A Plea For Help

This is the plight of a patient on the waiting list for a lung transplant that does not have a support person. Several people in the lung transplant community have decided to help by forming a “team” of care givers to be available and on hand to share support duties at Toronto General Hospital when the time comes. It is a requirement that lung transplant recipients have an adequate social support system in place prior to the surgery.

This is an invitation and call for help if you are female and someone who has been through the process, either as a care-giver/support person or a recipient.

The patient’s name is Luanne Terreberry, a 53 year-old mother of two from Welland, Ontario who was diagnosed with COPD in 1995.

She wrote me to say that when she receives her transplant she will have very little or no support in the hospital.

Two people have already volunteered but they cannot be full-time care givers. Lori Brien of Waterloo (wife of double-lung recipient Grant Hagerty) will be the coordinator for “Team Luanne” and contact all volunteers to make arrangements and scheduling to be in place when Luanne receives her transplant.

Luanne has a very positive outlook and desperately wants her transplant. She has been on the waiting list since May, 2005 but needs to stay on the list by showing that she has an adequate social network in place to provide support and care. Knowing that she has a support team in place will be very reassuring and comforting to her as she waits for her call.

Can you help? If yes, email me your phone number and email address and you will be contacted soon.

Thanks for considering this. Merv.