'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
Shooting at Michigan splash pad leaves 'nine, maybe 10 victims:' authorities
Several people have been wounded in a shooting at a splash pad in Rochester Hills, authorities said Saturday.
A new tax filing system could give Canadians more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits: PBO
Canadians would get more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits each year through an automatic tax filing system, according to a report published by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).
Video shows northern Ont. storm hammer shoreline, breaking dock
The owner of a northern Ont. camp is continuing to clean up after an intense storm that prompted a tornado warning Thursday ripped through the area breaking his dock and downing trees.
'All hands on deck situation': City of Calgary declares state of local emergency over water main break
The City of Calgary declared a local state of emergency Saturday morning in response to the latest developments in a major water main break that is impacting the city.
Trudeau calls into question findings of stunning watchdog foreign interference report
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has concerns with how conclusions were gathered in a spy watchdog report.
U.K. royals unite on palace balcony as Princess of Wales returns to public view after cancer diagnosis
London put on a display of birthday pageantry Saturday for King Charles III, a military parade that marked the Princess of Wales ' first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis early this year.
FOLLOW LIVE Oilers-Panthers Game 4: Oilers lead 2-1
Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers is set to begin at Rogers Place.
Abducted child found dead and sister injured in suspected human trafficking case, authorities say
36-year-old Daniel Callihan was arrested Thursday after a 35-year-old mother was found dead and her two abducted daughters were later discovered in Mississippi – one dead and the other alive – in what investigators say may be a human trafficking case.
Man who stabbed Mexican tourist in Vancouver Tim Hortons 2 years ago released from prison, police warn
Vancouver police are warning the public that the man who stabbed a stranger in a downtown coffee shop in January 2022 has been released and will be living in the city again.