Ongoing Support for Transplant Rogues
Donation protected
Hola Amigos!
We're 2.5+ years out from Tony's lung transplant and are looking for some ongoing support.
Since his transplant, we've sold our house and moved to Victoria to be closer to follow-up medical care for Tony. He's doing well physically, but we're just now coming to terms with the impact that our journey has had on our mental and financial health.
In good news, Tony's found some good mental health support and Beth is still looking. Our previous geographic and social isolation has taken its toll - and we do feel like we're now in a place where we can move forward and start to help ourselves and other 'Transplant Rogues' coming after us.
We've also set up a Patreon for people who would like to be sustaining supporters - even $1/month helps us grow our base and focus on programs and services through Transplant Rogues.
Find us online for more information about the programs and materials we already offer and some plans for development:
http://TransplantRogues.com
http://Patreon.com/TransplantRogues
Thanks so much for being part of our journey!
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Here's the original 'blurb' from 2+ years ago!
Tony Duke and his wife live on Vancouver Island. Tony is an antique and personal property appraiser who has even been on the Canadian Antique Roadshow in the past.
Tony's health has been deteriorating rapidly and so he was referred for assessment for transplant. He's been actively listed since early February and he's just waiting for the phone to ring. [Which it DID - on May 4, 2016. Check the updates for his post-transplant journey.]
Turns out that except for his lungs, he's in great shape! A lung transplant will make all the difference - and according to his GP, he'll 'be a new man.'
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All medical costs related to Transplant in BC are covered...so...
Why Do Transplant Families in BC Fundraise?
1. Families are financially as well as medically struggling. By the time a patient is listed for transplant they have been chronically and increasingly ill for some time. In our case, Beth has taken on an increasing caregiving role - with a concurrant decrease in her paid work.
2. Transplant recipients must have a full-time support partner. If a transplant patient doesn't have someone to accompany them in Vancouver for the duration of their transplant and follow-up recovery period, they aren't listed for transplant. This means that Beth will have a further decrease in her earning capacity for the 4-6 months that recovery and rehab takes.
3. Non-medical expenses aren't covered. Financially stressed families are required relocate to one of the most expensive centers in Canada for the short-term at a time when they are least able to afford it.
4. Charities don't cover every situation. There are low-cost and sometimes free housing options for families with children, and for adults who receive heart and kidney transplants. There are existing gaps that adults requiring lung transplants fall into.
While we wait for government policy to catch up to the medical miracles we can perform in the 21st century, we'll continue to see families fundraising in BC (and Canada) so they can access the help they need.
Did you know: From a government services standpoint, it is less expensive to transplant a patient than to carry them through a chronic illness until they die?
----------------------------------------
We're asking for help so we can access suitable accommodation near Vancouver General Hospital when the phone rings.
We estimate that we will need to raise about $25,000 to cover these expenses.
Any extra money we raise will be used to help other families in our situation.
----------------------------------------
One last thing...
As we work through this process and meet more British Columbians who have been helped by transplant, we're continually amazed. Transplantation has grown by leaps and bounds - with post-transplant survival rates and increased health getting better all the time!
We are, however, also learning about the significant gaps in service for families that find themselves going through the process.
We've started a website to encourage people to register as organ donors and find information about the organ transplant process in British Columbia. Please swing by - we're at TransplantRogues.com.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
We're 2.5+ years out from Tony's lung transplant and are looking for some ongoing support.
Since his transplant, we've sold our house and moved to Victoria to be closer to follow-up medical care for Tony. He's doing well physically, but we're just now coming to terms with the impact that our journey has had on our mental and financial health.
In good news, Tony's found some good mental health support and Beth is still looking. Our previous geographic and social isolation has taken its toll - and we do feel like we're now in a place where we can move forward and start to help ourselves and other 'Transplant Rogues' coming after us.
We've also set up a Patreon for people who would like to be sustaining supporters - even $1/month helps us grow our base and focus on programs and services through Transplant Rogues.
Find us online for more information about the programs and materials we already offer and some plans for development:
http://TransplantRogues.com
http://Patreon.com/TransplantRogues
Thanks so much for being part of our journey!
---------------------------
Here's the original 'blurb' from 2+ years ago!
Tony Duke and his wife live on Vancouver Island. Tony is an antique and personal property appraiser who has even been on the Canadian Antique Roadshow in the past.
Tony's health has been deteriorating rapidly and so he was referred for assessment for transplant. He's been actively listed since early February and he's just waiting for the phone to ring. [Which it DID - on May 4, 2016. Check the updates for his post-transplant journey.]
Turns out that except for his lungs, he's in great shape! A lung transplant will make all the difference - and according to his GP, he'll 'be a new man.'
-------------------------------------------------------
All medical costs related to Transplant in BC are covered...so...
Why Do Transplant Families in BC Fundraise?
1. Families are financially as well as medically struggling. By the time a patient is listed for transplant they have been chronically and increasingly ill for some time. In our case, Beth has taken on an increasing caregiving role - with a concurrant decrease in her paid work.
2. Transplant recipients must have a full-time support partner. If a transplant patient doesn't have someone to accompany them in Vancouver for the duration of their transplant and follow-up recovery period, they aren't listed for transplant. This means that Beth will have a further decrease in her earning capacity for the 4-6 months that recovery and rehab takes.
3. Non-medical expenses aren't covered. Financially stressed families are required relocate to one of the most expensive centers in Canada for the short-term at a time when they are least able to afford it.
4. Charities don't cover every situation. There are low-cost and sometimes free housing options for families with children, and for adults who receive heart and kidney transplants. There are existing gaps that adults requiring lung transplants fall into.
While we wait for government policy to catch up to the medical miracles we can perform in the 21st century, we'll continue to see families fundraising in BC (and Canada) so they can access the help they need.
Did you know: From a government services standpoint, it is less expensive to transplant a patient than to carry them through a chronic illness until they die?
----------------------------------------
We're asking for help so we can access suitable accommodation near Vancouver General Hospital when the phone rings.
We estimate that we will need to raise about $25,000 to cover these expenses.
Any extra money we raise will be used to help other families in our situation.
----------------------------------------
One last thing...
As we work through this process and meet more British Columbians who have been helped by transplant, we're continually amazed. Transplantation has grown by leaps and bounds - with post-transplant survival rates and increased health getting better all the time!
We are, however, also learning about the significant gaps in service for families that find themselves going through the process.
We've started a website to encourage people to register as organ donors and find information about the organ transplant process in British Columbia. Please swing by - we're at TransplantRogues.com.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Organizer
Beth Campbell Duke
Organizer
Victoria, BC
