The Save Lauren’s Heart FundRager

Thank you!

The fundraiser on June 24th, 2008 was a huge success. We are still collecting donations for Lauren’s medical expenses as she is still unable to work, so please continue to spread the word and help with our cause.

To make donations via credit card please use the “Donate” button below.

Please note that you do not have to pay a gift tax on donations up to $12,000 per year, per individual. At this point Save Lauren’s Heart is not a recognized 501 (c)(3), and does not have a fiscal sponsor. Lauren’s team tried every possible route to make this effort a recognized non-profit, but have run into difficulties. Suggestions are welcome! Donations to savelaurensheart are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes.

Up until this point Lauren’s family has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on treatment to keep Lauren healthy. Her medications alone cost about $300 monthly, and her intense treatment regimen must continue. The scar tissue will never return to normal heart tissue. It is critical that Lauren continues to get top-of-the-line treatment. This includes everything from traditional western medicine, or eastern practices, to the latest breakthrough in adult stem cell therapy or other medical advancements in heart failure research. She is especially interested in the adult stem cell therapy option, which can generate new heart tissue, therefore improving the organ’s function. Stem cell therapy such as this would cost $50,000.

Lauren’s heart must be monitored closely to ensure the scarring does not progress. Further progression could mean a heart transplant … something she and her family want to avoid at all costs! Even with insurance, a heart transplant could be financially devastating: a million dollar procedure that entails a multitude of medications and procedures for the rest of her life. Lauren and her family presently see a heart transplant doctor at Columbia Presbyterian.

Any contribution would help Lauren and her family on their journey to healing. Trips to follow-up at Cleveland Clinic alone are thousands of dollars out of pocket per visit.