"People should not be made to choose between their life and losing everything they've worked their whole lives for."
A Princeton resident is in need of the community's help in order to get on the list for a lung transplant to save her life without losing her home.
Christina Derksen-Unrau has been fighting major health issues for years, beginning with Langerhans cell disease in 2004 and then being diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and emphysema, before getting lung cancer.
The process for transplant started in February when Derksen-Unrau said her specialist put her through to the transplant team, with testing starting in June.
Her health had deteriorated to the point where her only option is a double lung transplant.
"It's not 'Okay, your lungs are failing, you can have a transplant.' I have to meet all these certain criteria with all my other body functions...You've got to be sick enough but you can't be too sick."
Now Derksen-Unrau has to be ready to meet with the transplant team on Dec. 14, with all of her finances and arrangements set up.
"The kicker of it is that we have to show to the transplant team that we have the means to do this or they won't do my transplant," she said. "I don't think a lot of people understand it, but there's no support out there for adults that are getting transplants.
"When I get the call to go for my lung transplant, I won't have days or weeks or whatever to plan, I'll be airlifted out of Princeton right after I get the call."
"I'll be in surgery within 12 hours and I'm in the hospital for a month and then I have to go into outpatient status. But I have to live at the coast with a 24-hour caregiver, which is gonna be my husband, but then that means he's not working."
It's expected that Derksen-Unrau will need to live near Vancouver General Hospital, not going farther out than Langley, for at least two to six months after the hospital stay at their own expense.
And EI will barely be enough to cover their mortgage and expenses, and only lasts for 12 weeks.
"They put all of these restrictions on you just to try and save your life. I understand why they're doing it. But it's unhelpful there for some adults because it makes me wonder how many people have died because there isn't the support out there for them."
Derksen-Unrau said this shows major gaps in the medical care system.
"I have to prove that I have the money to be able to live somewhere in Vancouver without losing the home that my husband and I worked so hard for it, or I don't get lungs. How sick is that where only basically what it boils down to is the $20,000 GoFundMe? That's just to cover us while we're in Vancouver," she said.
"So my life's worth 20 grand."
Derksen-Unrau has been speaking with the social worker assigned to her case about any options, who suggested creating the GoFundMe, which can be found online here.
"People are stepping up where they can. It's hard. My husband and I are not the ones to ever ask for help. We're always the ones that have been doing the help. And that's what we thrive on. So for us to actually put that GoFundMe up, was pretty hard," she said.
Support has been coming in from the town and Derksen-Unrau's five kids and 12 grandkids.
"I tell all the kids and my grandkids I'm not going anywhere. Because I'm gonna stick around long enough to teach my grandkids all the bad words and how to use them right," she said with a little chuckle.
"If you can't donate to the GoFundMe page please just send good vibes and prayers. Good thoughts and prayers can go a long way."
The couple is also in need of someone to help house-sit their place in Princeton and look after their dogs when they move down to the Lower Mainland for a few months.
"All they got to do is just live here. We'll have the fridges and freezers all stocked up. They don't have to pay for anything. Just come and live here. Everything will be paid for just let my dogs out four times a day and feed them cheese."
If you can help out, reach out over email for more information at [email protected]
Derksen-Unrau expresses her sincere thanks to everyone who has and can help get her closer to the treatment she needs.
