This may not interest most of you, but I know that some folks local to me read this blog too.
One of my stepbrother Dan Schooff’s best friends is Steve Shea, and Steve’s wife Sallie is in serious trouble. You can read the details after the break, but the upshot is that Sallie needs a lung transplant. Dan and his wife Alyssa, along with some of Steve and Sallie’s other friends, are hosting a fundraiser in Milwaukee tomorrow night. Of course, if you can’t make it there, you can always donate directly to the cause instead.
As I said, details are below. After that, we return you to your irregularly scheduled blather.
“Life is tough, grab a helmet” — Denis Leary
“We fight for ourselves and we fight for our loved ones” — Sallie Shea
Dear Friends,
Our friend Sallie Shea is a fighter, but she needs our help. As you may know, Sallie has been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and incurable lung disease. Her only option for survival is a lung transplant. Sallie is on the transplant list at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and due to her age and general health status, she is an excellent candidate for lung transplantation.
However, as you can imagine, Sallie and her husband, Steve, face mounting medical expenses from bills and medication costs while Sallie is waiting for a new lung. They are also responsible for the portion of the transplant that insurance does not cover. Their insurance is capped at least 50% below the cost of the treatment, which could leave Sallie and Steve with up to $250,000 of medical bills for the transplant alone.
A group of Sallie and Steve’s friends want to do something for them to let them know that we support them during this time. We decided to host an event in their honor at Riverwalk Bistro, in Milwaukee’s 3rd Ward on September 30, 2006. Our goal is to raise awareness for organ donation, to provide people with information and resources to sign up to be an organ donor, and to raise $25,000 for Sallie and Steve to use for expenses before and after the transplant.
In order to raise our goal of $25,000, we need your help! We are asking Sallie and Steve’s family, friends, and friends of friends to help the Sheas during this difficult time by making a financial contribution. This contribution will go directly to the “Friends of Sallie and Steve Shea” fund and 100% of the money donated will go directly to Sallie and Steve.
“I don’t want people to worry or feel sorry for me. I don’t want people to think that there is not hope – because there is and I’m a fighter. In fact, most people who have diseases where the odds are stacked against them fight like hell to survive. I have never asked God, ‘Why me?’ I say ‘Why not me.’ It’s the luck of the draw I guess and God never gives you more than you can handle.” – Sallie Shea
The best way you can help Sallie and Steve right now is to sponsor the event on September 30. Sponsor levels are: $500, $250, $100 and $50. If you are unable to attend the event you can still be a sponsor! By sponsoring the event you are making the most valuable pledge to help Sallie and Steve right now.
A separate foundation has also been set up in Sallie’s name to help Sallie and other families going through the same situation. Money raised by the foundation has some restrictions on its use and does not automatically go to Sallie and Steve. This is not to discourage anyone from donating to the foundation. In fact, visit the foundation’s website at http://www.willetfoundation.org to learn more about the foundation and its efforts. However, our event is separate from the foundation and the money earned will go directly to Sallie and Steve. (Contributions to this fund are not tax deductible.)
To make this event as successful as possible, we need your help!
Please consider sponsoring the September 30 event at $500, $250, $100 or $50. Let Sallie and Steve know that they can count on you! Please mail the following form to contribute with a credit card or mail your check payable to:
“Friends of Sallie and Steve Shea”
c/o Alyssa Whitney
1955 Pebble Drive
Beloit, WI 53511
To pay with a credit card using PayPal, please e-mail the amount of your pledge to alyssa_whitney@yahoo.com and an invoice will be e-mailed to you.
“Steve and I have had to put a lot of our life dreams on hold, or to give them up entirely.” – Sallie Shea
Please do what you can today to help Sallie and Steve so not all their dreams will be lost.
Sincerely,
Friends of Sallie and Steve Shea Committee:
Jennifer Schober Goodwin, Todd Goodwin, Dan Schooff, Casey Trudgeon, Karisa Trudgeon, Alyssa Whitney (and many other volunteers)
P.S. Please forward this e-mail to everyone in your contacts that can help Sallie and Steve.
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I would like to pay with my Visa or Mastercard to help Sallie and Steve:
Card No.____________________________
Circle amount:$500 $250 $100 $50
Expiration Date_______________________
Name_______________________________
Address_____________________________
______________________________
Phone_______________________________
*This form will be shredded after the charge is transmitted
