Natalie's dying to breathe.

My name is Nicole and I am starting this fund-raiser for one of my long time friends, Natalie (Nat).

I have known Nat for over 30 years. Not once in this time has she ever asked for anything from anybody.

Well, now she has no choice and here we are, asking for financial assistance for Natalie Richardson, to help her with her journey of receiving a double lung transplant.

Nat has a debilitating lung disease called COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) which has no cure to date, and a double lung transplant is now her only option left.

Nat is 51 years old, a Mother of 4 and Grandmother to 7. Before Nat was diagnosed, she had a very active life and loved being a social butterfly. Nat was always the outgoing, bubbly, life loving one. She would come out with random hilarious stuff, always knowing when her friends were having a tough day and needed a laugh. Now, Nat can't laugh too much without coming close to dying.

Nat was always busy, spending time time with her children, grandchildren and friends, doing all the things she loved in life; swimming, sea fishing, weekends away and music concerts, just to name a few.

Nat's everyday life is extremely hard due to not being able to breathe. With recurring lung infections and hypertension.

This has been Nat's life for the past 15 years, with only 16% lung capacity left. She is also on oxygen 24hrs a day. Her disease has declined quickly over the past few years.

Numerous regular hospital stays, Dr appointments and taking many medications are all part of her everyday life now.

Once Nat has received a lung transplant and is released from hospital, she has to stay in accommodation close to the hospital for 12 weeks, for rehabilitation and education for all of the anti rejections medications to make sure her new lungs aren't being rejected.

The accommodation alone is going to cost between $12,000 and $13,000. Natalie will of course, also need to pay for transport to and from the Hospital. Nat will also need to continue to pay her rent for her current family home, which is over 2hrs away from the Hospital, or face losing a home to return to.

But that's not the end of her costs.... On top of that, Nat will also have the ongoing costs of the anti rejections drugs she will need to take for the rest of her life, which is an unknown cost and like all things in life, will go up in cost as time goes on. After a gift so generous, Nat is completely committed to not letting it be wasted!

Nat needs your help with support by donating to this cause whether it be a little or a lot, anything will help for when her transplant becomes available. Every dollar and/or share is so greatly appreciated.

Thankyou for taking the time to read Nat's story and I hope you can find it in your hearts (and pocket) to make a donation of any sort, to help Nat get some quality of life back. Make sure you keep checking back as we will be updating this as this journey moves through each stage.