise as much money as possible to help cover some of these medical expenses so we can get her back to her primary doctors and family who can care for her. If you’re able to donate, even the smallest amount can help out.
We are also hoping you will “share” this story with as many people as possible to help us reach our goal.
Our family has a long road ahead and we greatly appreciate all of the love and support from all of you ❤️
Organiser
Kim Russ
Organiser
Chandler, AZ
