As many of you know, Tammy, 43 years old, has suffered with a life-long asthma condition that unfortunately, over the last year, has progressed into what the doctors are saying is "end-stage". She's been a patient of one of the "best" pulmonary physicians in our area since she was a teenager. Unfortunately, after a fall in April of 2013, that resulted in Tammy having to have surgery on her nose, which resulted in the intubation from the surgery causing significant complications for her, as her condition worsened afterward, she was referred over to the physicians at UAB - Birmingham. There, they have performed extensive testing in an effort to determine if there are any ways to treat, or to slow down the aggressiveness of her condition, to no avail, her only option being transplant. As of Oct. 2013, she has been placed on the transplant list, and we are awaiting the "the call". Tammy is currently having lots of difficulties maintaining a level of stability in her breathing, as we just finished an 8 day stay in the hospital. A pulmonary function test in Dec. 2013 showed she only had 44% use of her lungs, and again this Feb., the test showed she's lost another 15%, and is currently only at 30% use. The high doses of steroids over the years have also created a condition for her called Avascular Necrosis, which causes deterioration of the bones, particularly in the joints, (knees & elbows), that causes her a tremendous amount of pain and discomfort as well. As a teenager, Tammy's asthma was what we thought was bad, but over the years, seemed to have improved, at least to the point of being somewhat "controlled". After high school, she attempted nursing school, as this was her life's ambition to become a nurse, not only to establish a good career for herself, but to have the opportunity to genuinely be able to care for others. Unfortunately, due to her condition at that time, was forced to abandon those dreams. The asthma became more controllable as years went by, and she was eventually able to return to school and complete her education and earn her degree, to become an RN, but only got to work for 4-5 years, until her asthma really progressed again, and as of June of 2013, she could no longer perform hardly any type of physical activity, and as a result, has had to forfeit her ambitions once again. Our home is another issue. It was Tammy's childhood home that her parents built in 1964, and resided in up until about four years ago, at which point we were forced to place her parents in care facilities, due to their health and well being. They could no longer reside in the house, as it had become a "hoarder home", much like you see on the TV show "HOARDERS". It took 9 solid months just to get the house back "habitable" again, and have been working on it diligently for the last 3 years. We've made good progress, but still got a long way to go. There are many issues still left to deal with, issues that if not addressed in time, Tammy will not be able to return home after her transplant, as it may be dangerous for her to be in the house. Many things, as you can imagine, will change in our lives after her transplant. Not only has Tammy's career been placed on hold, but mine as well, as I am committed to her 24/7, and to her recovery after the transplant, neither one of us able to work, medical expenses (not covered by our insurance), expenses on our home, and daily expense/cost of living have depleted our savings and finances. Anyone who feels it's in their hearts to give, donations, monetary or other, are greatly needed, and very deeply appreciated. There has been an account set up for Tammy, specifically named, "Tammy Pope/Special Account", at
BankPlus
217 Clinton Boulevard
Clinton, MS. 39056
but, donations can be made in any BankPlus branch under that name. Donations can also be made to:
First Pentecostal Church
c/o Tammy/Billy Ray Pope Family
5000 I-55 S. Jackson, MS. 39272-5505
Donations can also be made through PayPal by clicking this donation link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=YGEQZ9HVSPDCA&lc=US&item_name=Tammy%20Pope%20%2d%20Double%20Lung%20Transplant%2fBenefit%20Page¤cy_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF%3abtn_donateCC_LG%2egif%3aNonHosted
We also have a GoFundMe donation link set up as Tammy Pope Double Lung Transplant
Thank You, and God Bless Each of You!
