Dear Family and Friends,
Breathing is something most of us take for granted. I know I did. But when your lungs do not provide the air you need, your body becomes paralyzed and can’t move. I have been slowly losing lung capacity since I was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) over five years ago. During the past five years, I have been hospitalized and have had to be put on a ventilator three times. My doctors have told me that if I am put on the ventilator once more, my chances of survival will be very, very slim. I am fearful everyday of catching a cold or anything that effects my upper respiration because I will be ventilated immediately. X-rays, tests and a CAT scan of my lungs have shown that a lung transplant is my only chance of long-term survival.
That brings me to the purpose of my letter. Organ transplantation is lifesaving, but very expensive. My insurance will cover 80 percent of my surgery, but I will have many out-of-pocket expenses, including: travel to and from the transplant center, co-pays and deductibles, and the costly immunosuppressant medications I will have to take for the rest of my life. As a result, my transplant team at Greenville Medical Center recommended fundraising.
To help ease this financial burden, a fundraising campaign in my honor has been established with HelpHOPELive (formerly NTAF), a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for nearly 30 years. All donations are tax deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the South-Atlantic Lung Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Thank you for considering making a contribution.Your financial gifts will be greatly appreciated and will help me make it through this difficult time.
With sincerest gratitude,
Arthur L. Saxon
803.398.7158