IRMA'S DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT
Donation protected
I am a 63 year old wife, mother of 1 daughter, step-mother and grandma of 3 beautiful children. I have been an LPN nurse for 39 years and have worked in Illinois as respiratory nurse, as family practice nurse, and up until 3 years ago, my dream job as a hospice nurse. I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis 8 years ago. This is a Lung Disease for which there is no cure. Idiopathic means there is no known cause or name. It manifests as a slow deterioration or scarring of the lung tissue. I had to quit my job and go on disability 3 years ago because my condition had worsened, and I was unable to perform my job any longer. I was then forced to move to Colorado with my husband because disability was not enough for me to afford my home in Illinois. Colorado was more affordable and we have my husbands family there for support.
My condition continued to worsen the 3 years we lived in Colorado, and during that time I was 75% dependent on oxygen. My goal was to move to Prescott Valley Arizona so that I could live near my daughter and my 3 grandchildren who mean the world to me. That day finally came true on May 18th. But was quickly taken away from me 10 days later on May 28th. I was hospitalized and it was then discovered I was now at the terminal stage of my lung disease. 4 days later I was transferred to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Phoenix, almost 2 hrs away from my daughter. Sadly when I arrived the doctors gave me the option of hospice, in other words give up and die, or a double lung transplant which would give me the ability to live. I chose the lung transplant because I have SO much to live for!
I will continue to be in the hospital until my lung transplant, as I am 100% dependent on oxygen, and it is not safe for me to return home until after transplant. After transplant I will be in the ICU and then later in the hospital doing rehab for several weeks. Upon release from the hospital, I will require somebody to be with me at home 24/7 for the first several weeks/months of recovery. Thankfully I have my husband for that, and my daughter as a back-up. Having a transplant is not as easy as just putting in new lungs. The after care is most important, Rejection is the main thing I have to watch out for.
As you can imagine the financial burden of having to cover even part of such an expensive operation is worrisome. Thankfully insurance comes in to help with the surgery cost, but I will have to pay for recovery afterward. I have been advised that I will be taking at least 21 pills a day, and that medication is quite expensive and not covered by my insurance. With your donations I will be able to pay for my medication and co-pays and can enjoy the rest of my life with my new lungs.
If you can't donate, viewing and sharing my page helps more than you would believe, and any help is appreciated from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you,
Irma
My condition continued to worsen the 3 years we lived in Colorado, and during that time I was 75% dependent on oxygen. My goal was to move to Prescott Valley Arizona so that I could live near my daughter and my 3 grandchildren who mean the world to me. That day finally came true on May 18th. But was quickly taken away from me 10 days later on May 28th. I was hospitalized and it was then discovered I was now at the terminal stage of my lung disease. 4 days later I was transferred to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Phoenix, almost 2 hrs away from my daughter. Sadly when I arrived the doctors gave me the option of hospice, in other words give up and die, or a double lung transplant which would give me the ability to live. I chose the lung transplant because I have SO much to live for!
I will continue to be in the hospital until my lung transplant, as I am 100% dependent on oxygen, and it is not safe for me to return home until after transplant. After transplant I will be in the ICU and then later in the hospital doing rehab for several weeks. Upon release from the hospital, I will require somebody to be with me at home 24/7 for the first several weeks/months of recovery. Thankfully I have my husband for that, and my daughter as a back-up. Having a transplant is not as easy as just putting in new lungs. The after care is most important, Rejection is the main thing I have to watch out for.
As you can imagine the financial burden of having to cover even part of such an expensive operation is worrisome. Thankfully insurance comes in to help with the surgery cost, but I will have to pay for recovery afterward. I have been advised that I will be taking at least 21 pills a day, and that medication is quite expensive and not covered by my insurance. With your donations I will be able to pay for my medication and co-pays and can enjoy the rest of my life with my new lungs.
If you can't donate, viewing and sharing my page helps more than you would believe, and any help is appreciated from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you,
Irma
Organizer and beneficiary
Ludin Dornseif
Organizer
Prescott Valley, AZ
Irma Trujillo
Beneficiary
