UPDATE: 8/31/2020

We have more good news! Last week Dad was discharged from the hospital. He and Mom are back staying at the Bartch Transplant (just blocks from the hospital). He still has daily appointments at the hospital for physical therapy, doctor visits and blood work.

So far he is recovering nicely. He still has a feeding port, his stomach is processing slower than the doctors would like. They say this is a normal reaction and it will work back up to normal function.

Thank you all for your continued support!

UPDATE: 8/13/2020

Hello Friends and Family,

We have good news! On August 11th at about 1am dad received his lung transplant. The surgery took just under 6 hours, and went well. By late that evening he was awake and speaking. Yesterday they got him up twice to walk around a little. Overall the doctors and nurses say he is doing very well.

We appreciate all of the support from our family and friends! We are so thankful for the amazing doctors, nurses and staff at Advent Hospital, Dad is in good hands!

love to you all,
Sasha Warren

UPDATE:

Hello Friends and Family,

This is Sasha Warren, Rick’s Daughter. I will be taking over the updating of this page now my dad’s condition has declined. Rick has been moved from the Mayo Clinic transplant program to the transplant program at Advent Hospital in Orlando. Ten years after his diagnosis he has now declined enough to be added to the active transplant list. As of June 23rd, 2020 he has moved to Orlando and is awaiting a match.

As we have updates on the process I will make updates here. Feel free to send dad your well wishes at [email protected]

We will also be working on some fundraising events (likely virtual, under the current circumstances). I will share them here as well as on Facebook.

If you would like to make a direct donation to support Rick you can click the “donate” button on this site.

Thanks for everyone’s support,
Sasha Warren

In 2010 I was planning my retirement, I was ready to travel around the U.S. and visit all the wonderful National Parks and do a little volunteer work. The shock came when I went to my yearly physical exam and I was diagnosed with Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Breathing is something most of us take for granted. I know I did. But as this disease progresses your lungs do not provide the air you need, your body becomes paralyzed and you can’t move.

After breathing tests, x-rays, a cat scan of my lungs, and a surgical lung biopsy the results showed that a lung transplant was going to be necessary. In March, I was scheduled at the Mayo Clinic for a nine day series of tests and was medically approved for a lung transplant. As my condition deteriorates I will be placed on and move up the waiting list.

This brings me to the purpose of my letter. Organ transplantation is lifesaving, but expensive. My insurance will only cover 80% of my surgery. I will need help with immune suppressant medications, which I will have to take for the rest of my life, and other uninsured expenses. As a result, Mayo Clinic transplant department recommended fundraising.

To help ease this financial burden, a fundraising campaign in my honor has been established with Help Hope Live for my uninsured expenses. Help Hope Live is a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for more than 35 years. Thank you for your consideration of a tax-deductible donation.Your financial gifts will be greatly appreciated and will help me make it through this difficult time.

With sincere gratitude,

Richard Storsberg
941 474 4029
[email protected]