The Short Version:

Connie Belk is suffering from two very dangerous lung diseases - Sarcoidosis and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. She is on constant oxygen, and as time goes on and on, it is not enough. She needs a lung transplant. Her lung doctor will not take any steps to get her on the transplant list until she loses weight, impossible with the treatment he's currently forcing her to take. He has no problem watching her waste away an die. BUT WE ARE NOT GOING TO SIT AND TAKE IT ANYMORE.

My wife has days where she feels like giving up, and we need to end those days and replace them with optimistic ones. We now have another option, but will have to fight hard for it. She can receive stem cell treatment, with a great history of high success rates, but insurance will not cover it. We need to raise as close to $12,000 as we can, as quickly as we can, to give my wife her life back. Will you help us fight back? Will you help Connie, so that she doesn't have to lean back and wait to die?

My wife is such a positive element to so many people's lives. She is loved by so many. Please help. Your donation will help keep her in not just our lives, but the lives of every person who is fortunate enough to be connected to her.

The Full Story

In September of 2013, Connie Belk was diagnosed with a serious disease - Sarcoidosis in her lungs. That day she was put on oxygen, prednisone and methotrexate. She was no longer able to catch enough breathing on her own.

For years prior to this diagnosis, doctors had consistently and repeatedly treated her for bronchitis, allowing this horrible disease to continue to do it's damage. By the time she convinced a doctor to take an x-ray of her lungs, my wife was already deeply scarred by this disease.

Her doctors may have began treatment right away, but the star of the show of her abundance of medications was methotrexate. One side affect of methotrexate is damage to the lungs. And guess what?

Connie now has two lung diseases: Sarcoidosis and end stage idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Her lungs are scarred up beyond repair. My wife at only 47, was told she needed a lung transplant.

Unfortunately, the treatment she has been on for the last year included prednisone -- a steroid notorious for weight gain. Now, it is incredibly urgent that she get a lung transplant, however her doctor will not put her on a transplant list until she loses 30 pounds -- the weight the prednisone caused her to gain. This medication is the only thing keeping the illness from spreading rampant, and although it's not working well, it is not an option for her to just stop taking it.

For the last year, our family has had to sit here and wait, watching my wife's health deteriorate, while her doctor has offered little help, except for telling her to lose the weight. Her prestigious doctor has put her into an impossible situation. How does someone lose weight, when they can't do anything physical that requires being able to BREATHE, and while still being on a medication that causes weight gain? He has offered no guidance in this. My wifes doctor seems to be content to let her continue to detioriate. And we've had enough. The Lung Institute has offered my wife another option. She can go to their facility in Arizona for three days of stem cell therapy. This option has proven to have a high success rate. Stem Cell research has been backed by many famous people. For instance, the late Robin Williams and Chistopher Reeves. Even if they can't get her lungs back to full function, it is very likely they could get her back to a place where she is in less danger, and could buy her enough time to get off of predisone, lose the weight, and onto the transplant list. This could save her life. Best case, it could put off the transplant for many years.

There is a catch -- insurance does not cover it, and it is expensive.

So we are asking you -- friends, family, friends of family and family of friends. Please help us. My wife is far too young to die -- she has so much life left to live, and we need help getting her the treatment that will keep her in this fight.

Besides I just got her back 10 years ago. Any donation helps. And please, spread the word. Make this campaign go as viral as possible. My wife deserves to live, and if we can get 12,000 people to donate one dollar, we could save her life, 6000 people to donate 2 dollars, we could save her life. 3000 people to donate 4 dollars, we could save her life. 1000 people donating just 12 dollars could save her life. If you would like to be part of something life saving, please consider any amount to help save this life.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts,

The Belk Family

For more information about the new treatment we are seeking, please visit the Lung Institute's Website. We know times are hard, if you can't contribute, no problem but I ask that you please share this with as many friends and family as possible.