TONYA (Pennywell) WILLIAMS

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 you’re not able to go about your daily functions, you become so grateful for the small things in life. I’ve been slowly losing lung capacity for the last seven years when I was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis with underlying connective tissue diseases. After breathing tests, x-rays, and a CAT scan of my lungs, the results showed that the disease had progressed and a double lung transplant was going to be necessary.

This brings me to the purpose of my letter. Organ transplantation is lifesaving, but expensive. My insurance will only cover 80% of my surgery and I will be faced with many uninsured transplant-related expenses such as: co-pays and deductibles, doctor visits, travel, and temporary relocation to the transplant center for at least three months. I will also have the costly need for immunosuppressant medications that I will need to take for the rest of my life. This presents a financial challenge that I cannot meet alone, and as a result, the University of Washington transplant team has recommended fundraising to help ease this financial burden.