Richard's Fight for Lungs Fund
Donation protected
Richard (my husband) was born with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). CF mainly affects the respiratory system, causing the lungs to deteriorate due to chronic infections and the digestive systems due to the pancreas' inability to produce the enzymes needed to digest and absorb nutrients.
Richard hasn't allowed CF to define who he is. He's a go getter, setting goals, achieving them and never settling. He is intelligent, a top student in college having received the Governor General's Award with a GPA of 4.0 and he's capable of doing anything. His hard work and dedication and willingness to always go above and beyond is reflected in how he’s approached his career in IT and his family life. His sense of humor, however, is what draws everyone in. Regardless of what he's going through or how he's feeling, his sense of humor is always there; one of the many things I love about him. His pride and joy is his family. Married for 14 years and a father of three daughters (23, 9 y/o twins), they are who he fights each breath for.
A double lung transplant is Richard's only hope!
On May 30th, Richard and I will be in Toronto for the week to complete his transplant evaluation. A lung transplant is his only chance to regain his quality of life and be able to do things such as walking our oldest daughter down the aisle when she gets married, guide her and support her as she enters different stages of life, jumping on the trampoline and swimming with our younger two daughters, his chance to do what every father gets to do with their kids and to be there for them. It's a chance for us to grow old together.
Part of the requirements when on the lung transplant list is that we have to move to Toronto in order to be near the hospital and that Richard needs to have a support person with him. While waiting for new lungs, we will have to attend hospital appointments three times a week and also need to be close to the hospital when we get the call that lungs are available and Richard can have the transplant. This will also require me to take a leave from work to be there to support Richard and our daughters.
The money being raised will help with expenses while waiting for the transplant in Toronto. The money will be used to help with living expenses, medical equipment that may be required and medication that is not covered. As there is no way of knowing how long we will be waiting in Toronto, our goal is to raise enough money for a one year stay. We are hopeful that Richard will be able to get lungs quickly and that the time there will be shorter than a year. If it is, any funds left over will be donated to another patient in need of a transplant, so that they have a little less stress during a time that is already stressful.
At the end of October, 2015 Richard got ill and was taken to the ER where he was put on oxygen and home IV. With his oxygen continuing to drop and his condition worsening, we realized this was not one of his typical lung infections. The CF doctors asked that I drive him to St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto (4 hours away) where his CF team was waiting. Once in hospital he eventually stabilized, but by this point he had lost over 20lbs and his lung function had dropped significantly. I remained with Richard at the hospital for the first two weeks and then I returned home to be with our daughters. The week before Christmas, Richard spoke to the doctors about when he might expect to be coming home, hoping it would be in time to spend Christmas at home with the family. As the doctors were not seeing any real improvements in his condition they were not able to release him before Christmas. It was then we received the news that shocked us all. He was told to prepare himself for the fact that he might not recover from this lung infection and that he should discuss the option of a double lung transplant with his family. The three girls and I spent Christmas vacation in Toronto and we celebrated Christmas with Richard in his hospital room. There were a few serious setbacks and complications which occurred in the following weeks, but Richard pulled through and was finally released to continue his treatments at home in mid-January.
Richard remains on home IV and oxygen and will stay on both until he receives his double lung transplant. Prior to this infection, Richard's daily routine consisted of his nebulized inhaled treatments as well as 45 minutes of chest physiotherapy four times daily and oral medications while enjoying his family and working full time. Today he continues his old routine, however his oral medications have doubled, he needs to infuse six IV treatments daily and he requires the assistance of a bi-pap machine to help with his breathing while he sleeps. He also needs to perform cardio and muscle strengthening exercises to help rebuild the muscle mass that was lost while hospitalized which will be vital in the recovery after transplant. The long term use of IV antibiotics has also caused issues digesting foods making it difficult to maintain his weight and he needs to track his caloric intake to ensure he is getting enough calories and nutrition. He is also now having to deal with diabetes which was brought on due to one of the medications he must now take. His rigorous daily routine leaves him fighting for each breath, often tired and in need of naps throughout the day. Some days he requires assistance with showers, getting out of bed or getting dressed. He can only leave home once a week for his doctor's appointments, which we can thankfully do via telemedicine in Sudbury and this visit usually leaves him exhausted. Richard is no longer able to work and his quality of life, especially with his family, has been negatively impacted. He’s not able to do most things he used to with his family.
We are extremely thankful to those who are able to donate and thank everyone for their support! We are thankful that you took the time to read Richard's story and hopefully we were able to bring some awareness to CF and organ donation, if not for the greatest donation (lungs), Richard will not survive, for that, thank you will never be enough!
Donation can also be at any BMO bank by using the following information:
In Trust for Richard Viau
Account number: 3978-921
Transit number: 29472
Inst number: 001
We would love to know who made the donation, please advise the teller to make a credit memo with your name.
or you can e-transfer your donation to [email redacted]
Thank you!
Richard hasn't allowed CF to define who he is. He's a go getter, setting goals, achieving them and never settling. He is intelligent, a top student in college having received the Governor General's Award with a GPA of 4.0 and he's capable of doing anything. His hard work and dedication and willingness to always go above and beyond is reflected in how he’s approached his career in IT and his family life. His sense of humor, however, is what draws everyone in. Regardless of what he's going through or how he's feeling, his sense of humor is always there; one of the many things I love about him. His pride and joy is his family. Married for 14 years and a father of three daughters (23, 9 y/o twins), they are who he fights each breath for.
A double lung transplant is Richard's only hope!
On May 30th, Richard and I will be in Toronto for the week to complete his transplant evaluation. A lung transplant is his only chance to regain his quality of life and be able to do things such as walking our oldest daughter down the aisle when she gets married, guide her and support her as she enters different stages of life, jumping on the trampoline and swimming with our younger two daughters, his chance to do what every father gets to do with their kids and to be there for them. It's a chance for us to grow old together.
Part of the requirements when on the lung transplant list is that we have to move to Toronto in order to be near the hospital and that Richard needs to have a support person with him. While waiting for new lungs, we will have to attend hospital appointments three times a week and also need to be close to the hospital when we get the call that lungs are available and Richard can have the transplant. This will also require me to take a leave from work to be there to support Richard and our daughters.
The money being raised will help with expenses while waiting for the transplant in Toronto. The money will be used to help with living expenses, medical equipment that may be required and medication that is not covered. As there is no way of knowing how long we will be waiting in Toronto, our goal is to raise enough money for a one year stay. We are hopeful that Richard will be able to get lungs quickly and that the time there will be shorter than a year. If it is, any funds left over will be donated to another patient in need of a transplant, so that they have a little less stress during a time that is already stressful.
At the end of October, 2015 Richard got ill and was taken to the ER where he was put on oxygen and home IV. With his oxygen continuing to drop and his condition worsening, we realized this was not one of his typical lung infections. The CF doctors asked that I drive him to St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto (4 hours away) where his CF team was waiting. Once in hospital he eventually stabilized, but by this point he had lost over 20lbs and his lung function had dropped significantly. I remained with Richard at the hospital for the first two weeks and then I returned home to be with our daughters. The week before Christmas, Richard spoke to the doctors about when he might expect to be coming home, hoping it would be in time to spend Christmas at home with the family. As the doctors were not seeing any real improvements in his condition they were not able to release him before Christmas. It was then we received the news that shocked us all. He was told to prepare himself for the fact that he might not recover from this lung infection and that he should discuss the option of a double lung transplant with his family. The three girls and I spent Christmas vacation in Toronto and we celebrated Christmas with Richard in his hospital room. There were a few serious setbacks and complications which occurred in the following weeks, but Richard pulled through and was finally released to continue his treatments at home in mid-January.
Richard remains on home IV and oxygen and will stay on both until he receives his double lung transplant. Prior to this infection, Richard's daily routine consisted of his nebulized inhaled treatments as well as 45 minutes of chest physiotherapy four times daily and oral medications while enjoying his family and working full time. Today he continues his old routine, however his oral medications have doubled, he needs to infuse six IV treatments daily and he requires the assistance of a bi-pap machine to help with his breathing while he sleeps. He also needs to perform cardio and muscle strengthening exercises to help rebuild the muscle mass that was lost while hospitalized which will be vital in the recovery after transplant. The long term use of IV antibiotics has also caused issues digesting foods making it difficult to maintain his weight and he needs to track his caloric intake to ensure he is getting enough calories and nutrition. He is also now having to deal with diabetes which was brought on due to one of the medications he must now take. His rigorous daily routine leaves him fighting for each breath, often tired and in need of naps throughout the day. Some days he requires assistance with showers, getting out of bed or getting dressed. He can only leave home once a week for his doctor's appointments, which we can thankfully do via telemedicine in Sudbury and this visit usually leaves him exhausted. Richard is no longer able to work and his quality of life, especially with his family, has been negatively impacted. He’s not able to do most things he used to with his family.
We are extremely thankful to those who are able to donate and thank everyone for their support! We are thankful that you took the time to read Richard's story and hopefully we were able to bring some awareness to CF and organ donation, if not for the greatest donation (lungs), Richard will not survive, for that, thank you will never be enough!
Donation can also be at any BMO bank by using the following information:
In Trust for Richard Viau
Account number: 3978-921
Transit number: 29472
Inst number: 001
We would love to know who made the donation, please advise the teller to make a credit memo with your name.
or you can e-transfer your donation to [email redacted]
Thank you!
Organizer
Diane Saumure-Viau
Organizer
Noelville, ON
