Joanne Newell

As some of you may know, in 2004 I was diagnosed with a rare lung disease called, Pulmonary LangerHans Cell Histiocytosis. Now, at 61 years old, my doctors have told me that my only chance of survival is a double-lung transplant.

I am a resident of Vergennes, Vermont; the proud mother of two children and the partner of a supportive and loving man. I grew up in Burlington and graduated from Burlington High School in 1974. It was my pleasure to work in the kitchen at BF Goodrich for 20 years, serving my peers with healthy meals.

A double-lung transplant will be life-saving for me, but financially draining. Even with insurance, I will have very high out-of-pocket expenses, including travel and relocation to the transplant center, doctor visits, and the costly anti-rejection medications I will have to take for the rest of my life.

To help off-set these expenses, a fundraising campaign in my honor has been established with HelpHOPELive. You can be sure that funds donated will be used only to pay or reimburse medically-related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Donate Now button.

For more information, please contact HelpHOPELive at 800.642.8399.

Your support would be extremely helpful as I continue my journey to receiving healthy lungs. Thank you in advance for your help.