William Stauffer

Please Help Our Brother Survive!

Billy Stauffer’s life has been thrown into upheaval since the time he was diagnosed with emphysema, fibrosis and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). His condition had worsened over time to the point where a lung transplant was needed in order to survive and to survive with an improved quality of life. He is currently at Northwestern Hospital in downtown Chicago. As he was completing the required testing, we received the call and late Sunday night, on July 24th, Billy received the gift of life! His surgeon was able to give him a double lung transplant. The surgery went well, but Billy is not out of the woods yet. He has a long road to recovery and needs your help!

Billy has had to overcome many obstacles in his life. When he was just 6-months-old, our mother had a stroke which paralyzed her right side. The five of us children became very close, and we learned how to work together and take care of each other. Billy, being the youngest child and still living at home, helped to take care of our aging parents. Until being admitted into the hospital, he lived with his sisters Carolyn and Pam who took great care of him. He also has a brother Raymond and sister Lynda who will be helping with his recovery and hospital visits. His daughter Stephanie lives close and is with him on a regular basis and will also be there for him to help with his recovery.

Transplants are lifesaving but financially draining. Even with Medicare coverage, there are co-pays and deductibles. Anti-rejection medication costs could top $20,000 and we anticipate some will not be covered by Medicare. These are medications he will need to take for the rest of his life and he reaches his prescription drug donut hole very quickly each year. Also a caregiver is required to stay downtown close to the hospital so we are looking into lodging and the cost of parking is adding up quickly. Once transplanted, he will need to be at the clinic at Northwestern Hospital for follow up visits three or four times a week. These expenses are more than we as a family can handle on our own.

To help with the financial burden of Billy’s uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in his honor has been established with Help Hope Live, 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 to the full extent allowed by law, are held by Help Hope Live in the North-Central Lung Transplant Fund, and are administered by Help Hope Live for transplant-related expenses only. Please consider a contribution.

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

Billy’s greatest joy is spending time with his daughter, Stephanie, and his family. Billy is looking forward to no longer being tethered to his 50-foot hose connected to his four oxygen tanks. He has a second chance at life and appreciates the opportunity he is given. If we all work together, we can make Billy’s prospects for the future much brighter. We thank you for your continued prayers, support, and generosity.

Billy’s siblings-

Carolyn Kueffner
Raymond Stauffer
Lynda Root
Pam Kreeger (708-280-6183, [email protected] )