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Fighting for life, double lung transplant needed

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***Update*** I am asking for help again as costs associated with this journey have increased ☹️ I have been in conversation with several other people that received the gift of life and based on their personal journey (one recipients costs were $55,000 the other was over $45,000) the minimum amount needed to live as an outpatient in Vancouver with the numerous restrictions in place because of transplant, rental accommodation “ALONE” cost $30,000. We have also had numerous conversations with the transplant team and they have advised that even $35,000 is questionable, because if there are any complications that require a longer stay in Vancouver that will not be enough This does not include food or transportation costs associated with multiple weekly appointments at VGH, or any other costs. In the past year I have had to purchase an oxygen concentrator which allows me to leave my home, we also had to remove our wood stove (our main heat source) and replace it with a new heating system as per direction from the transplant team. I have had to make the difficult decision to put my self on pause for transplant until I can figure something out, hopefully before I am to sick to even have the transplant **** Sorry for asking for help again but I am literally fighting to save my life !! https://bcruralhealth-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/paul_adams_bcruralhealth_org/EUDCnMg7wCZFtEjEehW0xy8BEtHfIZunk1JnJ1cdbOn4hg?e=eqq19C&nav=eyJyZWZlcnJhbEluZm8iOnsicmVmZXJyYWxBcHAiOiJTdHJlYW1XZWJBcHAiLCJyZWZlcnJhbFZpZXciOiJTaGFyZURpYWxvZy1MaW5rIiwicmVmZXJyYWxBcHBQbGF0Zm9ybSI6IldlYiIsInJlZmVycmFsTW9kZSI6InZpZXcifX0%3D
Please read this link and the letters from other transplant patients for more information, https://bcruralhealth.org/the-cost-of-choosing-to-live-realities-of-living-in-rural-bc/
All I ask is if I was your Mother, your sister or your best friend , what would you do ? If I had any other option I wouldn’t be asking strangers to save my life, but I don’t. If you have any questions or would like more information please feel free to email me through this page. Here is something to think about …. How would you and your spouse manage to support yourselves for 3 to 6 months in Vancouver where rent averages between $3,800 and $4,500 per “month” plus food and other necessary expenses if you only had employment insurance benefits as income all while maintaining your home residence, mortgage and utilities. We have exhausted every option
Thank you for taking the time to read our story.
**Original post**
I have faced many health issues in my life but nothing compares to what I along with my amazing husband, Arlen are facing now. My health has deteriorated to the point where my only option now is a double lung transplant. I am a Mom/ Step Mom to 5 and a Grama/Gigi to 10 incredible beautiful grandchildren.
The reason for starting a Go Fund me is this:
When I receive the call that someone has made the decision in their time of immense grief, to give the gift of life to me, I will be air lifted to Vancouver and will be in surgery within 12 hours . I will be in hospital for minimum 3 to 4 weeks, then discharged to outpatient status which requires me to have a 24 hour caregiver, which will be my husband. This is where we are desperately seeking help as we are required to live near Vancouver General Hospital for at least 3 to 6 months at our own expense. My husband will not be able to work, so we won’t have his income to not only pay for a place to live and expenses in Vancouver, but we still need to maintain our home in Princeton. Neither myself nor my husband are good at asking for help but we have no other options. Well there is one option, I don’t have my lung transplant, which is a very real possibility if we don’t have the funds to make it happen. I am only 57 yrs old and I want to see my grandchildren grow up and enjoy life with my husband.
To put it bluntly, if I have to choose between new lungs and losing our home and everything we have worked so hard for, I won’t have the surgery and will just try to enjoy what time I have left. **
So please, if you can help whether financially or just good vibes and prayers, we would be forever grateful and so would our family.
Thank you and God Bless
Chris and Arlen
Picture of me is 3 yrs ago, I am to embarrassed to show how I look now, I am literally a shell of what I was
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    • 3 mos
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    • 8 mos
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Organizer and beneficiary

Christina Derksen-Unrau
Organizer
Princeton, BC
Arlen Unrau
Beneficiary

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