Ellis Perez
Eillis is a 23 year old artist from Minneapolis, MN whose talents include spoken word, visual art, writing, and theater. Ellis has published zines and is also working on a novel. When Ellis isn’t creating art, they enjoy reading, collecting old photographs, watching bad reality T.V. and spending time with their partner, Max, and dog, Tuck.
Unfortunately many of Ellis’ favorite activities like rollerblading and swimming with siblings are no longer possible due to Cystic Fibrosis (CF). CF damages organs like lungs and the digestive system by creating a thick layer of mucus that causes chronic infections. Ellis has been in and out of the hospital almost every month for the last three years due to CF. They live with an oxygen tank by their side and take many medications to keep them going. Despite the best efforts of doctors and antibiotic treatments, Ellis’ lungs have had irreversible damage. There is only one option left: a double lung transplant. “Transplant wasn’t an easy choice. It was something I thought about for a long time. Ultimately any risk was worth it if it meant I would get my life back which feels like it’s been lost to my disease the last two years.” However, Ellis’ surgery is considered high risk so not many hospitals are willing to perform it. Ellis has to travel to North Carolina and get more testing done at a hospital that is willing to do the surgery before they can be listed for a lung transplant. More than anything else, Ellis wants a normal life again. A life where they get to continue creating art and spending quality time with loved ones. A life with less pain and more joy. Ellis does have hope and big goals for the future like going back to school and playing kickball with their siblings. In the meantime, Ellis continues to fight and spend as much time with loved ones as possible. “The best thing that’s come out of all of this is I really live like nothing is certain because it really isn’t. I spend time with people I love, I do things that bring me joy, I let myself rest when I need to.” Ellis advises others who are suffering from similar health issues to never be afraid of being vulnerable and asking for help. They also advise going to therapy to help cope with the mental and emotional weight of living with a disease like CF. Please help Ellis raise funds to move to North Carolina and pay for medical tests so they can be listed as a lung transplant patient and get a chance at a normal life.
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 Happy New Year! & Happy Birthday Sid! |  |
We hope you all have a wonderful 2019.
Today, January 2nd is the 34th birthday of Sid Vahal. If you haven't gotten to know Sid yet, you can learn about him here. He is the inspiration behind this nonprofit.
On this special day, we want to recap what we have accomplished in 2018 and share our 2019 goals with you.
In 2018 we...
1.) Launched our Lung Transplant Patient Support Program.
2.) Donated over $5,000 to lung transplant patients to help them with medical bills.
3.) Connected with our community at fun events such as Mini Con.
4.) Donated $5,000 to the University of Kentucky Healthcare Lung Transplant Program to support lung transplant research.
5.) Began working on the Lung Girl Animation Series script.
6.) Worked on the Lung Girl #3 comic book.
We surpassed many of our goals such as setting up the patient support program and raising thousands of dollars to help lung transplant patients with medical bills. However, we did have some goals that went unfinished. We had to push back the Lung Girl Animation series due to a lack of time and funding. We were unable to send Lung Girl #3 to the printer before the end of 2018. But, we are proud of all that we have accomplished in 2018 and excited to continue to build in 2019.
In 2019 we will...
1.) Publish the Lung Girl #3 comic book.
2.) Begin working on the Lung Girl #4 comic book.
3.) Continue growing our Lung Transplant Patient Support Program by launching the "care package" project.
4.) Donate between $5000-$7000 to the University of Kentucky Healthcare Lung Transplant Program.
5.) Apply for more grants to increase funding.
If you would like to help us reach any of our goals in 2019, please email us at info@thesidfoundation.org.
None of our accomplishments would have been possible without our generous donors, volunteers, and sponsors.
Today, January 2nd is the 34th birthday of Sid Vahal. If you haven't gotten to know Sid yet, you can learn about him here. He is the inspiration behind this nonprofit.
On this special day, we want to recap what we have accomplished in 2018 and share our 2019 goals with you.
In 2018 we...
1.) Launched our Lung Transplant Patient Support Program.
2.) Donated over $5,000 to lung transplant patients to help them with medical bills.
3.) Connected with our community at fun events such as Mini Con.
4.) Donated $5,000 to the University of Kentucky Healthcare Lung Transplant Program to support lung transplant research.
5.) Began working on the Lung Girl Animation Series script.
6.) Worked on the Lung Girl #3 comic book.
We surpassed many of our goals such as setting up the patient support program and raising thousands of dollars to help lung transplant patients with medical bills. However, we did have some goals that went unfinished. We had to push back the Lung Girl Animation series due to a lack of time and funding. We were unable to send Lung Girl #3 to the printer before the end of 2018. But, we are proud of all that we have accomplished in 2018 and excited to continue to build in 2019.
In 2019 we will...
1.) Publish the Lung Girl #3 comic book.
2.) Begin working on the Lung Girl #4 comic book.
3.) Continue growing our Lung Transplant Patient Support Program by launching the "care package" project.
4.) Donate between $5000-$7000 to the University of Kentucky Healthcare Lung Transplant Program.
5.) Apply for more grants to increase funding.
If you would like to help us reach any of our goals in 2019, please email us at info@thesidfoundation.org.
None of our accomplishments would have been possible without our generous donors, volunteers, and sponsors.
THANK YOU!
Thank you to all of you who have donated to help Stephanie Buswell pay medical bills as she goes through her lung transplant process.
In just one month, you have donated over $3,000 for Stephanie!
How Will Your Donations Help?
Stephanie is planning to use these funds to help with medical bills that include her copay for doctor visits and other bills that come about during her transplant process.
By donating, you have made Stephanie's journey a little bit less stressful. Once again thank you all for supporting Stephanie!
About Stephanie
To learn more about Stephanie's journey, click here.
Donate
If you haven't donated yet, click on the link below.
Reach Out
If you are a lung transplant patient or are about to receive a lung transplant, reach out to us so we can help you on your journey! You can learn more about our Lung Transplant Patient Support Program here.
Once again, thank you for all your donations and support!
In just one month, you have donated over $3,000 for Stephanie!
How Will Your Donations Help?
Stephanie is planning to use these funds to help with medical bills that include her copay for doctor visits and other bills that come about during her transplant process.
By donating, you have made Stephanie's journey a little bit less stressful. Once again thank you all for supporting Stephanie!
About Stephanie
To learn more about Stephanie's journey, click here.
Donate
If you haven't donated yet, click on the link below.
Reach Out
If you are a lung transplant patient or are about to receive a lung transplant, reach out to us so we can help you on your journey! You can learn more about our Lung Transplant Patient Support Program here.
Once again, thank you for all your donations and support!
“After I receive this double lung transplant I hope just the everyday living tasks are a lot easier. Just being able to spending my life making countless memories with my children without the struggle to breathe.”
Stephanie is a 32 year old Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patient who is in need of a double lung transplant. She was diagnosed with CF when she was 6 weeks old and has had many complications along the way.
Stephanie was an athlete and dancer during her childhood. Her active lifestyle kept her CF symptoms at bay for most of her school years. However, when she was a senior in high school, she was hospitalized for the first time. After high school her CF continued to worsen especially after she became pregnant with her first child at 22. The weight she gained from her first pregnancy made it difficult for her lungs to function properly. Her second pregnancy made her life even more difficult. Although she had two healthy children without CF, her health took a turn for the worse.
Stephanie is now raising her two children with only 20% lung function. Everyday tasks like playing with her children are extremely difficult for her and she spends much of her time taking breathing treatments during the day. She also stopped working at her job as a medical billing and coder and give up many hobbies such as swimming, traveling, and dancing.
In 2018 alone she has been hospitalized 5 times. She was put on oxygen 24/7 and on a feeding tube to help her gain weight. Following her last serious hospitalization episode, her doctors began the process of getting her ready for a double lung transplant. Without it, they said, she has about two more years to live.
Despite all of the hardships, Stephanie is hopeful about the future.
“After I receive this double lung transplant I hope just the everyday living tasks are a lot easier. Just being able to spending my life making countless memories with my children without the struggle to breathe.”
She also has some inspiring words and advice for others living with CF.
“I’d just like to let anyone who is fighting this disease [know] to never give up [and] always have hope. I have beaten the odds past my life expectancy of 18, [and] was told I couldn’t conceive or even birth a child. I’m very blessed with two very healthy cystic fibrosis free kids. Never let anyone tell you that you won’t or can’t. Believe in yourself and just keep fighting!”
Stephanie plans to use the funds donated for medical bills her insurance doesn’t cover such as co-pays and other post-transplant care.
You can help Stephanie on her road to a double lung transplant by donating here:
The Sid Foundation donated $3000 to the University of Kentucky Hospital Lung Transplant Program at the end of 2017 to fund lung transplant research. Here is the research we funded:
Here is a summary of the research written by the UK Healthcare team:
"The generous gift from the Sid Foundation was used in two parts. First, funds were used to support research investigating the correlation between bacteria and organ rejection in post-lung transplant patients. Their research revealed a greater need for broad spectrum antibiotics at the time of donor brain death in order to limit harmful, life threatening bacteria and increase survival rates among lung transplant patients. Tangential research will allow for more advocacy in this arena, with the ultimate goal of limiting pathogenic bacteria and improving the life span of lung transplant patients. This research was presented at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation in Niece, France. The investigators presented the attached poster. An abstract is below.
Impact of Donor Lung Pathogenic Bacteria on Patient Outcomes in the Immediate Post-transplant Period
Abstract: Lung transplantation is an effective treatment for advanced pulmonary diseases refractory to medical therapy. However, patient outcomes after lung transplantation are suboptimal compared to other solid organs. In fact, the median survival for all adult recipients is only 5.7 years. A major cause of death within the first 30 days post-transplant is the graft failure-mediated acute lung injury known as primary graft dysfunction (PGD). PGD has been associated with increased mortality, a longer duration of mechanical ventilation, and poor functional outcomes. Additionally, acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common consequence of lung transplantation. Associated with increased morbidity and mortality, it has been known to prolong both hospitalization as well as the need for mechanical ventilation postoperatively). Finally, the need for mechanical ventilation in the immediate postoperative period exposes lung transplant patients to the various risks associated with positive pressure ventilation – such as gastrointestinal hemorrhage, neuromuscular dysfunction, and ventilator associated pneumonia. Given the detrimental effects of PGD, AKI, and extended mechanical ventilation, we investigated whether the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria (PPB) in perioperative donor lung bronchial cultures was associated with said occurrences in the immediate post-transplant period. We also investigated whether PPB affected 30-day postoperative mortality rates."
"The generous gift from the Sid Foundation was used in two parts. First, funds were used to support research investigating the correlation between bacteria and organ rejection in post-lung transplant patients. Their research revealed a greater need for broad spectrum antibiotics at the time of donor brain death in order to limit harmful, life threatening bacteria and increase survival rates among lung transplant patients. Tangential research will allow for more advocacy in this arena, with the ultimate goal of limiting pathogenic bacteria and improving the life span of lung transplant patients. This research was presented at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation in Niece, France. The investigators presented the attached poster. An abstract is below.
Impact of Donor Lung Pathogenic Bacteria on Patient Outcomes in the Immediate Post-transplant Period
Abstract: Lung transplantation is an effective treatment for advanced pulmonary diseases refractory to medical therapy. However, patient outcomes after lung transplantation are suboptimal compared to other solid organs. In fact, the median survival for all adult recipients is only 5.7 years. A major cause of death within the first 30 days post-transplant is the graft failure-mediated acute lung injury known as primary graft dysfunction (PGD). PGD has been associated with increased mortality, a longer duration of mechanical ventilation, and poor functional outcomes. Additionally, acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common consequence of lung transplantation. Associated with increased morbidity and mortality, it has been known to prolong both hospitalization as well as the need for mechanical ventilation postoperatively). Finally, the need for mechanical ventilation in the immediate postoperative period exposes lung transplant patients to the various risks associated with positive pressure ventilation – such as gastrointestinal hemorrhage, neuromuscular dysfunction, and ventilator associated pneumonia. Given the detrimental effects of PGD, AKI, and extended mechanical ventilation, we investigated whether the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria (PPB) in perioperative donor lung bronchial cultures was associated with said occurrences in the immediate post-transplant period. We also investigated whether PPB affected 30-day postoperative mortality rates."
If this still sounds too complicated to understand, don't worry. Your donations are helping increase the survival rate of lung transplant patients by funding lung transplant research.
Thank you for your donations!
To help us keep growing, click here.
Thank you for your donations!
To help us keep growing, click here.
Your donations to The Sid Foundation have helped so many. Here is a detailed breakdown of how we have used your donations for the last three years:
Thank you for watching and for donating to us over the years!
To help us continue to grow, donate here.
To help us continue to grow, donate here.
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