James Hall

James Hall is in the fight of his life, but if you know James, you know that his illness is only one part of his story. His faith, his love for the people around him, and his desire to encourage others have become an even bigger part of it.

James is living with advanced pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive disease that causes scarring of the lungs and makes it increasingly difficult for his body to get the oxygen it needs. His condition has progressed to chronic respiratory failure with hypoxia, leaving him dependent on supplemental oxygen throughout the day.

Over time, life has changed dramatically.

Things most of us rarely think about, walking across a parking lot, going somewhere on his own, or simply moving around without struggling to breathe, have become increasingly difficult. James has also faced other serious medical challenges along the way, including a stroke that resulted in the loss of vision in his left eye.

But those challenges do not define James.

Those closest to him have watched him lean deeper into his faith during this season. James loves studying God’s Word, asking questions, talking about what he is learning, and encouraging the people around him. Even while facing uncertainty about his own health, he continues looking for ways God can use his circumstances to reach and encourage someone else.

Today, James is fighting for the opportunity to receive a lung transplant.

He has been undergoing an extensive evaluation at Duke, including months of appointments, testing, and consultations to determine whether he can be approved and placed on the lung transplant waiting list.

We are now at the final stage of that evaluation.

If James is approved and placed on the transplant list, life will change very quickly. He and his caregivers will need to temporarily relocate to Durham, North Carolina, so he can remain close to Duke and be ready when donor lungs become available. His transplant team has indicated that the wait could potentially be relatively short once he is listed, although there is no way to know exactly when the right donor lungs will become available.

A transplant would also begin an entirely new journey involving major surgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation, frequent follow-up appointments, medications, caregiving, and an extended period of recovery.

That is why we are asking for help.

Family and friends of James are raising funds through the nonprofit Help Hope Live to assist with eligible uninsured medical and transplant-related expenses. Funds raised can help with costs associated with James’s transplant journey, including temporary lodging near Duke, transportation, medical expenses, medications, rehabilitation, and other eligible needs before and after transplant.

Our hope, however, is that this campaign becomes about more than raising money.

James wants his life back. He wants the freedom to breathe more easily, regain independence, spend meaningful time with family and friends, and participate in everyday life without his lungs determining what he can and cannot do.

But James also hopes God will use this journey for something bigger than himself.

There have been setbacks. There have been difficult days, uncertainty, and plenty of questions without immediate answers. Yet through all of it, James continues to trust that God is present and that his circumstances do not have the final word.

Jesus said in Matthew 19:26:

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

That verse has special meaning as James approaches this next step.

We do not yet know what Duke’s final decision will be. We do not know when donor lungs might become available or exactly what the road ahead will look like.

But we know Who holds James’s future.

If you feel led to help, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Help Hope Live in James’s honor. You can also help tremendously by sharing James’s campaign with your family, friends, church, coworkers, and community.

And whether or not you are able to give financially, please pray.

Pray for James. Pray for wisdom for his medical team. Pray that he will be approved for transplant. Pray for strength for the journey ahead. And pray for the donor and donor family whose story may one day become forever connected with James’s.

Every donation helps. Every share helps. Every prayer matters.

Thank you for walking alongside James.

We are praying for new lungs, but even more, we are praying that through every breath James is given, his story points people toward Jesus.