Joanne Iuliucci

Dear Family and Friends,

As many of you know, my mom Joanne was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and was told she would need a life-saving lung transplant. On June 29, all of our wishes came true and she finally received the surgery that completely changed her life. My mom received the gift of life!

Joanne had a speedy recovery and is now home from New York Presbyterian Hospital, each day becoming stronger than her last and using her new lungs well! She is always encouraging everyone she meets to become an organ donor, and when she feels strong enough she would also like to invite everyone to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge with her, as that has been her dream for quite some time now.

I would just like to thank everyone who has taken the time to share your love and support while my mom awaited her much needed, life-saving lung transplant. She has faced so many challenges in the past year, but all of the family and friends who stood by her side never stopped believing that she would get better and always kept a smile on her face.

My mom has always looked at the world in such a positive way and after this surgery I have never seen her shine so bright. After everything she has been through she still seems to look for the best qualities in people and loves her family and friends with all of her heart.

She is doing extremely well with her new lungs and her progress is mainly due to the medications and the nurses that are visiting her at home. As you can imagine Joanne’s journey has led to staggering medical bills – expenses have already begun to accumulate and will continue to grow over the years due to the costly anti-rejection medications Joanne will need to take for the rest of her life. Even with insurance the cost of transplantation is overwhelming. Because of this, we must continue to rely on those with giving and caring hearts.

To help ease the burden of these on-going medical expenses, a fundraising campaign in Joanne’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive (formerly NTAF), a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for nearly 30 years. All contributions are tax deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the New York Lung Transplant Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for transplant-related expenses only. Any size gift will be so appreciated. To make a donation:I am appealing to you on Joanne’s behalf and ask that you thoughtfully consider making a donation today. Thank you and God bless.

Nicole Iuliucci
347-280-7749