Steven Finley

MAYO Transplant Group has selected Steven (Steve) Finley for a lung transplant.

Family and friends are raising money for the nonprofit organization, Help Hope Live, to fund Steve’s uninsured medical expenses associated with the transplantation process. He is currently on the deferred list. However, after satisfying his final MAYO requirements, he expects to be on the transplant list in late 2024 or early 2025.

Steve chose to fundraise for Help Hope Live, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Your generous contributions in honor of Steve can only be used for expenses related to his lung transplant process.

To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.

Background:

Steve awoke the morning of October 30, 2022, with a severe cough. After seeing his family doctor, he was hospitalized for pneumonia. During a follow-up with the MAYO Clinic, Steve was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The cause of Steve’s disease is unknown and there is no cure. Left as is, patients typically last 2-5 years after diagnosis. Fortunately, Steve is healthy in all other aspects.

The disease limits Steve’s physical activity due to the lack of oxygen his lungs can process. To improve quality of life and hopefully extend it, MAYO plans to conduct a lung transplant. Depending on Steve’s ongoing condition and when suitable lungs are located, this process can take a couple days or a couple years.

Since his 2022 diagnosis, Steve travels every 1 to 3 months to the MAYO clinic for checkups and testing. These trips take anywhere from a couple days to 10 days. As you may imagine, a lung transplant is a costly procedure. On average, the surgery costs between $800,000 to $1,200,000. After surgery, Steve will be prescribed around 40 different critical medications for his care. MAYO estimates the cost for these medications to be approximately $15,000/ month. The typical hospital stay after a lung transplant patient is 7-21 days. Plus, Steve and his dedicated caregiver are required to live within 30 minutes of the Jacksonville MAYO Clinic for a minimum of 3 months after surgery. Of course these are best case scenarios. After surgery, Steve will be a lifelong MAYO patient as local hospitals typically do not care for transplant patients.

Funds:

The Help Hope Live organization sets aside 97% of your donations to assist patients. Please note credit card donations incur an additional fee. If you prefer, your donation may be mailed to the Help Hope Live address shown on this web page. Additional information about the Help Hope Live organization can be found on their website.

If you would like more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.
Thank you for your support!