Fundraiser set for C-Falls woman needing lung transplant

A Columbia Falls family is asking for help as a woman with a rare disease seeks a lung transplant.

Patricia Wyatt, 64, suffers from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, which is massive scarring of the lungs, and a progressive, rare and fatal lung disease with no cure. IPF prevents Wyatt from doing anything that provokes slight strain, including housework, driving and, worst of all, holding her grandchildren, her daughter-in-law Jennifer Wyatt said.

Her only hope for life is a lung transplant.

Wyatt is on the active waiting list at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Jennifer said. She is continually on oxygen and has about a 50 percent lung capacity.

To assist with post-transplant expenses, a fundraising event is being held at 8 p.m., July 20 at the Stonefly Lounge in Coram. There will be door prizes, raffle items and live music by Jameson and the Sordid Seeds starting at 9:30 p.m.

Wyatt has insurance to cover the surgery, but there are considerable expenses beyond the basic medical treatment, Jennifer noted.

Post-surgery, Wyatt will need to stay in Seattle with her care giver for at least three months for close monitoring. For the first year after a transplant, a patient remains at high risk for rejection, and there are many costs associated with monitoring and guarding against this, as well as with recuperation in other ways.

Folks that can’t make the fundraiser at the Stonefly can visit Wyatt’s profile on the National Transplant Foundation site at transplants.org and then search for Tricia Wyatt or contact Jennifer Wyatt 406-471-0086 for more information.