Donna Lentini Scheibner's family is uniting to raise money to help with the costs of the double lung transplant she will be receiving.
Three years ago, our mom, Donna started having breathing issues. Being a health and fitness expert her entire life, she knew something was wrong. After two sinus surgeries and many misdiagnosis, this past Thanksgiving, she was diagnosed with an extremely rare disease called PVOD (Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease). PVOD occurs in 1 in 8 million people. It is a rapidly progressing incurable disease of the lungs with a double lung transplant being the only chance at survival. There is no known cause of this disease. If there was anyone in the world that could get through this feat, it would be our mom. For those of you that know her, we can all agree that no one deserves these lungs more. For anyone that doesn't know her, Donna is the most compassionate and loving mother, grandmother, and friend. She has always put everyone first throughout her entire life. Donna's positive energy and happy personality have been helping to put smiles on peoples faces for the past 50+ years. Now it's our time to help put a smile on her face when she needs it most. These days Donna spends most of her time resting at home or venturing out to doctor's appointments with the help of family and friends. Things that used to be so easy have become extremely difficult as she requires the aid of oxygen 24/7. As each day goes by her PVOD is continuing to progress rapidly and a double lung transplant is necessary for survival. Our family is devastated by the news, however we are hopeful that within the next few weeks, our mom will be approved to receive a double lung transplant at the Penn Transplant Institute at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pa. While this opportunity is an indescribable blessing, the surgery is estimated to be 1.5 million dollars, and even with insurance covering some of the cost we will need to raise funds to cover those expenses not provided: co-pays, family visits, at home care and hospital fees. Most importantly, Donna will be required to live within 50 miles of the hospital due to the numerous weekly doctor appointments post surgery. This means a costly relocation to the Philadelphia area. Through this rough transition, our mom could use our love and support more than ever. This is where we really need you. Donna's mission is to relax, stay calm and focus on a new life with a new set of lungs. Our mission is to help cover most or all of the cost so she can focus on her health and not worry about the bills. Whether it be $5 or $500, every little bit helps. If you can make a contribution, every cent will be received with love, thanks and gratitude. If you cannot make a monetary donation, every prayer, thought or pre-cooked dinner:) is appreciated. For the past 35 years, Donna's mission in life was to keep people healthy as a personal trainer. Now it's time to give back to her. Let's help give our mother the new life that she deserves and hopefully we'll all be breathing easier very soon. Hope is wishing something would happen. Faith is believing something will happen. Courage is making something happen. We have hope and faith that our mom will be ok. We know she has the courage to overcome even the darkest days ahead, because with dark comes light and her bright and beautiful light will continue to shine as she continues to be our beacon of hope.