We are very excited to announce the grant we have received this month from a small company called Google (you may have heard of it).
We are part of the Google for Nonprofits program and we have been awarded $10,000 a month to use for Google Ads. How does this help us with our mission? It helps us reach more awesome people like you! More specifically... 1. It helps us reach more lung transplant patients whom we can support with our services. 2. It helps us reach more donors who can help us keep the lights on and keep our projects growing. 3. It helps us educate more people about lung transplants and lung health. We are immensely grateful and excited about this grant. It will help us continue to develop our nonprofit and help more lung transplant patients around the country and around the world. Learn more about the Google Ad Grants here. A HUGE thank you to Google for supporting small nonprofits like ours! As always, a HUGE thank you to our donors and supports for keeping us going!
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Thank you to everyone who helped us raise funds for Ellis Perez.
Because of your donations we are able to give Ellis $1,000 for their journey to get a double lung transplant! How Will Your Donations Help Ellis? You are helping Ellis 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. About Ellis To read more about Ellis' journey click here. Donations If you haven't donated to Ellis' fundraiser yet, it's not too late! Donate here: Reach Out If you are a lung transplant patient that could use our help, please don't hesitate to reach out to us through the website, social media, or email (info@thesidfoundation.org). Once again, a huge thank you to our donors for helping patients like Ellis Perez beat the odds and helping us change the statistics for lung transplant patients!
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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