Happy Saturday to all. A quick update.

Duke has asked us to fly out for two days of onsite evaluations. We are a bit anxious about flying in a pandemic, so we will have to figure that out, but it is good news that they are taking the next step in the process.

Thank you all for the support.

Cheers to all!

 Hello to all,

It has been some time since we/I have provided an update, and in doing so today, I also have an ask.

Last winter, Laura was having some breathing issues and felt that something was not right. After numerous tests, the doctors determined that she was again in chronic rejection. Not the best news during a pandemic.

Following the diagnosis, she tried numerous procedures to slow her decline, but nothing was effective. As we entered fall, her lung function was in the high 20% range and required her to be on oxygen 24/7. Today she is confined to a wheelchair and in need of a 3rd double lung transplant.

Entering into the testing and evaluation stage for the third has been difficult. Due to the two prior rejections, doctors are concerned that a third outcome would be similar. Couple that with the actual surgery, which is very complex and difficult for the patient. (To date, there have been less than 20 third lung transplants in the US.)

We have gone through the review phase with UCLA, St. Joe's, and UCSF. All have declined Laura for a third. Tomorrow she will complete the last test for pre-evaluation for Duke. Duke is the leader in third transplants, completing 8. After tomorrow's final test, the team will send her results to Duke for review. When we clear that hurdle, we will then fly to Duke for an onside evaluation. That would then place her on the list for a third transplant.

We are fortunate to have a group of friends that provides so much support. Team Laura has enabled our family to make it through two previous transplants, and we would really like a third. So the ask, if you could continue to send your positive energy over the next few days, maybe a little extra if it could be spared, given the times, it would be greatly appreciated. We would have never made it this far without you all. We can not express the gratitude we have for all of you. We can not thank you enough.

Cheers,

The Zs

 Happy Holidays to all. We hope you are enjoying the holidays. We wanted to thank you so much for the generous donations to Strong and Salty. Laura and been working with UCSF to coordinate the distribution of the funds. Everyone is very excited, and your donations will make a difference.

Several people have asked how to donate. There are links within the website listed below to donate online. The other option is to send a check: The check should be made out to the Social Good Fund, and StrongandSalty should be listed in the note field. You can mail those checks to:

StrongandSalty

460 Center Street, P.O. Box 6249

Moraga, CA 94579

In both cases, you will receive a receipt for tax purposes.

We hope everyone stays safe, enjoy the time with friends and family.

Cheers,

The Zellmers

Happy Fall to all,

We hope you are all enduring through these times.  I wanted to make everyone away that the foundation that Laura started is now online.  www.strongandsalty.org is live!!!!   It took a bit longer than expected but is the start of something great.

Please take a look. Please share with friends and family.

More to come. 

Cheers,

The Z's

Stongnsalty is a real .org

Happy Holidays to all.  

We are very excited to announce that Strong & Salty, the non-profit we have been working to establish is officially a 501(c)(3) through the fiscal sponsorship of Social Good Fund! 

The mission of Strong & Salty is to enhance the quality of life of transplant patients and their families by taking away financial worries, decreasing wait times for organs, and increasing life expectancy post-transplant. We will do all of this by supporting individuals struggling to pay for food and housing during the transplant process, raising awareness for organ donation and supporting transplant research. 

We are working on getting our website and social media up and running and will let you know when those are live. If you are looking to squeeze in a donation before the end of the year we can now help you with that! Checks should be made out to Social Good Fund with Strong & Salty written in the memo section. You can mail them-if you need my address please email one of us. 

We appreciate any and all support! In case you are wondering the Salty in the name is a Cystic Fibrosis reference since those of us with CF have saltier sweat than everyone else. 

We hope you all enjoy a wonder Holiday Season.

Cheers,
The Zs

124Yo

A year sure makes a difference. One year ago today Laura received her second double lung transplant. Today we celebrated at one of her favorite resturants @BelottiRB in Oakland. As one of the top Bay Area resturants it was a blast with such great food and drink!

Looking back a year it is amazing. We can not thank everyone enough for the love and support. It could have not happened without #teamlaura.

We also want to thank the donor's family. We would not be celebrating if it were not for your thoughtfulness. We can not express our appreciation for your actions.

If you are not a donor, we encourage you to look into the process. It really takes just a minute and you could end up changes the lives of multiple familiies. https://www.organdonor.gov/

We hope you all are excited about the holidays and hope you enjoy them to the fullest with friends and family. Again, thank you for the continued support.

Cheers,
The Z's

Anniverary of the first transplant

3 years ago today was Laura’s 1st dbl lung transplant. At this point on that day we had no idea what we were in for. We did know that we were very fortunate to have a donor, the best surgical team in the world and an extremely supportive network of friends and family to support us.

We did send a note to the original donor family. We have not heard from them but cannot thank them enough for their selfless donation at was a difficult time.

We now have multiple lungaversaries to celebrate. As for this adventure we have had a few weeks of check-ups and appointments. In regards to lung function, Laura is at 100%, #CRUSHINGIT!. As always she has be very diligent in her workouts and in all the tasks required to strengthen the new lungs.

The infections are still an issue. We should have results of the bronch this week. Hopefully the mold that was growing out on a suture has died with the months of Ampho. If it is still active, she will continue on the Ampho for another month and we will retest in May.

There were a few more treats in this last visit. The staph infection has come back as has the pseudomonas. There are treatments for both, but both take a great deal out of Laura. The breathing treatments for all three take hours each morning and evening. The side effects are tough as well.

In general all is well. All of the anti-rejection meds are still at very high levels and thus we are not that active. Large groups and small spaces are still to be avoided. Hopefully as we gain control over these current infections and the flu season passes us by the doctors will decrease the levels and Laura can return to her regular routine.

Thank you for the support.

Cheers,

The Z’s