Brenda Brooks Lung Transplant

Brendasue Brooks is organizing this fundraiser.

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MY ASK

Greetings! My name is Brenda Brooks and I need a lung transplant. It is that simple, but not necessarily that easy. I suffer from Interstitial Lung Disease that is believed to be caused by long-term exposure to environmental conditions known to damage lungs and suppress the immune system. This type of lung disease aggressively destroys the functioning of the lungs through the development of scar tissue in the lining of the lungs. This scar tissue then prevents the lungs from supplying oxygen to the body. Without a double lung transplant, my doctors have given me two years to live based on the current health of my lungs.

MY JOURNEY

Having unknowingly suffered from this disease for four years prior to the diagnosis, I was shocked and my world turned upside down almost overnight when my doctors informed me that the only way to extend my life was through a double lung transplant.

Despite my age and due to my established lifestyle and through the grace of God, my doctors have determined that I am physically well enough to be placed on the lung transplant list. This consideration means that my other vital organs are still strong and healthy despite having to overcompensate for the poor functioning of my lungs. Although, in part, because of an accommodating employer who still lets me work with modifications, thus giving me the ability to continue daily tasks, which in turn, keeps my spirits up and helps me to maintain some sense of control in my life; I am currently receiving seven gallons of oxygen per day and my lungs will continue to need more oxygen as they become weaker. I realize how fortunate I am to have made the transplant list, however my struggle does not end there.

Here is where you all come in.

I NEED YOUR HELP

I need to raise a minimum of $60,000 before the transplant team will call me if a match is found. The reason that this availability of funds is required is to ensure that the patient has sufficient financial resources to pay for the additional non-medical costs that it will take to complete the procedure.

The way it works with transplants, in general, is that the patient must be able to reach the hospital within four hours after first receiving notification that there is a match. In addition to reaching the hospital in sufficient time, the transplant recipient must have a caretaker to deliver them to the hospital and to live nearby throughout the duration of the recipient’s surgery and initial recovery and rehabilitation. This means my caretaker will need to pay for room and board for three weeks immediately following my surgery. After this initial recovery period, both my caretaker and I will need to pay for lodgings for an additional six weeks after my release from the hospital for my continued rehabilitation. This is a total of nine weeks, and only if there are no complications. Housing expenses are not covered by my medical plan.

I am fortunate that one of the highest ranked medical institutions for lung transplants, UC San Francisco (UCSF), will provide the care that I will receive. Unfortunately, UCSF is located in San Francisco, which happens to be one of the most expensive places to live in the US. In fact, a recent study reported an annual income of $100,000 a year in San Francisco qualifies as low-income. For these reasons, we anticipate room and board costs to be exorbitant, approximating $25,000 in those nine weeks. Other costs not covered by my medical plan include co-pay fees for the anti-rejection medications that will be prescribed after the transplant surgery. These medical costs can range anywhere from $1,200 to $2,500 a month for the first year. Add to all that, transportation costs, lost wages, and other on-going expenses related to my surgery, it becomes apparent that my $80,000 goal might only provide for my first year of treatment.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

I believe strongly in the power of prayer. So, if the only thing you can contribute is your prayers and well wishes, I thank you so much for that gift. To that end, I ask you to stop reading right now and send a prayer on my behalf. I receive those blessings of love and protection and know that my loving God is with me and is attending to my needs.

Secondly, you can contribute a donation of any amount to go towards the payment of the non-medical costs of my surgery through this go fund me page. A donation of just $ 8 by 1,000 people adds up to $8,000 and represents 10% of My Go Fund Me goal for a year. A little by a lot of us, will go a long way.

IN THE EVENT I NO LONGER NEED THESE FUNDS

I think we all can agree that there are no guarantees in life. In the event that I do not receive a transplant match in time to save my life, the successor to my revocable trust will work with UCSF to identify a lung transplant patient under similar circumstances as my own to gift the balance of the funds remaining in My Go Fund Me account.

THANK YOU

Thank you, for visiting my page and thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Brenda Brooks