News

“ASHLEY’S ANGELS”

HELPING TO FUND LUNG TRANSPLANT!

Sunbury native Ashley Spotts is like a lot of 19 year-olds – she likes riding her horse, Flicka,
shopping, swimming, and hanging out with her friends. She also enjoys working out on the trampoline
and driving four-wheelers, dirt bikes, or go-karts. And close to her heart are her two nephews, Allen, 2,
and one year-old Jayden. As a 2009 high school graduate, she should have a full life ahead of her.

But unlike a lot of teenagers her age, Ashley has to deal with cystic fibrosis (CF), diabetes, and asthma.
Recently, her CF physician at Hershey Medical Center suggested that she go on the list for a lung transplant
due to her deteriorating lung condition. CF is the most common genetic disease among children and young adults,
and it primarily impacts the respiratory and digestive systems. People with CF have to take digestive enzymes
to help their body absorb food and most do three times daily nebulizer/chest percussion treatments to loosen
the thick mucus in their lungs. Progressive research has increased the life span to a median of 37 years,
but thirty years ago it was only about 15 years.

Enter Joshua Richard, founder of Walk On Foundation (see www.walkonfoundation.com) in Milton.
The Walk On Foundation is a nonprofit organization that aligns the resources of individuals and corporations
to impact the lives of community members by providing assistance with medical equipment, safety devices,
and financial assistance related to medical hospitalization.

“We really wanted to do something to help this family,” Richard said. He contacted Kingdom Kidz Puppet Ministry
(see www.hiskingdomkidz.org) in Milton and they responded favorably. Donna Bridge, the director,
noted that the organization began as an outreach ministry of St. Andrew’s UMC in Milton
in December of 2000. Since then, the ministry team has traveled over 11,000 miles through four states
in presenting over 200 programs in churches, nursing homes, block parties, schools, malls, and private events.

Richard also contacted Pennsylvania Cystic Fibrosis, Inc.,
an independent, nonprofit, all volunteer 501 (c)(3) organization that provides services
and supports for families affected by CF and raises funds for CF research.

“We’re always willing to help with CF transplant funds,” Betty Hollenbach, current PACFI president, said.
“And we’ve been working with the Spotts family for several years in helping them get
what’s needed for Ashley’s health care.”

Walk On Foundation arranged for a fundraiser to be held at the New Hope Baptist Church
in Middleburg on Saturday, November 21, from 6-8 PM. The public is invited to attend and the event
will feature a bake sale and an hour long puppet show by Kingdom Kidz.

With the approval of Ashley and her family, the many fundraisers being planned will benefit
the newly formed Ashley’s Angels Transplant Fund. According to Ashley’s mother, Christine,
Ashley liked the sound of Ashley’s Angels because it included her brother, George,
who died due to CF in 2004 at 12 years-old. “Ashley’s Angels” will include anyone who helps
with fundraisers or donates to the transplant fund. PACFI has already donated $1000 to the fund.

“We’re going to meet with the transplant staff at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
on Monday, November 9th,” Christine said. The Hospital is one of the leading transplant centers
in the United States. She noted that Ashley wants to keep in touch with her friends and meet new people,
so Ashley invites people to email her at ashlinn17@aol.com. Ashley has been hospitalized
at Hershey Medical Center for most of the past month.

Lung transplants cost around $550,000, and the Hospital staff will tell the Spotts family how much
will be paid by their insurance and how much remains to be paid by other means.
Many times insurance will pay 80% or more of the costs, and that leaves about $110,000
to be paid by other means. Each transplant candidate is given a “lung allocation score”
that is based on several health related items listed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).
UNOS determines a person’s standing on the transplant list based on the severity of their condition.
According the national Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, lung transplants were first performed in the United States
in the early 1980’s. Today, with progressive improvements, about 90% of people with CF
are alive one year after a lung transplant, and 50% survive at least five years or more.

Anyone who wants to donate to Ashley’s Angels Transplant Fund can make a check out to
‘PACFI’ and mail it to PACFI, c/o Ashley’s Angels, P.O. Box 29, Mifflinburg, PA 17844.

For those who want to donate online, click the 'Donate' button on this website and do the following:
* Click on the 'Guidestar' icon
* Type in "Pennsylvania Cystic Fibrosis, Inc." where it says 'Start Your Search'
* Click 'donate' under the name 'Pennsylvania Cystic Fibrosis, Inc.' on the Organization Name Chart
* Type in the amount, donation preference, and what information you want to share.
Under 'Designation,' type in Ashley's Angels Transplant Fund.
* Follow remaining instructions
We're working with Walk On Foundation and Kingdom Kidz puppet ministry to raise needed funds.