We need help for an outstanding young woman from Owen Sound. Raven Taylor is 23 years of age and has been through more than most of us will face in a lifetime in those short 23 years. Raven needs a double lung transplant and we have to help her to be successful in her attempts to become healthy once again. Raven graduated in April with honours and even walked across the stage with her oxygen tank in tow; she is an exemplary young lady.

Raven has had difficulty breathing since she was 12 and was prescribed puffers with a small degree of success. At 16 she was diagnosed with Mixed Connective Tissue Disease; an autoimmune disease which encompasses an umbrella of many diseases and is called an "overlap disease". The different disorders covered under this label don't all present at once, instead the symptoms from different diseases occur in sequence over a number of years. At this point Raven had about 60% lung capacity but unfortunately this didn't last for long- while her 2010 tests showed 60% capacity by 2015 this had decreased to 33%.

Raven met many different doctors and members of the transplant team over a 3 day visit after this news and following a month of deliberation the team informed her that the tests all showed that she was sick enough to be part of the transplant program. They were impressed with her good outlook on life and waited until this point in 2016 to arrange for her transplant. But Raven and her family cannot do this alone.
This will not be possible unless we all pitch in. Raven, with her support team of her mother and partner, has to move to Toronto within two weeks to be readily available if donor lungs become available. On such short notice and with limited resources (including financial) it is difficult to find a place to stay in such an expensive city. Please consider helping them so that they can move to the Toronto and give Raven a chance at life.

Raven also has to start intensive physiotherapy to enable her best opportunity to recover after the transplant; her body needs to be in the best possible condition to receive and host a new set of lungs. After the surgery the recovery period is long and arduous. Once again Raven must live as close as possible to the hospital in case infection occurs.

Please donate to this worthwhile, local need. Her life depends on it! Her go fund me site is gofundme.com/2sx75q24

source: media release