November 2, 2018
Thank you all for the support. Angelica is doing great! After her transplant in St. Louis (Barnes Jewish has the best lung team on the globe, by the way), she went through a pretty tough 3 month recovery/rehabilitation period before being released by her doctors to go home. In late August, we flew back to San Diego, CA in time for our daughter, Annie, to start school.
Now, 6 months post-transplant and Angelica is doing great! Going to the gym, walking, playing with our daughter--all without a pesky oxygen tank or machine. We will head back to St. Louis this month for a bronchoscopy just to make sure there are no signs of rejection or other complications.
Truly miraculous support by all of our friends, family, friends of friends, friends of family. Please reach out to us if you are in the San Diego Area. We'd love to personally hug the angels who were so generous when we needed help. "You da real MVPs"
July 9, 2018
About 6 weeks post-transplant and Angelica is doing exceptionally well! Although the fungal infection still presents a risk and therefore requires some additional preventative medications, the doctors think she is beyond the critical window where the fungus would have most likely spread and caused severe complications. Thank you everyone for your generosity and prayers.
May 25, 2018
Angelica got her lungs! After being taken off the list at UCSF in San Francisco for what they deemed to be a high risk fungal infection, we were accepted by Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. We flew here via air ambulance on 12 May, were listed on 16 May, and Angelica went into surgery on 23 May (4 days after her birthday). She is recovering in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit as I type this and is doing AWESOME! I'm so proud of my wife and on her behalf I thank all of you who have helped in so many ways. We know this wouldn't have been possible without the support and prayers of our family and friends. I know that some people that have donated don't even know us personally which is amazing. We'll call St. Louis "home" for about the next 4 months so the remarkable team that gave Angelica a second chance can keep tabs on her while she recovers. I'd be remiss if I didn't give a big hug to you all on behalf of our 6 year old daughter Annie who told her class that she was the "luckiest girl in the whole school" the day after her Mom got her lungs.
March 11, 2018
Sorry for the recent lack of updates, but wanted to wait for some positive news....so here it is: Angelica is now ACTIVELY LISTED FOR TRANSPLANT! She has gained some much needed weight to help with post-surgery recovery. Her lung allocation score (LAS) is quite high (70+) on a scale from 1-100 which could mean a call within weeks or even days. Your past support is much appreciated. I am certain it has gotten this far.
February 10, 2018
Angelica is now stable at UCSF Medical Center. They are going to perform a tracheostomy tomorrow. This will allow her to continue to use the ventilator but without the tube down her throat. It will also get her off of the sedatives and begin sitting up, standing and walking. All things needed to get through a successful transplant.
February 8, 2018
Some positive news! A bed in the ICU at UCSF Medical Center has become available. Angelica should be transported today where she will be evaluated to be reactivated on the lung transplant list. If activated, we then pray for a healthy set of compatible lungs to become available quickly. I've heard the term "outpouring of support" before in movies and TV, but never had I experienced it firsthand until now. I will keep you all updated.
February 5, 2018
Angelica got very sick during out trip to be seen at UCLA and visit family in Las Vegas. She had to be hospitalized and is now on a ventilator. We are waiting for her to be stabilized so she can be medically transported back to UCSF hospital. Once there, we are praying for a short wait for the new lungs she needs and deserves. Thank you for the continued support, thoughts and prayers.
January 13, 2018
Angelica has decided to try to "multi-list". This means she'll be on the waitlist for at least 2 separate transplant programs. The advantage is that this will enlarge her potential donor pool across separate geographic areas which will increase her chances of a match. We made the drive from the Bay Area to UCLA for an appointment with their program last week. We may need to go there again for a few more consults before getting confirmation that she's on their list, too. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. We do appreciate the support many of you have given!
January 1, 2018
We were hopeful for a call from the hospital telling us they have Angelica's new lungs over the holidays, but so far we haven't heard from them. The words of encouragement over the phone and via social media from all of our friends and family have kept us positive. Thank you.
December 29, 2017
La familia y amigos de Angelica Walsh están recaudando dinero para pagar gastos médicos y de reubicación temporal no cubiertos asociados con el trasplante bilateral de pulmón. Angelica actualmente está en la lista de espera en el Centro Médico de la Universidad de California en San Francisco.
Angélica ha sido diagnosticada con fibrosis quística, que es una afección genética que conduce a infecciones pulmonares crónicas y produce cicatrización permanente en el tejido pulmonar. Actualmente, su función pulmonar es solo aproximadamente el 20% de lo que debe tener una mujer sana de su edad, por lo que debe usar oxígeno suplementario las 24 horas del día.
Aunque su seguro de salud debe pagar la mayoría de los gastos médicos, algunos de los medicamentos recetados pueden no estar cubiertos o no estar cubiertos en su totalidad.
Además, aunque viven a 45-90 minutos del hospital (el tráfico en el Área de la Bahía puede ser horrible), durante 6-8 semanas después de la cirugía, deben trasladarse temporalmente a menos de 30 minutos del centro médico. Esto es para garantizar un control crucial durante la recuperación y también para poder informar al hospital si hay signos de rechazo de órganos. Asegurar un lugar temporal para vivir en el centro de San Francisco será un desafío financiero para ellos.
Su esposo, Chris, es un jubilado reciente de la Marina y ha firmado un acuerdo con el programa de trasplantes para ser el principal cuidador de Angelica. En este puesto, debe estar disponible 24/7 para cuidar a Angélica, lo que significa que no puede trabajar para aumentar su pensión militar. Al mismo tiempo, debe ser padre de su hija de 6 años, Annie.
La familia Walsh entiende que muchos no pueden dar dinero y quiere que sepa que los pensamientos y oraciones son tan bienvenidos como dólares y centavos.
Finalmente, si aún no lo han hecho, la Familia Walsh les pide a los espectadores de esta campaña que consideren inscribirse en el registro de donantes de órganos de su estado.
Angelica ha decidido recaudar fondos con Help Hope Live en parte porque Help Hope Live asegura la responsabilidad fiscal de los fondos recaudados y la deducción de impuestos para los donantes. Los donantes pueden estar seguros de que los fondos donados se utilizarán solo para pagar o reembolsar los gastos relacionados con la atención médica. Para hacer una donación deducible de impuestos a esta campaña de recaudación de fondos, haga clic en el botón Donar ahora.
Para obtener más información, comuníquese con Help Hope Live al 800.642.8399.
Angélica, su familia y sus amigos quieren agradecer a todos y cada uno de ustedes por su apoyo.
December 16, 2017
Family and friends of Angelica Walsh are raising money to pay for uninsured medical and temporary relocation expenses associated with bilateral lung transplantation. Angelica is currently on the waitlist with the University of California San Francisco lung transplant program.
Although their health insurance should cover a majority of the medical expenses, there are some pretty expensive medications needed post-transplant that are not covered or are not covered in full.
Also, although they live relatively close to the hospital (45-90 minutes depending on traffic), for six to eight weeks after the surgery, they'll have to reside less than 30 minutes away from UCSF Medical Center. This is to ensure she can report to the hospital for follow-up monitoring and also in the event there are signs of organ rejection. Finding a temporary lodging in the city of San Francisco will be a financial challenge for the Walsh Family.
Her husband, Chris, must be available 24/7 as her primary caretaker while also being available for their 6 year old daughter, Annie. Therefore, he is unable to work to augment his military retirement income.
Angelica has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for donors. Donors can be sure that funds donated will be used only to pay or reimburse medically-related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Donate Now button.
For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.
Thank you for your support!
