Sandy Ashe

Fighting for a Second Chance at Life

I’m a 60-year-old mom, nana, and widow. In 2023, I lost my husband, and since then I’ve been doing my best to move forward. More than anything, I want to get back to an active life and return to work, but COPD and emphysema have severely damaged my lungs. Now, a lung transplant is my only hope to breathe freely again and regain the life I love.

Diagnosis

I’ve been fighting COPD for 18 years, and for the past 7 years I’ve relied on oxygen 24 hours a day just to get by. My lung function is now very poor, and my doctors have told me that I will need a double lung transplant. This is my only chance to regain strength, breathe on my own again, and work toward living a more active life.

Personality

I love spending time with my family—whether it’s playing board games, fishing, or enjoying the water. The beach has always been my soft spot. I also find joy in giving back by volunteering at church and delivering Meals on Wheels. I try to live with a positive outlook, believing that today is a good day for a good day. I’m happiest surrounded by loved ones, and of course, with my dog Copper by my side.

Medical Challenges

Everyday tasks are a struggle. I have limited ability to do even simple things without stopping to catch my breath. I’m on oxygen 24 hours a day, which makes activities most people take for granted—like taking a shower—unbelievably hard. At night, I rely on a Bi-Pap machine, which means I rarely get a good night’s sleep and often wake up exhausted. On top of this, my constant need for steroids has led to a recent diagnosis of diabetes, adding another challenge to my health journey.

Need to Fundraise

As you can see, it’s been a hard road, but I am meeting my challenges with resilience and hope. This is the part where you come in. I’m facing significant financial challenges due to my diagnosis, and I’m fundraising to help with the costs of co-insurance, pre-transplant care, and the surgery itself.

After the transplant, it is mandatory that I stay close to the hospital for up to three months. That means extra expenses for housing and food while I recover away from home. My transplant team estimates my out-of-pocket costs will be around $10,000, and that amount could double if there are any setbacks or complications. On top of this, I will need life-long anti-rejection medications to keep my new lungs healthy.

Your generosity will help relieve these burdens so I can focus fully on healing and getting stronger.

Hope for the Future

I hope this lung transplant will allow me to return to a normal life—finding a job, continuing to volunteer, and spending as much time as possible with my family. Most of all, I look forward to enjoying the outdoors again and doing the activities we love together.

How to Help

Please donate to help Hope Live in Sandy’s honor. Every gift, no matter the size, makes a difference. You can also help by sharing my story and asking your friends and family to give, too.

We would love to plan some fundraisers, so if you’d like to help in that way, please reach out to me at [email protected].

Would you like me to also create a shortened version (3–4 sentences) you can put at the very top of the donation page for people who don’t scroll all the way down?