Long Island Mother Denied Lung Transplant Due to Homelessness

Urgent Need for Lung Transplant

• 💔 Anna Marie Patterson, a 40-year-old mother of five, is in desperate need of a lung transplant to survive.
• ♿ She requires a machine to breathe and a wheelchair for mobility due to her severely impacted lungs.
• 🏥 Patterson has been diagnosed with a lung disease that significantly impairs her ability to breathe.

Barriers to Life-Saving Surgery

• 🏠 Despite being medically eligible, Patterson has been denied a transplant three times by different hospitals because she is experiencing homelessness and lives in a shelter.
• ⚠️ The National Institutes of Health note that while transplant recipients can be in the shelter system, their homelessness creates hurdles for recovery, making them less viable candidates.
• 🗓️ Doctors at Montafiora Medical System have agreed to perform the surgery, but only if Patterson can secure stable housing by January 10th.

Efforts to Provide Support

• 🤝 The Legacy Development Corporation, an organization assisting the unhoused, is working to help Patterson.
• 💰 Their goal is to raise enough funds to secure a year of stable housing for her, which is a prerequisite for the transplant.
• 🔗 A GoFundMe campaign has been established by the Legacy Development Corporation to support Patterson's housing needs.
• ⚖️ Patterson expresses that the situation is unfair, especially with children involved.