35 Year Old Mom of 2 Needs Double Lung Transplant

In June 2017, my aunt Tiffany started feeling short of breath which she blamed mostly on weighing 313 pounds. Throughout the month, her health continued to decline. She saw her primary doctor at Springfield Clinic, who assumed she just had a bad case of pneumonia. After weeks of antibiotics, doctors still couldn’t understand why she wasn’t getting better. Finally, she was referred to a pulmonologist who still didn’t know how to fix things.

In July 2017, while working as a finance representative at Prairie Cardiovascular, she became so breathless at work that her supervisor insisted she go to the Emergency Room. When she made it to the ER, her oxygen levels were in the high 60s. She was admitted to Memorial Hospital, receiving the devastating news that she would need an emergency lung transplant if she wanted to live. Unfortunately, however, she could not be placed on the donor list because her weight was in the morbidly obese range.

In September 2017, she was admitted again to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension. She required 10 liters of oxygen to do daily activities. Her doctors told her not to expect to live throughout the rest of the year. She was only 30 years old, with a 7-year-old and 17-month-old. She never had any health issues before this. As you can expect, this was utterly devastating for her, her family, and her friends.

December 2018, she decided to get serious about getting a lung transplant. She took her health into her own hands: She lost nearly 130 pounds by dieting alone in a little over a year. She’s motivated most by being able to watch her two children grow up.

By January 2021, despite her significant weight loss, Tiffany’s lung function decreased to 38%.

My aunt Tiff is one of the strongest people I know. It’s heartbreaking to watch this happen to her. She’s never smoked, never did drugs, or been irresponsible with her health. She’s gone through so much these last five years while remaining an incredible mother, wife, friend, and family member. If you know Tiff, you can’t help but love her. She never asks for help and has always made things happen independently. Despite everything, she is still working full-time as an executive secretary for the State of Illinois and as a full-time mother.

Currently, Tiffany’s lung function is at 34%, wearing oxygen as needed. However, her doctors are afraid if she doesn’t get a lung transplant soon, her lung function will continue to decline.

As of today, she’s officially placed on the list to receive a double lung transplant. Once a donor is found, she will need to relocate 2 hours away from her family to live in a rehab facility. This GoFundMe is to help Tiffany pay for: rent at the rehab facility (for at least 3-4 months), assist her husband with bills back home, transportation, living expenses, taking care of her children, etc.

No amount of help is too small! So please share, spread the word, and most of all, keep our family in your prayers; we’ll need all of the help we can get. Thank you so much for your attention and participation.

With love,

Kanicia G.