Terry Freeman

WE INVITE YOUR HELP!

Let me begin by giving a little background info as to how “we” came to be here. “We” are Terry and Sharon Freeman and have been married 29 years. Terry isn’t a huge technology fan, so I (Sharon) am overseeing this page.

Terry was diagnosed about 8 years ago with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This illness causes uncontrollable development of fibrotic tissue within the lungs, effectively eliminating their ability to transfer oxygen into the blood. This, obviously, is not a good thing. The disease is progressive and, while there are medications that may slow its progress, there is no cure. Victims eventually become hypoxic and pass away without the intervention of lung transplantation.

Terry’s condition worsened significantly in August, 2021 and so we have begun the journey towards a double lung transplant. We are extremely hopeful that the “old Terry” will be back after the transplant surgery and rehabilitation. That said, our transplant team tells us that this is an extremely risky and brutal surgery for the body to withstand and complications are the norm rather than the exception.

Cost of this type of surgery easily reaches $1 million. We are extremely blessed to have good insurance; however, insurance doesn’t cover all the incidental expenses like commuting to and from the hospital during Terry’s stay and then to rehab and other appointments after his discharge. We are fortunate that we do not have to move to Chapel Hill and rent housing prior to surgery; however, we do have a 120-mile round trip journey and then parking expenses, etc. for each trip. The incidentals will add up quickly.

Based on the recommendations of our transplant social worker and financial assistant, we are going to do some fundraising to help out with these and unforeseen expenses that may crop up. We don’t know when Terry will have his surgery, so we want to go ahead and get started now so we don’t get caught off guard and have to get this set up in a rush.

Terry and I have chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses and they will absolutely ease our minds as we move forward with the rather intimidating process. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the GIVE button. If you’d like to organize a group fundraiser on our behalf, contact me, Sharon, at [email protected] or (919) 624-7963 and we will help you get things organized. Also, please share Terry’s page on your social media.

For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

Thank you for your support!