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We have been enjoying our time here in Ohio with our family and our grandchildren. It is amazing just how fast time goes
by. This summer though, our grandchildren moved to South Carolina, we sure miss them, but ate grateful for FaceTime. Thanksgiving was extra special this year, they made the drive to Ohio, so we spent as much time with them as possible.
We want to thank EVERYONE who had made donations to the fundraising campaign for medical expenses. We so much appreciate you and your support for me. (I also need and appreciate your kind words and prayers).
If on this Giving Tuesday, anyone is considering making a charitable donation, I would appreciate your consideration for my medical expense fundraiser here at Help Hope Live. Help Hope live is a not for profit agency that helps raise funds for transplant medical expenses and catastrophic medical situations. Any donations made go directly to my medical expenses( also tax deductible.)Thank you and have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season.
Dec 31, 2017
Happy New Year Everyone… We have had another blessed year. We have had some amazing times with our family and friends this past year. Marty has had a few medical challenges this year. He is doing well with his transplant, his lung function has dipped slightly, but remains stable. We want to thank everyone for their support this year, prayer, words of encouragement, or your donations for his medical expenses through this site. Help Hope Live is an amazing organization to be partnered with. Hope that you had a Merry Christmas and will have a Blessed New Year.
Nov 27, 2016
Hello Everyone… Another year has flown by so quickly. Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is just around the corner. We are still in Ohio, enjoying our family and grandkids. We have so much to be thankful for, God’s provision and protection, family, and friends both long time and newly made. We were invited to go to Disney World with our grandchildren in July. We had so much fun making memories and watching them meet and greet the characters they love so much. It was our first time there. We also were able to celebrate my 8 year transplant anniversary while we were there. While I am so thankful for my live, I think of my donor and their family on the 26th of July.
I have been in pretty decent health this year with a few glitches though. Last year I had fallen and broken my elbow, that has healed nicely although I do not have full range of motion. I have also had a few other hospital admissions for various cardio and respiratory issues, 5 all together. Some of the medical staff at the Cleveland Clinic joking call us “frequent flyers”
This year marks the 10 year since I first became ill with the respiratory infection. It seems strange like time has flown at the same time it goes so slow. November 29, 2006 is when I went into the hospital with the unknown illness and there I stayed until the middle of June. God has been so good through this all.
A quick update… Marty had his 7 year “Transversary” this past July. He has been blessed with a second change of living thanks to the selfless decision of one person. Below is a brief history of his journey with his transplant.
As most of you know, since November 29, 2006, Marty has been in a battle with lung disease. He had spent many months, a good part of 2007, at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn. During his stay, he was tested for many, many things, all to come back with “negative” results. He was in and out of the hospital a few times throughout 2007, but in February 2008, he began requiring more supplemental oxygen. He had a lung biopsy in March 2008. It showed a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis. So, what we thought began as a normal cold in 2006, ended up being life threatening.
His pulmonologist, Dr. Alpa Shah, then referred him to The Heart and Lung Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix. After the consultation with the transplant team, we decided to go ahead with the lung transplant. We began the evaluation process to see if Marty would even meet the criteria on July 16th, and completed the tests on the 18th. The transplant team met on the 24th of July and decided that Marty would be a good candidate for a lung transplant, basically healthy enough to make it through the transplant, and sick enough to need one.
He was officially “listed” on that same Thursday afternoon. We went about our daily business as best as we could, always carrying our phones with us, waiting for “the call.” Well, the transplant nurse coordinator, Kate, called Marty on Saturday the 26th with the question, “Marty, how would you feel about getting some new lungs today?” That call sure came a lot quicker than either of us thought. His response was a definite YES, and we headed off to the hospital.
To shorten the long journey, Marty received a new pair of lungs, through the night, and the surgery was completed about 5:00am on Sunday morning. He is doing well and recovering as expected. He has been a real trooper throughout this journey. There will be more updates in the future. We both want to thank everyone for their love, prayers, and support over these past few years.
To make a contribution to Marty’s fundraising campaign, click the “Donate Now” button. To share Marty’s story with others in your community who might wish to learn about his campaign, see the “Share My Page” options on the top right side of this page.
For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800-642-8399.
Thank you for your support!
Update 10/19/09
Just a quick note to let everyone know that Marty is doing real well. He continues to progress and maintain with his recovery. In July we celebrated his one year anniversary by holding a Virtual Spaghetti Dinner. We want to thank everyone who participated and made a contribution.
Please check out his Website for more current updates. www.martysnewlungs.blogspot.com
Thank you everyone!
June 1, 2011
We are coming up on Marty’s 3 year “Transversary” He is doing real well, and is enjoying living his life. We have done some traveling (road trips) this past year to see family in Kentucky and in Ohio. We are now bracing ourselves for the Arizona summer, but thankful that we have not had to deal with the rain and flooding that some of our family have had to contend with.
We are also hosting a fundraiser, a Virtual Spaghetti Dinner, to assist with Marty’s upcoming medical expenses. We are looking forward to his three year tests non the less. There is a flyer on the left you can click on to get the details.
This past year there have been some things that have come up, like some flu and colds, but NO rejection….
PLEASE SIGN MY GUEST BOOK!
THANK YOU
check out my blog
www.martysnewlungs.blogspot.com
Family and friends of Marty Zelei are raising money to pay for uninsured medical expenses associated with his lung transplant. Marty lives in Scottsdale, AZ and is being treated at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.
Marty has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live provides both tax-deductibility to the full extent allowed by law, and fiscal accountability to his contributors. Contributors can be sure that funds contributed will be used only to pay or reimburse medically-related expenses.
Hello... It has been quite a while since I've posted any updates, and I'm sorry for that. This past year has been both eventful and uneventful. My health is stable. I have had a few lung infections, a few treatable bouts with a flu bug, some acid reflux surgery,(a re-do of the procedure I had in Phoenix in 2013), and of course my knees and ankle. I am still going to the Cleveland Clinic for my medical treatments, and all of the Drs. are like a team, they all check with each other for the best plan of treatment (Well 99% of the time anyway) The thing is... God is always here with us and given us strength and patience.
We have enjoyed our time here in Ohio with our family and our grandchildren. It's amazing just how fast time goes by. This summer though, our grandchildren moved to South Carolina. We miss them, but are grateful for FaceTime. They made the trip to Ohio for Thanksgiving, so we spent as much time with them as possible.
We want to thank everyone who has made donations to my fundraising campaign, we so much appreciate you and your support for me. If on this Giving Tuesday, you are considering making a charitable donation, I would appreciate your consideration for my medical expenses fundraiser. Help Hope live is a non profit, so all donations go directly to my medical expenses. They are tax deductible also. Thank you and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season
Hello Everyone. We just want to take a minute and thank everyone who has shown us support this year with prayer, words of encouragement, or donations for Marty's medical expenses through this site. It has been a busy for him at the Cleveland Clinic this year...We are so grateful to each of you. God has blessed us greatly. Hoping for a Blessed New Year for everyone.
Happy New Year Everyone... We have had another blessed year. We have had some amazing times with our family and friends this past year. Marty has had a few medical challenges this year. He is doing well with his transplant, his lung function has dipped slightly, but remains stable. We want to thank everyone for their support this year, prayer, words of encouragement, or your donations for his medical expenses through this site. Help Hope Live is an amazing organization to be partnered with. Hope that you had a Merry Christmas and will have a Blessed New Year.
Hello Everyone... Another year has flown by so quickly. Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is just around the corner. We are still in Ohio, enjoying our family and grandkids. We have so much to be thankful for, God's provision and protection, family, and friends both long time and newly made. We were invited to go to Disney World with our grandchildren in July. We had so much fun making memories and watching them meet and greet the characters they love so much. It was our first time there. We also were able to celebrate my 8 year transplant anniversary while we were there. While I am so thankful for my live, I think of my donor and their family on the 26th of July.
I have been in pretty decent health this year with a few glitches though. Last year I had fallen and broken my elbow, that has healed nicely although I do not have full range of motion. I have also had a few other hospital admissions for various cardio and respiratory issues, 5 all together. Some of the medical staff at the Cleveland Clinic joking call us "frequent flyers"
This year marks the 10 year since I first became ill with the respiratory infection. It seems strange like time has flown at the same time it goes so slow. November 29, 2006 is when I went into the hospital with the unknown illness and there I stayed until the middle of June. God has been so good through this all.
Hello Everyone,
It has been 2 years since we have posted any updates. Things have been going pretty well for Marty with his health. He has had a few bumps in the road and a few hospitalizations, but he is doing his part to keep healthy.
We have had a few major life changes though. As you can see, we are now a part of the Great Lakes Lung Transplant Fund instead of the Southwest Lung Transplant Fund. This is because we made a move to Ohio in July of 2014. Most of our family is still living here with the exception of Marty's daughter and my sister and her husband, they are still in Arizona.
Our move here has allowed Marty to spend time with our family and grandchildren. We have been able to attend so many of Jonathan's sporting events including his soccer games and his little league and traveling baseball league games. We have been blessed to be able to watch Maelynn, our two year old grand daughter grow and learn so many things so fast. They both love their Papa.
Along with this move came a change of insurance plans as well as a transfer of post lung transplant care from St. Joseph's in Phoenix to the Cleveland Clinic.
So, because of his hospitalizations and his change of insurance plans, we are needing to fundraise again. Thank you for all who have shown support and for considering a donation to his fundraising campaign.
Remember, it is the end of the year, and donations are tax deductible.
We just returned from the Lung Transplant Support Organization's annual picnic. It is amazing to me the number of people who are being touched by organ transplantation. Just over night the transplant team at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center preformed TWO lung transplants. These are amazing medical professionals...
Thank you also for everyone who has made a donation to the fundraising campaign, your contributions are greatly appreciated.
It is not to late for purchasing tickets to the "Virtual Turkey Dinner" fundraiser. Just click on the link below for the information.... Thank you so much and please feel free to share Marty's campaign page with your friends and family.
Well, It is beginning to cool down here in Arizona. Time to start thinking about the upcoming holiday's and start planning those great meals. We would like to help you with your planning and help you to keep the calories to a bare minimum... From now until the end of November, we will be having a Virtual Turkey Dinner with all of the Trimmings as a fundraiser for Marty's medical expenses. We realize the economy is pretty tight right now, but we would appreciate any donations or "meal ticket" purchases for this Calorie Free meal. Another bonus, to a virtual meal fundraiser, there won't be any crowds in the grocery stores or any kitchen clean up to do... All donations are Tax Deductible and will go directly to Marty's medical expenses. Thank you so much, and please feel free to share this page with your contacts. There is an area to the right to choose where to share. Also check out the blog www.martysnewlungs.blogspot.com
I know it has been along time since this page has been updated..I kind of went through a thing where I didn't want things out there floating around in cyber space.. So what has been happening these past few years? To put it simply, LIFE. We are just living life and enjoying both the big things and the small things..
July 26th was my 5 year "Transversary". I am so grateful for the decision of organ donation that the still unknown person made that changed my life 5 years ago.
We have also been able to travel back to Ohio to visit our immediate family (they all live there with the exception of my daughter). And our grandson was able to come here to visit us this July. Boy did he have things planned for us to do.
I recently had to have some surgery to prevent "silent aspirations"(acid reflux) from getting into my lungs and possibly causing more rejection. Yes, I said more rejection, a few years back the expected chronic rejection happened. I am holding steady thanks to God and the medical team.
We haven't actively been fundraising for a while, mostly due to the economy, but we are starting up my personal fundraising campaign again. I am not sure exactly what the campaign will be, but most likely it will be an internet campaign as before, since our family and friends are scattered all over. I have noticed that the new HelpHOPELive page is a bit easier to navigate. Please feel free to share this my with your family and friends, and if you want to donate to help with my expenses before we decide what campaign will be, there is a "donate now" button. There is also a place to click on to share this page with social media, in the upper corner.
Thank you all and I will try to keep this page updated more often.
Oh, the photo is of me and the surgeon, Dr. Bremmner, who along with his team, preformed my lung transplant in 2008.
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Hey Marty, Mark and I hope you're doing well, and hope to meet up with you again some day. Prayers and positive thoughts being sent to you and Monica. Thanks for all your posts and updates...you guys keep them coming. Love your family updates, especially. You are so blessed!
Mark & Penny Pavkov
Glad you 2 are able to celebrate Christmas together, instead of 1/2 being on the sidelines watching...great to hear you're doing so well! Keep it up :)!
Tami Norris, Massillon, OH
Hey Marty, just now saw the good Nov. 2012 post. Nice! Wish I could spend some time during Christmas with you and Monica. Take care, xo
Charlotte Kennedy, Doylestown, OH
Monica and Marty,
We have not been fortunate enough to meet Marty but you have been in our prayers. God is so good and it is great to see He has brought you thru.
Dan & Cheryl Johnson, Doylestown, OH
Marty & Monica: So happy to hear this good news. I''ve been thinking about you. If you''re bored, please email me at [email protected] Best Wishes, Su
Susan McEndree Snyder, Wooster, OH
Wow - Marty looks so good. Just make him behave himself, Monica!! You will be in our prayers and we will add you to the prayer list at Crossroads when we go this morning! Our love to all of you!
Shelly & Rick Perry, Doylestown Ohio
Hi Marty:
If it will make you feel better Marty, I will send a picture of myself for you to look at. Just let me know.
Hope you feel better.
Dan Zelei
Hi Monica and Marty: So glad you are listening to Monica and that you are doing so well. You are in our prayers everyday...
Love you both,
Aunt Mona and Uncle Emil
Aunt Mona and Uncle Emil
Hello Erin, many prayers for you and your family . He looks great and i know that the doctors are doing everything to make him better. i''m so happy that he has a chance at life and GOD willing he will be alright. my love and thoughts to you and your family. you are a good friend to my daughter Monica, and a friend of monica''s has to be a beautiful person.
Lupe Gallego ,PHX, AZ
Hi Marty and Monica:
I am so happy you are doing so well Marty. We are praying for you. Mom and Dad have you on the prayer list at St. Peter and Paul and I have you on the list at Sacred Heart here in Winchester. I am getting the word out about your situation and everyone is coming together to help...I will keep you posted. I love you Marty very much and you too Monica.
Diane Zelei Houlihan
Hi Monica and Marty - as you know you are always in my prayers. You have come down a long hard road and the road will only get better! There are many prayers going out to you from all the folks here in OH. Take care, xo
Mom (Charlotte Grace:):) Barberton, OH
The Long and Winding Road....that leads you to your NEW door !!!! Take a nice long deep breath and enjoy what that door has opened up for you!
Greg, Susan and Jazzy, North Canton Oh
Hi Monica! Congratulations to you both!!
Your husband got his lungs 7 days after my husband did. It's a long journey I hear tell. My hubby was a little over 2 months from listing to tansplant. And that call is something else again isn't it?!
I'll keep you all in my prayers...God has worked more miracles in our lives than I ever imagined possible and I pray he blesses you all as well.
Here's to a new life with a FUTURE!
Marie (Bluford Day's wife - currently Cleveland Ohio, (home sweet home) Burnside KY
Hi Monica and Marty,
It's great to see 2 smiling faces in the picture. I hope this is the new start and road to recovery for a long healthy happy life for you both.
My prayers and best wishes for you guys,
Debbie Lewis (and family)
Make checks payable to:
Help Hope Live
Note in memo:
In honor of Marty Zelei
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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