UCLA LUNG TRANSPLANT

I never thought I would find myself in this position, but I have.  I have no choice but to ask for help .  My name is Douglas Morris and I have stage IV COPD Lung disease.  I quit smoking 15 years ago but developed COPD about 4 years ago. It has progressed steadily since. I have been under the care or Dr. THOMAS VENDENGA MD, San Luis Obispo, CA, since my diagnosis.  He has helped me cope with the disease, but the progress is always fatal.
I was originally given 1 to 3 years. It's  already been over 4 years. About a year and a half ago , on Dr. VENDENGA 'S recommendation,  I began working with UCLA to qualify as a lung transplant candidate.  After extensive testing,  many invasive,  and interviews , I passed all tests and was deemed a candidate.  My insurance,  Medicare and  a  Medicare Supplement, Medi- Cal and Cen-Cal were approved to cover the cost of the operation and hospital  stay, and drugs, save deductibles,  copays,  share of costs, equipment and transportation expenses, miscellaneous and unforeseen expenses.  Medicare would have also covered a skilled nursing facility for 100 days including RN care, however, this was deemed unacceptable by UCLA because of their poor experience with skilled nursing facilities due to the high risk of infection from other patients and my very weakened immune system.  Therefore,  their requirements state that I must rehabilitate  in a private residence,  apartment,  hotel or equivalent and provide 24 hour skilled nursing care plus private transportation to and from UCLA two times per week in order to under go post surgery tests to monitor my rehababilitation progress.
These additional expenses not covered by insurance, generally, fall into the following categories:
Medicare A,B, &D deductibles
Supplement  deductibles 
Medi-Cal deductibles 
Cen Cal deductibles 
Additional living expenses in LA, ie.: apartment and board
In home nursing care
transportation to and from UCLA for regular checkups and testing, driver expenses
misc. expenses not covered by insurance , all for 90 day recovery period,
Transportation to and from San Luis Obisp Unforeseen Emergencies, contingencies,
and medical complications,  and maintenance expenses at apartment in San Luis Obispo,  California and
Portable Oxygen Concentrator
Taken all together, these expenses are estimated to total $17,500 per month and total $52,500 for the 90 day rehabilitation 
period. These numbers maybe refined as the coverages and final expenses are determined. 

I feel very grateful and lucky to have gotten this far in the process. This is the last major hoop I have left to jump through.  I estimate that it may take two months or so for my "go fund me " account  to reach its goal  , where upon I will be placed on UCLA'S transplant list.  After that it's up to God.
The averages are 3 to 6 months until receiving a donor, but that's not guaranteed.  It could be up to a year, or longer.  My condition is slowly deteriorating. 
Breathing is becoming steadily more difficult and I am on oxygen 24/7.
 I feel I can hold out the requisite time, but I can't hold out indefinitely.  So, time is of the essence .
I wanted to tell you a little more about myself. I graduated from Suffield Academy,  Suffield, Ct, attended Lake Forest College, Lake Forest , IL and graduated from SMU in Dallas, TX with a BA in Exonomics and a minor in French and and MBA and MIM in a joint program with AGSIM in Glendale , AZ.
I then married my college sweetheart,  took a job with a major reinsurance company and climbed the company ladder.
 After 10 years , I went out on my own and formed a reinsurance brokerage company in NYC.  In the meantime,  we had  started a family and had two loving daughters , Allison and Meredith, whom I cherish dearly. 
After a few years, I sold my brokerage company to Corroon and Black and we  enlisted Smith Barney to help us raise the capital to form a specialty reinsurance company.  The issue was nearly subscribed when the market crash of 1987 occurred and the offering fell apart.
The stress , emotional and financial, lead to my emotional breakdown and marriage failure. 
After much soul searching,  I decided to move back to Texas and help take care of my Mom who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and concentrate on my recovery and refocusing my life .
I joined several recovery groups and took up the practice of yoga, all the while caring for mom.  After 10 years , I decided to become certified in the teaching of Yoga and earned my certification as a teacher of Raja Yoga ( Hawtha and Kundalini). I also became a certified Red Cross Water Saftey Instructor and taught private French lessons as a tutor. I also became a Friend of Bills and have been so for 27 years.
After my parents passed,  there was nothing tying me to Texas, so I visited a friend in San Luis Obispo,  Ca and found the weather and climate was much better for my lung disease and the town was nice and the people were friendly.  I made the decision to move here.
 Since coming here, I have become very active in Grace Central Coast Coast Church and have join their choir, which I love and volunteer weekly at God's Food Panty, which I also love. I have also come to lead a weekly meeting of a support group and attend others. 
Mostly, importantly though, after years of fits and starts, in the last  5 years, I have been able to reconnect with my oldest daughter whom I had begun to feel I had lost. I truly believe this was an answer to prayers because I had all but given up  because every thing I had tried had failed.  It was only when I turn the matter over to God that things changed and changed quite quickly and dramatically.  Both my daughters came to San Luis Obispo and even though Allie and I were almost totally estranged,  we were able to reconnect and now have a relationship that would be the envy of any father. How?  God knows.In any event, Allison has a 4 year old daughter, Clementine, whom I have seen in photos and over Skype but never met, because they live in Boston.
Allison and talk at least once a week and we have reconnected and  have a genuine relationship.  Allison has her Masters in Social Work and is planning to return work when Clementine gets settled in school.
Meredith and I have been on good terms for a long time,  in fact, we were never on bad terms , although she ,too, was effected by the divorce.  Meredith has her Doctorate in Psychology and just had her first child,  Eleanor, in December  .
 I have not yet seen Eleanor either.
To summarize,  my two daughters,  Allison and Meredith and my two granddaughters,  Clementine and Eleanor and the reasons I would like to get a lung transplant  and have a chance to see my grandchildren,  get to know them and watch them grow, maybe even babysit them and further strengthen my ties with my children and share with them the faith I have gained over the past years that I hope will lead them and my Grandchildren to a life of faith and belief. 
Also,  if I am fortunate to receive a lung transplant,  I would like to give back by sharing my strength,  hope and experience
about  the transplant process and provide
emotional and spiritual support to those about to under go the procedure .
In order for any of this to happen,  I need your help.  I doubt I will ever be able to repay your generosity.  I hope it will be enough knowing that me, my daughters and grandchildren will be forever grateful. 
I wish you all,  peace, happiness,  contentment and eternal life through the Prince of Peace.

God
Bless
and 
Thank You

Douglas 
G.
Morris