In 2005, I was diagnosed with the genetic lung disease familial idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This disease basically creates scar tissue around your lungs which in the end prevents them from expanding, making breathing very difficult especially with exertion. There is no cure; the only hope is to have a successful lung transplant.

In May of 2013 we found out we were expecting baby number three. Despite the clearances from the doctors to proceed with a pregnancy, I was in and out of the hospital that summer with small complications but my doctors continued to put my mind at ease telling me once the baby is born they would wean me off the oxygen. That didn’t happen. By November 7, I was admitted to the ICU for respiratory failure. I was only 31 weeks pregnant. Five days later my whole world felt like it came crashing down. I remember yelling “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe”. My next memory is waking up with a tube down my throat and no baby in my belly. I had flat lined as did my baby.

My fiancé, Dave, remained at my side and reassured me that the baby was in the NICU and doing okay. We named our beautiful baby boy Chance. By my six week checkup, I still was dependent on the oxygen so two months later, my pulmonary doctor felt that it was time for me to be evaluated for a transplant and to get all the clearances to be put on the list. I was shocked. By October 2014 I was placed on the wait list for a double lung transplant.

Even with insurance, we are facing very high transplant-related expenses. As of now I take about ten medications daily. After transplant, that number will increase significantly and the cost is exorbitant. As my caregiver, Dave must relocate near the center at the time of transplant. There will be the loss of his income at the time when we have to maintain our home and pay relocation costs. Travel back and forth to the center is 2.5 hours each way. These expenses and more are astronomical and a challenge we cannot face alone.

To help with the financial burden of my uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in my honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. All donations are tax-deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the Mid-Atlantic Lung Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Please, consider a contribution.

For credit card contributions, please click the Donate Now button.

Please know that your contribution counts. Thank you in advance for your kind consideration.

Gratefully,
Alicia Hoover
717-265-3799
AliciaHoov84@gmail.com)