Rick Geiss

Family and friends of Rick Geiss are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with an upcoming double lung transplant and bypass surgery in 2024, schedules and dates are still being determined as we continue to prep Rick for this life changing surgery.

If you know Rick, you know he is a FIGHTER. He has fought cancer (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia) twice earlier in life, and received a bone marrow transplant following the second bout at the age of 23 through a selfless stem cell donation from an anonymous donor (at the time, now she is part of the family!). He has lived 18 years CANCER FREE.

In those 18 years, he has enjoyed golfing with his parents Rick Sr & Sue and sister Liz. He met his wife Krystal in December of 2009, they got married on December 14, 2018. He also enjoys spending time with his niece Alyssa and nephew Evan on and off the golf course. His dog Ernie is the latest light of his life.

In addition to time with family, he is very involved in his community in Western Kenosha County. He and Krystal moved to her family’s farm in Twin Lakes in June of 2016. He became a volunteer firefighter with the Town of Randall in 2016 and says the volunteer firefighters and EMTs have become an extended family to him. His favorite part of being a volunteer is giving back to the community, helping those in need as well as fulfilling a lifelong dream of following in his dad’s footsteps as a firefighter. Rick Sr’s service of 29 years on the Racine Fire Department, provided this shining example for him. Rick has been employed with Secure Fire & Safety, LLC for the last 5 years, checking and monitoring fire and life safety equipment for the company’s clients all over Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. He is a member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Twin Lakes.

Rick is now 41 years young and is again facing a health condition that he needs support from his family, friends and community.

Rick has been battling Advanced Lung Disease (Bronchiolitius Obliterans) for the last 14 years. This is a rare chronic disease that worsens over time and is a result of graft vs host disease following his bone marrow transplant. He has been in the care of a very dedicated and thoughtful medical team at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin for all of these years as follow up on his health since his transplant in 2005.

In November 2023, Rick underwent a full work up of tests and trials over 10 days in Madison to see how his lung disease had progressed and for a recommendation to the UW transplant committee on whether or not he could qualify for a transplant to improve his quality of life and extend his life expectancy.

During a chest CT scan during the November tests, there was calcification found in his arteries that was further investigated through a heart catheterization to look at both sides of his heart. It was recommended that he have either bypass surgery or stents placed on the main artery into his heart to clear the blockage.

If he was to receive the stents, this would prolong his lung transplant by no less than 6 months for recovery and time to re-test him for the lung transplant. Ultimately, the diagnosis was that if the transplant was approved, bypass surgery would be simultaneously performed at the time of the lung transplant to avoid any further delays.

The decision from the Transplant Committee and Rick’s team came on Friday November 25, 2023 with Transplant Approval with Qualifications.

Qualifications included weight gain, Rick was 127 lbs at the time of testing and needs to be 150lbs or more or a BMI of 18+. This is achieved by increased caloric intake and strength training that will aid him in recovery following the transplant/bypass procedure.

He has more testing and continuous follow ups in the coming weeks to his next transplant team appointment in January.

So, how can We Help Rick?

First, we are partnering with Help Hope Live to support Rick with funding to cover any and all uninsured medical related expenses before, during and after his transplant. You can visit their IMPACT page to see how many families and patients they have helped and supported through these same types of transplants.

Next, iIf you are unable to donate monetarily, we have a meal train started on mealtrain.org to support Ricky with meals, snacks and protein drinks to gain the weight and strength needed for this surgery. https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/ek4ng1

And lastly, in the coming months and year we will be holding multiple fundraising events and are looking for donated help & planning, prizes and venues to hold these events for the public to attend. If you can help in any way with your time or fundraising resources, please reach out to any of Rick’s family members.

Thank you for your love & support!

Rick and his family have chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button. For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.