Rachel Bell

Help Make a Difference

Rachel Bell is a 41-year-old woman who is very ill. Several months ago, Rachel was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a disease in which tissue deep in the lungs becomes thick and stiff, or scarred over time. The formation of scar tissue is called fibrosis. As the tissue thickens, the lungs cannot properly move oxygen into the blood stream, thus the blood become starved for oxygen. There is no cure for IPF. A double lung transplant is Rachel’s only hope.

While a lung transplant is not a cure, it will buy Rachel more time to spend with her three children and husband. Her children are her life. Rachel’s daughter Lela is 17, her son Frankie is 14, and her son Brandon is 25. Rachel looks forward to being part of their lives for many more years. Rachel would like to watch her children get married and have children of their own. Without a transplant, this will not be possible as those diagnosed with IPF are only given 2–5 years to live.

Transplants are life-saving, but financially draining. Even with insurance, Rachel is facing very high expenses including relocation for 12 months to be closer to Duke Hospital, post-transplant medications of up to $4,000/month, co-pays, lab fees, and more.

To help with the financial burden of Rachel’s uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in her 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 of the law, are held by Help Hope Live in the South-Atlantic Lung Transplant Fund, and are administered for transplant-related expenses only. Please consider a contribution.

For credit card contributions, please visit www.helphopelive.org and search for Rachel Bell, or call 800.642.8399.

Thank you for your prayers, support, and generosity. Keep an eye on Rachel’s campaign page at www.helphopelive.org because we will be planning some fundraising events soon and posting updates regularly.

Gratefully,
Stephen Michael Bell, Rachel’s husband
803.446.9628 (Michael)
803.446.2589 (Rachel)