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Due to my illness, I was forced to stop working. I had been a table games employee for the past 6 years and it was a very tough choice to leave my career and all my coworkers who had become friends. I miss them everyday, but my husband Thomas is still employed there (we worked together on swing shift) as a dual rate dealer so I still get messages of love and well wishes from our team there. I am now on disability, awaiting that phone call telling me I will have a new heart. It has been hard for me to adjust to this new way of life, but the support of my friends and family have buoyed me through this stressful time and has been a tremendous help to prepare me mentally for transplant.
My husband Thomas and I have come to the realization that our transition to a one income household has been much more financially difficult then we anticipated. This transplant will save my life, but it is financially draining. Even with insurance, we have many out-of-pocket costs, like co-pays, deductibles, and the many medications I must take for the rest of my life.
As a result, a fundraising campaign in my honor has been established with Help Hope Live, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law, are held by Help Hope Live in the Mid-Atlantic Heart Transplant Fund, and are administered by Help Hope Live for transplant-related expenses only. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Donate Now button.
We need help from our friends, family, coworkers and community to make this journey happen. Thomas and I are staying positive and I want to thank every one of you for taking the time to read my story and contributing no matter how big or small.
Sincerely,
Tiffany Consolazio
302-270-3111 / tiffc1011@yahoo.com
So everyone is aware, I was very sick the end of last week into the beginning of this week which resulted in my transplant team at Penn requesting for Tom and I to come up and check into the ER. I stayed for 2 days approximately, and they were able to rule out some of the major illnesses I may have had and treated me with fluids since I had become very dehydrated. I was feeling better Sunday morning so I got to come home for the day before we headed back up for my prescheduled appointments on Monday and Tuesday. Both appointments went well and my team feels that I am ready to be unpaused, pending test results scheduled for the 20th. I am very excited as I've been paused for about 3 months now and feel like I am ready to move forward again and receive my new heart should one become available. These past few months have been hard, but necessary, to ensure that my body would be ready when the right heart comes along. I had to deal with a medication issue and then I broke my leg the end of November. The orthopedic doctors have cleared me to walk in my boot now, and I am finally feeling a little better from whatever virus I had caught. So, I am very happy that my team feels me and my body are ready to move forward again. This has been a week of good news for Tom and I and we hope things continue to turn around for us. Thank you for everyone's support and I apologize for my silence lately, we were focusing on getting me well again. :)
So all of my appointments at Penn have been sorted out and my transplant team has worked with the neurology department to allow me to be seen with the images I already have and go from there. So in that regard things are looking up and we are working on several benefit options. The horse show is confirmed and happening February 26th, it is free for spectators and there will be a bake sale as well as a silent auction also. I will be there so long as I am able and not hospitalized and we will have a booth to sign up for organ donation as well as other information. We are also working on scheduling a pair t night and as soon as that is confirmed I will let everyone know. I am currently battling some sort of infection and will be seeing my team next week to discuss my options. Thank you again for the support.
We have run into another road bump at Penn regaurding my herniated disk in my neck. I have another appointment this week for my leg to see progress on that, as well as a February appointment to discuss some of the issues we've been having with my team. Im hoping that between neurology and my team that they can come to a solution about my images being outdated. On a positive note my stairlift will be installed this Wednesday and for that I am greatly appreciative, my mother in law is paying the bill, however it is costing us $2,000 for the unit and to have it installed. In the meantime, any updates I get, you'll get here. Thanks for following and showing your support during this frustrating time.
OK so great news, we have our first fundraising event on the books. It is a horse show being held at Gambler's Choice Equestrian Center in Dover, DE on February 26th. I have ridden there on and off for the past 5 years or so after I moved to dover, based on how I was doing health wise and my instructor Kimberly Chick is hosting the event. It will be a lot of fun! So if you are interested in participating or donating towards silent auction items or prize items, please contact myself, or Kim. Here is a link to the event directly on facebook. www.facebook.com
I also wanted to inform everyone that we are looking to hold a few fundraising events. We are in need of ideas for local vendors for a location as well as food, and any leads you may have on companies or individuals who might be willing to sponsor or donate. We are also working on an idea to formally recognise these contributors through some sort of flyer or placemat type idea. Any input would be greatly appreciated and can be directed towards myself, Tom, my campaign manager here at HelpHOPELive, or Charlie. Thank you once again for your support.
So we went and looked at the stair climber unit that was offered to us as a donation and we're very pleased with the unit and generosity of the lady willing to donate it to us. However, when we contacted the company who installed it and deals them, they stated that it would not work in our home and a new straight rail would cost us about $6,000 dollars. They told us that we may have the option of trading this unit in and putting the resale price into the cost of a different unit that would work for us. We were pretty pleased with this solution until we called them back and they stated that although the original purchase price of the unit was $9,500+ and it was manufactured in April of 2015 the trade in value would only be $300. We were devastated and informed the owners that we would not want to squander their donation and maybe they could find a more suitable home for it that will be an exact fit. We are having the company come out and measure to see if they have any used units in stock that may work for us and we're told they usually run about $2,000 installed and are less than 1 year old. (Probably used rental units) so we are keeping our fingers crossed that they will have something suitable for us. Thanks for following and any prayers or we'll wishes that this will work out for us would be amazing. The donated unit falling thru has been truly heartbreaking.
We have had a major setback, about a month ago I fell from a ladder hanging Christmas lights, trying to surprise my husband with something nice, and I broke both bones in my lower left leg. This has given me tremendous trouble with the stairs in our home. I was barely managing to get up them before this happened and now it's nearly impossible. We are searching desperately for a used one to install. We have a lead on one that a very nice lady would like to donate to us that we are going to look at today. It is installed on a staircase that has a curved landing halfway up but we believe we may be able to remove those pieces. The good news is that the unit appears to be in very good shape and in on the correct side of the steps for what we need. We are really hoping this works out. We may still need to have an electrician come out and wire it or order extra track pieces to make it fit our stairs but this cost should be minimal compared to having to buy a brand new one. I'll post an update once we have more information. Thanks for reading and your support.
Donated in the memory of Dan S. Burton, on behalf of the Georgetown Office of Division of Unemployment Insurance. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Susan Thompson and all of the family at this time. We hope that this small donation will be a little light in a dark time.
Love, the Ladies at UI.
Thank you Chris! That means a lot to me, were you able to return to dealing? My Center won't give me a straight answer which I'm assuming means no.
Tiffany Consolazio
Casino dealer who had a double lung transplant in 2007 here. There's light on the other side of the tunnel. Stay strong.
Chris Davis-Falco
Make checks payable to:
Help Hope Live
Note in memo:
In honor of Tiffany Consolazio
Mail to:
Help Hope Live
2 Radnor Corporate Center
Suite 100
100 Matsonford Road
Radnor, PA 19087
Donor preference is important to us. Please specify in writing if you wish for your name or donation amount to be kept private.
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