'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
The simple task of walking from one room to another causes New Brunswick woman Yvette Taylor to run out of breath and stops her in her tracks.
Everyday household chores that shouldn’t be too difficult for a woman her age are a struggle.
Taylor lives with sarcoidosis, a disease that limits her lung capacity and keeps her on an oxygen tank 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“And unfortunately I’ve got it in my lungs and I’ve had it for almost 48 years and my time is running out so I need a double lung transplant,” said Taylor.
She’s been approved for surgery in Toronto, but the process can’t start until her family finds affordable accommodations and a caregiver to nurse her back to health.
Her recovery in Ontario could take up to two years.
“I’m not crazy about that, but I have the will to live and I will do whatever it takes,” said Taylor.
Her daughter Julie Laforge has started a GoFundMe fundraiser to get her situated in Toronto and to pay for a caregiver, both huge costs.
NB Lung, the province’s lung association, can cover some expenses, but Laforge said it’s not nearly enough.
“Without this, we risk losing her at an early age. She’s got so much life to live. She’s 68 years old this month and I’ve only ever known my mom to be in and out of hospital my entire life,” said Laforge.
“Watching her suffer on a breathing tank and watching her put medications in her body and not be able to help her, it’s hard on the heart. It’s hard on the head.”
NB Lung has already helped by funding a trip to Toronto last fall to get her tests and assessments done, a great relief for the family.
Moving forward, they know there are programs to help them but they just scratch the surface of what they really need.
“It would be lovely to see her thrive in her 60s and 70s like most people do,” said Laforge.
Carole Ritchie, her friend of 15 years, said Taylor is the sweetest person and she wants to see her live a long life.
“She’d do anything for anybody else and if anybody deserves this chance, she does,” said Ritchie. “She’s got a window and it’s not a long window so she just has to get up there and get it done. She never complains, but yet she’s out of breath.”
Yvette Taylor (right) sits on a couch in her Riverview, N.B., home with her friend Carol Ritchie (left) and daughter Julie Laforge (centre).
Taylor’s health has deteriorated since her husband Vernon died of cancer a year-and-a-half ago.
She took care of her husband of 32 years right up until his death.
She admits living on her own is tough, but social workers do come to her home in Riverview, N.B., a few times a week and her family and friends provide her with a strong support system.
“That helps me a lot. Just to know that I have friends and my children are out there rooting for me. That means a lot. It just lifts my spirits up. Otherwise, I would be crying all the time,” said Taylor.
Taylor hasn’t ruled out going back to work someday saying she would do it in a heart beat.
More than anything, she wants to see her grandchildren grow up.
For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING BMO says 'technical team investigating' after customers report outage
The Bank of Montreal says its 'technical team is investigating' following customer reports of an outage.
NEW How car thefts are impacting your insurance, even if your car isn't stolen
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
B.C. mortgage broker ran $270-million Ponzi scheme, then fled Canada, bankruptcy trustee says
The trustee appointed to manage the bankruptcies of a Victoria mortgage company and its owner has concluded that they committed "numerous offences" and operated as a "massive Ponzi scheme."
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
opinion Trump's Republicans falling far behind in fundraising, infrastructure
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, Washington political analyst Eric Ham explains how and why Republicans -- up and down the ballot -- are falling far behind Democrats in both fundraising and infrastructure.
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
Canadians' interest in buying EVs fades as barriers, concerns remain: J.D. Power
A new study finds fewer Canadians say they're interested in buying an electric vehicle as concerns remain about limited driving ranges, high prices and a lack of charging stations.
McDonald's says US$18 Big Mac meal was an 'exception' and their prices haven't risen that much
McDonald’s is fighting back against viral tweets and media reports that it says have exaggerated its price increases.
Oilers rally to beat Stars, tie Western Conference Final
With the Edmonton Oilers down two goals late in the first period of Game 4, Rogers Place was quiet, fans seemingly bewildered at the early, quick scoring of the Dallas Stars and the slow start by the home team. Ryan McLeod's marker with six-and-a-half minutes in the opening frame left changed all that.